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such dishes
as grits baked under
a bubbling cap of
cheddar, creamy
laurel-aged rice dressed inbu er and fresh
herbs, and pots of pimento cheese served
with crackers made from local benne
(sesame seed) flour.
Brock’s work has not gone unnoticed.
In 2010 he won the coveted James Beard
Best Chef of the Southeast award, and
across the country a growing number
of chefs—including Dan Barber of New
York’s celebrated Blue Hill, Ana Sortun of
Oleana in Cambridge, Mass., and Jonah
Rhodehamel of Oliveto in Oakland,
Calif.—have begun to take the provenance
of their grains as seriously as that of their
heirloom tomatoes. Even celebrity chef
Mario Batali’s New York City Italian food
emporium, Eataly, sources organic stone-
ground flour fromWildHive Farm, located
just two hours upstate.
Brock, meanwhile, is hardly finished
with his undertaking. He is now experi-
mentingwith fermentation, making a soy
sauce alternative out of locally grown farro
and oats and brewing his own rice wine
vinegar (“It smells like opening a can of
Sprite,” he says). He also works diligently
with longtime mentor Glenn Roberts,
founder of Anson Mills, to discover new
grains as well as new techniques for using
old ones.
“Sean puts these grains to work more
enthusiastically thananyone I know,” Rob-
erts says. “If I send him a seed sample, he
starts ordering it the next day.” The ta oos,
one presumes, follow shortly therea er.
ACLASSICRIFF
The original “old-fashioned”—bourbon,
sugar and a dash of bi ers—may have
originated among Kentucky’s equestrian
elite, but that hasn’t stopped bartender T.J.
Palmieri of Miami’s Yardbird from pu ing
a down-home patina on it. A er adding
a li le
sorghum syrup
, the grain-based
sweetener long used to top biscuits
and grits, he named his creation
a er the patron saint of blues
guitar, Stevie Ray Vaughan.
THE STEVIE RAY
INGREDIENTS
›
2 oz. bourbon
›
½ oz. sorghum syrup
›
2–3 dashes The Bitter
Truth’s Jerry Thomas
bitters
1.
Rim a rocks glass with
powdered sugar.
2.
Stir all ingredients in a
mixing glass.
3.
Pour over ice.
SEAN BROCK (CORN); TRACEY ANN JARRETT (COCKTAIL)
38
JULY 2012
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Southern classic and
McCrady’s staple
Jimmy red corn
BOARDING PASS
Whether you prefer
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Chicago, Houston, Washington Dulles and
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Go to united.com to
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