Several years back, Chef Alex Harrell was part of a group of young chefs who challenged the status quo in New Orleans by adapting the traditional cuisine from the South and leveraging seasonal local ingredients. He started at Sylvain, then at the famous Angeline and now at The Elysian Bar. Chef Harrell likes to say that he is not cooking for himself. He is providing for someone. A lot of times it gets lost. Chefs and cooks often miss the mark. They are just cooking at people and they are not necessarily cooking for people.
What we covered in this episode
- Chef Alex Harrell tells us about his approach to cooking and how he modernized his recipes while staying true to the flavors from the South.
- It is essential to paying respect to the traditional cuisine of New Orleans, especially when you are located in the Historical district of the French Quarter.
- You are not only cooking for guests who are coming to the city but for the residents of New Orleans.
- Need to be very mindful and respectful of History and tradition.
- His creative process is ingredient based. Then techniques. High priority to local and seasonal ingredients. Especially seafood.
- Born in Alabama, Southern cooking is part of his roots. He learned a lot from his grandmother.
- People believe that Southern Cooking is based solely on butter and fried chicken, but it is really based on grains and vegetables.
- The South is a huge melting pot of different traditions, different technique, and different styles that really has kind of grown into what modern Southern cooking is.
- Prior to Katrina, there were not a lot of opportunities for local chefs to have local ingredients available.
- The future of the Southern cooking in the complexity and the depth coming from outside influences.
- Chef Alex Harrell never intended to become a chef. He was into field research and environmental science.
- He grew up close to his grand parents’ farm and got tired of academic life and decided to take a break and started to work at a restaurant in South Florida.
- Something connected with him while he started working in the kitchen.
- He enjoyed the physicality of the work and the team aspect and found a connection to food through science.
- Chef Harrell never went to culinary school.
- He read a lot of the text books from the Culinary Institute and cookbooks and formulate questions to the Chefs.
- His mentors: Susan Spicer, and Gerard Maras.
- Sylvain restaurant was his first job back in New Orleans in 2010. Tiny space. Focused on economy and efficiency.
- Angeline restaurant was Mediterranean style viewed through Southern lenses.
- Closing Angeline was very difficult and it still is. A very emotional process. But it was only a step in the process.
- Over 20 years in the restaurant business kind of ruin you to do anything else!
- I would have loved to spend more time traveling. To see other culture and experience them first-hand.
- Inspiration comes from listening to music, conversations with friends, and talking to the other cooks at the restaurant.
- New ingredients he is experimenting with: vinegars and sumac.
- 5 rapid fire-questions.
Links to other episodes in New Orleans
Chef Rebecca Wilcomb
Chef Alex Harrell recipe for Southern Style Pork Chops
When it comes to pork chops I typically always brine them. Pork loin and the rag are usually leaner cuts and to brining them helps to add flavor. It’s just a standard salt sugar herb brine that I’ll put the chops in.
I love to smoke them and then grill them a little bit because it imparts a little bit of that kind of barbecue flavor from that Southern barbecue culture. And then after that, something really quick and bright because it’s a delicate in my mind. Pork chops, even though they’re very substantial, they’re still kind of a delicate flavor profile. So I don’t like to cover them in anything really heavy.
We’ve got these beautiful baby spring onions and we simply grilled them and then chopped them up, and I made a real quick relish with a little aged white balsamic vinegar and some extra virgin olive oil. Or even something as simple as a bunch of bright fresh herbs right out of the garden for a salsa verde or something like that. So keep it pretty simple. I think if you pull from what’s around, what’s local, or what’s seasonal, then you can definitely add those little nuance, kind of southern southern flavors.
Chef Alex Harrell braised short rib with grilled peaches
Chef Alex Harrell Corn Bread
Chef Alex Harrell
Chef Alex Harrell
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Links mentioned in this episode
Birrieria Zaragoza
Susan Spicer
Gerard Maras
Ancora Pizza
Maypop Restaurant
Spitfire Coffee
Cooking By Hand – Cookbook
Southern Table – Cookbook
On Vegetables – Cookbook
