Alagasco good heat chefs

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The Good HeatPreferred

Chefs

Chef Clayton SherrodChef Clayton Sherrod is dedicated to

raising the consumer consciousness sur-rounding the wonder that is Southern food. Chef Clayton is the owner of Chef Clayton’s Food Systems, Inc. and producer of Chef Clayton’s Seasonings. An American Culinary Federation (ACF) Certified Executive Chef, and a member of the elite American Acad-emy of Chefs (AAC), he has served on the regional ACF Chef Professionalism Commit-tee. Chef Clayton serves on the Board of the Culinard, the culinary institute of Virgin-ia College. He is also on the board of the Future Culinarians of America Scholarship Foundation for the state of Alabama. He is a 1998 graduate of Leadership Birming-ham. In May, 2000 he received an honorary Doctorate for his culinary accomplishments from Johnson and Wales University, Norfolk, Virginia. Chef Clayton is the founder of the American Culinary Federation, Birmingham, Alabama Chapter.

Chef Clayton is a member of the ACF Accreditation Team for Culinary Colleges. Sherrod is the originator of the “National ACF Chapter Newsletter Awards,” the recipient of the Bahamas Culinary Chefs Association’s “Distinguished Service Award,” and a charter member of the Caribbean Chefs Associa-tion. He is regularly featured in TV appear-ances, including a segment for the Discov-ery Channel’s Home Matters program, as well as, magazine and newspaper articles throughout the United States, the Caribbean and South Africa.

Clayton Sherrod (The ALAGASCO Chef) and the Alabama Gas Corporation co-au-thored four cookbooks- Top ‘O’ The Morning, A Taste of the South, Simply Southern, and most recently, Truly Southern (proceeds from the cookbook sales are donated to local charities).

In 1990, Sherrod was appointed to the position of the ACF National Black Family Reunion Culinary Coordinator. His tasks was to travel across the U.S. to inform communi-ties of the important role African American chefs and cooks play in American cookery, and enlighten African-American students about the opportunities available in culinary careers. He continues this pursuit with the creation of the Chef Clayton Sherrod Culi-nary Scholarship Foundation.

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Frank Stitt

Through his restaurants on Birmingham’s Southside—Highlands, Bottega, Bottega Café and Chez Fonfon—Frank Stitt revolutionized the culinary landscape in the Magic City. Much as in the B.C./A.D. breakdown of history., you can easily separate Birmingham’s food scene into two distinct eras, Before Frank and After Frank.

Stitt helped put Birmingham on the culinary map, and became a magnet for talented chefs who were first drawn to work for him, then created great restaurants of their own. That blossoming of talent expanded the options for food lovers and cemented Birmingham’s reputation as one of the great food towns in the South and the nation as a whole.

With the opening of Highlands Bar & Grill in 1982, Frank Stitt married French technique with Southern food and traditions to create a signature style that has won Stitt honor after honor,, decade after decade. The James Beard Foundation inducted Stitt into the Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in 2011, after naming Highlands an Outstanding Restaurant Finalist in 2011, 2010 and 2009. The Foundation named Stitt an Outstanding Chef Finalist in 2008 and Best Chef in the Southeast in 2001. Esquire magazine inducted him into its Restaurant Hall of Fame in 2011, and Highlands routinely makes the list of top restaurants in the United States in a wide variety of magazines and guides.

Born in Cullman, the son of a physician, Frank Stitt studied philosophy at the University of California–Berkley, traveled in Europe, and worked with food legends like Alice Waters and Richard Olney before settling in Birmingham to create a world of extraordinary dining and gracious hospitality.

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Drew Robinson Drew Robinson is a son of the South, a

Birmingham native steeped in the traditions of the Southern palate—chief among them is the powerful pull of barbecue. Robinson is the corporate chef at Jim ‘N Nick’s Barbecue, overseeing product, recipe and menu development, along with sourcing and procurement of all goods and supplies.

“As a cook and chef, I am very passionate about barbecue and Southern food. I came to Jim ‘N Nick’s about 10 years ago. That was the primary motivation for my coming here. The fact that I get to work with barbecue and smoked meat and great Southern food every day, is something that really excites me,” Chef Robinson says. “Everyone throughout the different levels of the organization is really passionate about what they do.”

