STONE MOUNTAIN HOSPITALITY EARNS PRAISE FROM ACTRESS

WARM TRIBUTE TO AUTHOR GEORGE COLETTI FROM ACTRESS MARLA GIBBS 

"Stone Mountain: The Granite Sentinel," Has An Impressive New Fan

By Doc Lawrence

DR. GEORGE COLETTI WITH ACTRESS MARLA GIBBS

STONE MOUNTAIN, GA—Dr. George Coletti, the noted author and Stone Mountain civic leader, earned some prestigious praise from a television and movie actress for his acclaimed Civil War historical novel, Stone Mountain: The Granite Sentinel. Actress Marla Gibbs who soared to stardom in the feisty maid role on the popular ground-breaking CBS comedy "The Jeffersons,” stated in a letter to Dr. Coletti and wife Susan, a city Councilwoman in Stone Mountain, that she “fell in love with the characters,” in his book, “which kept me up nights.” Ms. Gibbs, who was in Stone Mountain late last summer for the filming of the highly anticipated movie, “Grantham and Rose,” added that “you are quite a historian George.” Ms. Giibbs observed in her letter that Coletti’s book  “helped me understand Georgia a whole lot better as well as the perplexity of the various feelings and loyalties of the slave.”

Coletti’s book tells the story of Civil War Stone Mountain and wartime events in Georgia, incorporating both historical and fictional characters: Families torn by war, the invasion of a massive army, the circumstances of slaves before and after emancipation, and the grief and suffering that accompanies war. “These are complicated subjects, “ said Dr. Coletti. “Nothing enlightens today’s readers better than a story based on facts and circumstances that actually happened.”

The friendship between George and Susan Coletti and Marla Gibbs began as the result of true Southern hospitality. The Stone Mountain area was the location of filming of the movie and the prominent couple extended resources to the cast and crew including an old-fashioned Low Country Boil accompanied by fine wines from France, Italy, Spain and the United States.



DR. GEORGE COLETTI



In "Grantham and Rose." Marla Gibbs is cast opposite young superstar Jake T. Austin. The 17-year-old star portrays a young man struggling to find his way as an adult in New York City when a petty crime thrusts him into the company of a feisty 81-year-old African-American woman (Gibbs), who teaches him about life and love, and together they take a road trip back to their Georgia roots.

The film also stars Tessa Thompson ("For Colored Girls"), Lisa Winters and Ryan Spahn, who also penned the script, and is directed by Kristin Hanggi, a 2009 Tony Award nominee as Best Director for the Broadway musical "Rock of Ages." 

Marla Gibbs, famous for her dry wit, charmed locals during her work on the movie. She expressed gratitude in her letter for the Coletti’s “assistance on our little film and all your wonderful hospitality. I really feel a closer connection to Stone Mountain and all the beautiful people we met.”

Marla Gibbs can be seen on network television in a new series, “The First Family." George Coletti’s book, Stone Mountain: The Granite Sentinel, is available in bookstores and online.

TAILGATING DOWN SOUTH IN BATON ROUGE

LSU HOSTS ‘BAMA-

IT’S FOOTBALL, FOOD AND FUN

“Kingfish, Kingfish
Friend of the working man
Kingfish, Kingfish
The Kingfish gonna save this land.”

               From “The Kingfish,” by Randy Newman, in memory of Huey Long

By Doc Lawrence

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA—It was a weekend of living dangerously. No time to watch waistlines, drink moderately or tone done the college football partisanship. Here, in the heartland of American tailgating, autumn Saturday’s are reserved for revelry. This has been the custom since right after the Civil War: Sausage with strange names like boudin and andouille are roasted on the grill and served one way or another on French bread, in gumbo or in red beans accompanied by beer, wine or cocktails. Toss in some live Zydeco music, and after a day of feasting and partying, you are ready for a little football.

Down here where the cultures truly blend into a melting pot, laissez les bon temps rouler is the prevailing social norm, and as Ray Charles sang in his song paraphasing the Cajun proclamation, “it makes no difference if your young are old, just let the good time roll.” Ray described the parking lots near Tiger Stadium, a facility built under the auspices of “The Kingfish,” Louisiana Governor Huey Long during the Great Depression, and the grills were sizzling, bottles of good and delicious things were open and music combined with laughter plus some added smoke  filled the air. Happy teenagers and proud grandparents were omnipresnt and if anything prevailed it was the overiding joy of  special moments.

A time for controlled excess. No time for restraint. This is Saturday and there is a game yet to be played. All are welcome here and I couldn’t help but marvel that the fans of Alabama were embraced by LSU supporters. A flute of Champagne with Tasso served on a biscuit; An Oyster Po’ Boy with Abita beer. A French bread sandwich loaded with Columbus Salami ( a winner!)

