The Lee Brothers Come To Big Jones
By Anthony Todd in Food on Apr 21, 2013 8:00PM
Some cookbook nerds may already know the Lee Brothers as experts on the cuisine of Charleston, South Carolina. Chicago restaurant lovers know that the place for heirloom southern food in Chicago is Big Jones. When the two come together, you can expect a total geek-fest - and a lot of tasty food. That's exactly what happened last Thursday night, as Big Jones hosted the Lees for a special menu of historic Charleston favorites.
Unfortunately, only one of the two Lee Brothers, Ted, was able to make it to Chicago because of our crazy weather. His enthusiasm and knowledge made up for the absence, as he held forth about topics as varied as boiled green peanuts and the legacy of a famous cheese spread they rescued from obscurity.
All the dishes (descriptions are in the captions) come from the Lee Brothers new cookbook, The Lee Bros. Charleston Kitchen. This gorgeous book is worth buying if you're a fan of Southern cuisine or of food history. Big Jones Chef Paul Fehribach enthused that, unlike most recipes from cookbooks or friends, he didn't even test these out in advance - he just knew they would work. That's high praise and good news for a home chef worried about results. The menu included things like peanut and oyster stew, pickled shrimp with fennel, deviled crab and grapefruit chess pie. They also brought along a case of Goo Goo Clusters, a classic southern candy.
Also in attendance that evening was a representative from the Southern Foodways Alliance, one of our favorite organizations (and one that every food geek should be a member of). In addition to preserving exactly the sort of heirloom recipe that the Lee Brothers make popular, the Southern Foodways Alliance conducts oral histories, produces videos and preserves the disappearing regional food cultures of the American south. While we were there, we had the privilege of watching one of their videos, "Asleep in the Wood," on the big screen. It's not quite as dramatic on your computer screen, but it's still worth watching, especially if you love bourbon. If you're a fan of Pappy Van Winkle, you can't miss this one. If you like it, be sure to check out more of their documentary videos here.
Asleep in the Wood from Southern Foodways on Vimeo.