Robinson, an Alagasco Good Heat chef, was born in Birmingham, went to school at Berry High School, and attended UAB for a time. But a youth spent working in restaurants made him realize that the culinary arts was what he really wanted to pursue. He attended the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont from 1997 to 1999. After graduation he moved to California working for a time in restaurants in the northern part of the state.

“I knew in my heart I wanted to be around Southern food and barbecue. Ultimately I left to come back to Birmingham and went to work for Frank Stitt at Highlands Bar and Grill. I was chef de cuisine there for about three years before coming to Jim ‘N Nick’s.”

His experience with the quality of the Jim ‘N Nick’s operation makes Robinson proud. “A couple of things make Jim ‘N Nick’s food special. We source the right products and the best products. The pork we are serving in Birmingham restaurants right now, for example, comes from right here in Alabama. Everything we do is fresh—from the barbecue, which we smoke 24 hours a day, to our pies and sauces which we make fresh every day. We have a true commitment to authenticity and quality.” Robinson says.

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Martie Duncan Beginning last May, the millions who tune into The Food Network have learned what Birmingham has known all along: Martie Duncan is a fantastic chef and a vivacious, winning personality.

Duncan made it on to the cast of the network’s tremendously successful, The Next Food Network Star. Through her cheerful attitude and wonderful execution in the kitchen, Duncan made it through round after round of the competition to see which new chef would become the latest star of the cable food network. The final rounds were held at the end of July.

Martie Duncan has always loved to cook and entertain, but her varied career includes stints as a police officer, wedding expert and web content developer. From party planning to the internet, Duncan has developed an extraordinary following. Now she has taken those skills to the screen on one of The Food Network’s signature shows.

“Participating on Food Network Star cer-tainly was not easy but it was a lot of fun... what’s not fun about living your dream and knowing at the end of it, you may have your own show on Food Network? I’d do it again in a minute. One of the best parts of participating in a show like Food Network Star is the opportunity to meet people. And I don’t necessarily mean celebrities... I’m talk-ing about the people who come up to you in the grocery store and say you inspire them to reach for their dreams. That’s what it is all about. I hope to get the chance to use that platform to inspire people to entertain at home more often,” Martie says.

“Cooking on a competition television show like Food Network Star certainly would have been easier if I could have taken my gas stove with me! Some of the methods of cooking were totally unreliable. When I cook on gas, I can be certain what the heat level is and have greater control over the pro-cess... and more importantly, the outcome of my food” Martie says.

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Photo: Arden Ward

Chef Chris Vizzina A passion for healthy food has helped Chef Chris Vizzina, 41, rise quickly to become executive chef and president of Campus Dining, Inc. at Samford University. Campus Dining manages food service operations at multiple sites across the Southeast, serving more than 10,000 meals every day. Chef Vizzina has been nominated on three occasions (and up for a fourth) for the Silver Plate Award, a prestigious honor of national renown in the food service industry.

Giving back to the community is where the Chef finds his greatest calling. Among many other duties, he serves as a director of Birmingham Originals—the city’s independent restaurant association. He also serves as an ambassador to The New England Culinary Institute in Vermont, assists with teaching duties and practical experience for students at Samford University, and as a volunteer consultant and chef at Jones Valley Teaching Farm. He has won an Urban Food Hero Award for his work at Jones Valley, was recently nominated as a Champion for Health in Birmingham, and has adopted Homewood City Schools as part of the First Lady’s Chefs Move to Schools initiative.

With regular guest chef appearances, Chef Vizzina works to educate present and future generations on the undeniable benefits of a healthy cuisine inspired by local flavors. A believer in the clean efficiency of natural gas, the chef uses today’s latest technologies to enhance the dining experience. Alagasco and Chef Vizzina teamed up for the second annual Cooking for a Cause Event where he was

the featured chef. The event benefited Healthy Kids Healthy Communities, a national Robert Wood Johnson program that works to advance community-based solutions and reverse the child hood obesity epidemic.

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Photo by Brian Francis

David MashburnChef David Mashburn has created a

true culinary destination in Anniston with his Classic On Noble and Classic Catering businesses. A fine dining tradition in An-niston, the Classic brand has drawn rave reviews and accolades from local diners as well as customers who travel great dis-tances to experience Mashburn’s singular service and delectable culinary creations.