How deep is your love?

Strolling while eating and drinking through the gameday soiree, names like Thibadeaux, LeBlanc, Hebert and Peychaud were as prevalent as Smith, Johnson and Williams would be in South Carolina. This land is home to the great Holly Clegg, one of the most gifted cooks on the television screen anywhere. Not far away is the community where Chef John Folse keeps a culture alive with remakable books that chronicle the recipes and cooking traditions of Louisiana. The Chef John Folse Culinary Institute is one of the fastest growing programs at Nicholls State University in Louisiana.

Wine is a daily ritual for many LSU and Alabama fans. One stop at the Craig Broussard family tailgating enclave earned a few glasses of Inman Park Pinot Noir, a Russian River Valley release that found its French connections here near the Mississippi. It was the miracle catalyst to another signature Louisana dish with French ancestrey, grillades and grits.

The cultures here are multiple, reflecting much of America. Food in such abudance prepared in so many ways is a signpost, a key to origins. In the lots near Tiger Stadium, you need an emanuensus if you are noting for future study food origins. It’s  France, Italy, Spain, the Carribean, Mexico, Germany, Africa  Ireland, often fused into a very delicious Deep South style that in many ways influences American kitchens.

Tailgating has an important  place today. On this particular Saturday, there are so many dishes with so much variety that any fair minded observer would conclude that this is culinary heartland: The food of the people.

For about 10 hours, football took a back seat. The cooks in the parking lots made certain no one left hungry.

Enjoy all the fun at The Jack-2012:

http://www.bytheseafuture.org/BTSF_Southwind_Nov-2012.html

THE KEY WEST LITERARY SEMINAR

Writers on Writers in the Conch Republic

During the years Tennessee Williams lived in Key West, he swam at South Beach every morning before sitting down to write. “I work everywhere,” Williams said of Key West, “but I work best here.”

By Doc Lawrence

KEY WEST, FL--An island of only five square miles, nearer to Havana than Miami, Key West has one of the most intriguing literary heritages of any place in America. Whether drawn by the climate or its famed “anything-goes atmosphere,” many of the greatest writers of the modern era have called Key West home.

Ernest Hemingway wrote To Have and Have Not from his house here on Whitehead Street. Elizabeth Bishop worked on North and South from her place near the corner of White and Southard; she later rented the home to Charles Olson, who wrote his first published poems here. Many of Wallace Stevens’s poems were influenced by his stays at the Casa Marina hotel in Key West, where he walked on the beach with Robert Frost and brawled with Hemingway. Tennessee Williams lived on Duncan Street and partied with Truman Capote, James Leo Herlihy, and Thomas McGuane. Richard Wilbur and James Merrill lived in old town just a few blocks from one another, and played a regular game of anagrams with John Hersey. And the list goes on: Ann Beattie, Judy Blume, Annie Dillard, James Gleick, and Robert Stone are just a handful of the writers who continue to make a home in Key West.

I plan to attend the 2013 Key West Literary Seminar in January and learn how much better writers than me do everything so well, a variation of sorts on the all-too-true adage that old dogs indeed can learn new tricks.
The stated mission of the Key West Literary Seminar is “to promote the understanding and discussion of important literary works and their authors; to recognize and support new voices in American literature; and to preserve and promote Key West’s literary heritage while providing resources that strengthen literary culture”

The programs are relatively small and intimate. Attendance is limited to about 375 people at the San Carlos Institute, one of Florida’s most beautiful and historic landmarks. Each writers’ workshop is limited to 12 participants in order to ensure individual attention; they take place at various locations throughout Key West’s “old town” neighborhood, never far from the Gulf of Mexico or Atlantic Ocean, the library, and good places to eat and drink.

Past seminars have included notables like Dave Barry, Roy Blount, Jr., Blanche McCrary Boyd, Christopher Buckley, Billy Collins, Christopher Durang, Clyde Edgerton, Barbara Ehrenreich, Percival Everett, Carl Hiaasen, Alison Lurie, Lorrie Moore, Cathleen Schine, Lee Smith, Calvin Trillin, Wendy Wasserstein, Al Young.

The 31st annual seminar is in January, an exploration of the world of literature through a particularly unifying theme, “Writers on Writers,”  investigating the rich and varied lives of those who have made this formidable craft their life while exploring the work of writing itself.

I’ll be there as an eager student, saving time. Of course, for walks, visits to places like the Hemingway home with time reserved for the great bars and restaurants.