Working out of a beautifully reno-vated historic building in Anniston, Chef Mashburn not only takes care of custom-ers who travel to his restaurant, he takes his talent on the road as well. His Classic Catering business creates extraordinary events across the Southeast from Birming-ham and Montgomery to Atlanta, Chat-tanooga, Talladega, and many other cit-ies and communities.

Classic grew out of the passion of its founders, David and Cathy Mashburn, for creating wonderful meals and memora-ble events. Before restoring the beautiful 1894 Levy and Clark building in Anniston, the Mashburn’s established a renowned reputation for their outstanding catering, as their craft grew from an intense hobby into a major business.

Chef Mashburn has been named one of three Good Heat Chefs by Ala-gasco. Classic has also recently received the Certificate of Excellence for 2012 from TripAdvisor for consistently earning top ratings from TripAdvisor travelers.

Classic On Noble has been featured in Southern Living, Historical Restaurants of the South, 100 Places to Eat Before You Die, The Anniston Star, The Birmingham News, and other media. Dignitaries such as former President and Mrs. Jimmy Carter, US Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, Congressman Mike Rogers, former and present Governors, Amy Grant, members of the band, Alabama, and countless others have dined at Classic.

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Chef Chris Vizzina A passion for healthy food has helped Chef Chris Vizzina, 41, rise quickly to become executive chef and president of Campus Dining, Inc. at Samford University. Campus Dining manages food service operations at multiple sites across the Southeast, serving more than 10,000 meals every day. Chef Vizzina has been nominated on three occasions (and up for a fourth) for the Silver Plate Award, a prestigious honor of national renown in the food service industry.

Giving back to the community is where the Chef finds his greatest calling. Among many other duties, he serves as a director of Birmingham Originals—the city’s independent restaurant association. He also serves as an ambassador to The New England Culinary Institute in Vermont, assists with teaching duties and practical experience for students at Samford University, and as a volunteer consultant and chef at Jones Valley Teaching Farm. He has won an Urban Food Hero Award for his work at Jones Valley, was recently nominated as a Champion for Health in Birmingham, and has adopted Homewood City Schools as part of the First Lady’s Chefs Move to Schools initiative.

With regular guest chef appearances, Chef Vizzina works to educate present and future generations on the undeniable benefits of a healthy cuisine inspired by local flavors. A believer in the clean efficiency of natural gas, the chef uses today’s latest technologies to enhance the dining experience. Alagasco and Chef Vizzina teamed up for the second annual Cooking for a Cause Event where he was

the featured chef. The event benefited Healthy Kids Healthy Communities, a national Robert Wood Johnson program that works to advance community-based solutions and reverse the child hood obesity epidemic.

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Photo by Brian Francis

George Reis of

Ocean and 26:

Beyond Farm to Table

The phenomenon of farm to table in today’s

restaurant scene has been transforming the way

diners and restaurateurs think about the food served

in better restaurants all across the United States. Farm

to table defines a movement among consumers that

seeks to better understand where their food comes

from. The movement promotes local farm production,

sustainable agriculture, and organic growing practices.

A big believer in the benefits of supporting local

farms and sourcing sustainable food, Chef George

Reis, owner and chef of Ocean and 26 restaurants on

the city’s Southside, has added a fisherman to table component to

the seafood dishes at his award-winning restaurants.

“We utilize a farm to table philosophy in purchasing our

vegetables. But we are also taking the further step of connecting

directly with the fisherman on the boat. There is a strong push to build

deeper relationships to get great seafood, fish that is sustainable

and traceable,” Reis says.

Reis really connects with the old-school fisherman still working

the waters of the Gulf. He also tries hard to honor connections with

the traditions of the past by preserving foods. The restaurant cans

peaches and tomatoes, for example, amazing diners by taking

the flavors of summer and making them come to life in sauces,

chutneys, vinaigrettes, even on pizzas, in deepest winter.

Reis was born in the Midwest and raised in upstate New York,

which gave him an appreciation of the greatness of farm fresh

foods and the blending of world flavors. After living in New York,

Dallas, the Gulf Coast and Atlanta, Reis realized his dream when

he moved to Birmingham and opened Ocean in March of 2002.

At Ocean, Reis draws upon the flavors of the world and combines

them with the freshest seafood. Ocean has won many awards,

including the AAA Four Diamond Award for 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010

and 2011, 2012, and the Wine Spectator Award for 2004 through

2012.

In June of 2006, Reis opened his second restaurant, 26, right next

door to Ocean. 26 is an exciting place to eat with an industrial-

chic décor and the buzz of bistro dining. Slow-roasted, rustic flavors

meet fast, fresh influences… light and heavy play together with the

extraordinary flavor combinations that Reis does so well.

An active member of the Birmingham Originals since 2002,

Reis has also served on the executive board of the National Dine

Originals. He is also active in numerous charities.

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George Reis is a Good Heat Preferred Chef®; #7 in series.

206 b-metro.com

A native of Panama, Chef Leonardo Maurelli III was raised as the youngest son in a large Latin/Italian family. After moving with his family to Alabama in the 1990s, he began working in commercial kitchens at the age of 14, honing his skills for what would become his life’s work. Even today there are Italian and Panamanian influences in his cooking, a heritage of stirring the rice in the family kitchen that he relates back to the old chef ’s adage: remember your grandmother’s cooking.

Chef Leo attended Auburn University, graduating with a degree in hotel and restaurant management in 2003. He has served as the Executive Chef of the famed Amsterdam Café in Auburn, and Special Events and Catering Chef and Chef de Cuisine for The Hotel and Dixon Conference Center in Auburn.

With his focus on fresh and local ingredients, today Chef Leo is the executive chef of Central, located in the heart of Montgomery’s Downtown entertainment district. He pairs his patronage of local farmers, cheesemakers, brewers and artisans with a uniquely personal multicultural take on comfortable Southern food, created with a straightforward style and grace. An American restaurant highlighting local and seasonal ingredients, Central features exposed brick, flickering gas lanterns and a bustling open kitchen. In the main dining room, 16-foot ceilings, spectacular overhead lighting and a central bar comprised of reclaimed wood all overlook Montgomery’s downtown alley.

Honored as the 2011 Alabama Restaurant Association and Alabama Hospitality Association Chef of the Year, Chef Leo is a founding member and president of The Front Porch Revival, a nonprofit organization in charge of promoting the arts in Alabama.

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Leonardo Maurelli is a Good Heat Preferred Chef®; #8 in series.

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Executive Chef

Leonardo Maurelli, III

A celebrated chef and savvy businessman, Chris Hastings has the air of

an introspective, thoughtful man, a mixture of philosopher and craftsman in the kitchen. After 18 years building Hot and Hot Fish Club into a much-honored and acclaimed Southern restaurant, Chris and Idie Hastings, chef and owners of this Southside food icon, are on a journey of introspection and outreach that they hope will define their work for decades to come.

Fresh from an exciting win on Iron Chef and his 2012 James Beard Award as Best Chef in the South, Hastings is determined to innovate both within his restaurant and in the community at large. “We need to leverage the success we have created to expand, to be involved more in the commu-nity, and bring our energy to important conversations about food,” Hastings says. That conversation is about wholesome, healthful food, sustainable agriculture and access to locally produced fruits, vegetables and meats.

For Hastings, the importance of the farmer cannot be overstated. “We need to put a higher premium on the local farmer. Everyone for years has wanted to fawn over the chef, but the reality is the real heroes to the chef are these disproportionately passionate purveyors who give their life to oyster-ing, shrimping, making cheeses, growing vegetables, raising chickens and eggs and organic grains and foods.”

Hastings started cooking 30 years ago. “I always knew I wanted to be a chef and own a restaurant. I always knew I was capable of hard work and was reasonably good at what I did. But to be where I am today with all of the great things that have happened, there was no way I could have envisioned having a place in the conversation about food in America. We are now part of that conversation, whether through our nomination for the James Beard Award, or our cookbook, or the involvement in food organiza-tions or contributions to food magazines,” he says.

“Birmingham has really embraced us. We are so fortunate. When we travel and people say ‘Birmingham?’ in kind of a skeptical questioning way, I always say, ‘Trust me, greatest city in the world.’ That we live here, that we have a business here, that we raised our family here, that we are part of the community, has been the greatest gift we could have ever hoped for,” Hast-ings says.

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Chris Hastings is a Good Heat Preferred Chef®; #9 in series.

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Chef/Owner, Hot and Hot Fish Club

Chris Hastings