THE JACK-BBQ WORLD MEETS IN TENNESSEE

NEW JACK DANIEL’S DESSERT RECIPE BY LARA LYN CARTER

By Doc Lawrence



MISS MARY BOBO'S BOARDING HOUSE

LYNCHBURG, TENNESSEE-The clean air, fall foliage and beautifully preserved village combine to stimulate the appetite. Here in Lynchburg, the birthplace of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey, tourists from England are lined up to enjoy lunch at Miss Mary Bobo’s Boarding House where the great cookbook author Lynn Tolley is proprietress. Food is served family style, and more than a few dishes are seasoned with whiskey bearing the Jack Daniel’s label.

I learned from Ms. Tolley and in her wonderful cookbooks that Jack Daniel’s is a delightful substitute for vanilla in desserts. Most of the world’s grillers already know that the whiskey has a prominent place in barbecue sauce, but the usefulness in other dishes might surprise many.

Ms. Tolley served me her stewed apples that were elevated by the inclusion of her ancestor’s Tennessee whiskey (she is a Jack Daniel’s descendant), and life has been better at dinner time in my home since I followed suit.

The rising star celebrity chef Lara Lyn Carter, whose show is a highly popular feature on NBC affiliate WALB-TV in Albany, Georgia, has developed other recipes using whiskey and has a big winner I am delighted to share with the thousands coming this weekend to “The Jack,” the 24^th annual Jack Daniel’s World Championship Barbecue Competition here in this historic Lynchburg.

(The magazine feature story of The Jack 2011 is a helpful guide for this year’s festivities:

http://www.winesdownsouth.com/TheJack2011.pdf )

Each year at The Jack, I find new recipes, new possibilities with the world-famous whiskey and the journey to desserts is filled with promise for the upcoming holiday feasts. What could be more All-American than a Thanksgiving dinner with creative dishes enhanced with appropriate amounts of Jack Daniel’s? The subtle taste of sugar maple is no accident. It’s part of the process the whiskey goes through before final bottling.

What happens when a gentleman named Jack meets a sweet Georgia peach? “It’s magic,” says Lara Lyn Carter.

Jack Daniel’s Peachy Rice Pudding

                  Created by Lara Lyn Carter



LARA LYN CARTER



2 dried peaches

1 lemon

1/3 cup medium grain rice

3 cups whole milk

4 tablespoons sugar

8 tablespoons peach preserves

4 tablespoons of Jack Daniels Whiskey

Chop the peaches into tiny bite size pieces and place in a bowl. Pour 1 tablespoon of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey over the peaches.

Using a vegetable peeler, remove the rind from the lemon. Place the lemon rind, rice, milk, and sugar in a pot and bring to a boil; then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes stirring often to prevent the mixture from sticking. Drain the residual Jack Daniels from the chopped peaches and stir the peaches into the rice pudding mixture. Remove the pudding from the heat and divide evenly into 4 serving bowls.

For the glaze, stir the preserves and 3 tablespoons of Jack Daniel’s into a saucepan. Heat the mixture over medium-high heat until bubbly and the preserves have been reduced. Remove the glaze from the heat and allow the glaze to thicken by allowing it to cool for a few minutes. Pour the glaze evenly over the pudding and enjoy!

BACK TO THE JACK

24TH ANNUAL JACK DANIEL’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP INVITATIONAL BARBECUE

Lynchburg, Tennessee Travel, Americana, Nashville Chefs, Parish Patch

By Doc Lawrence



"The Jack," by Olivia Thomason



LYNCHBURG, TENNESSEE-The drive from Atlanta to this lovely unspoiled village in middle Tennessee is an adventure surrounded by brilliantly colored landscape. Peak leaf season in Lynchburg seems to be coordinated between Mother Nature and the folks who schedule the world’s most prestigious barbecue competition. Known among food and spirits writers and barbecue aficionados as “The Jack,” it’s the Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational Barbecue Competition held this weekend beside the historic distillery where the planet’s most popular whiskey is made.

It’s a reunion with friends like Coach Johnny Majors, Memphis legend Silky Sullivan of Beale Street fame and other judges from throughout the country. Some time to breath fresh air at the farm resort Parish Patch and laugh with owner David Hazelwood. The competing teams represent state champions and the best barbecue of many other countries who have teams here ready to smoke and grill their nation’s favorite barbecue. Belgium, Ireland, Switzerland, Australia, Canada and others add delightful accents and adventure to this one-of-a-kind food contest.

This year, the opportunities for more good stories have been expanded.

To celebrate the perfect marriage of Jack Daniel’s and great food, there’s an exclusive media event with legendary pitmaster Patrick Martin of Martin’s BBQ in Nolensville, Tennessee. Known globally for his famous barbecue, Martin and his friends, Nashville chefs Tandy Wilson, Tyler Brown and Jason McConnell, have created a special menu to kick-off The Jack for another successful year. The chefs will lead a taste tour through each menu item, demonstrating why Southern cuisine is widely viewed as some of the best food in the planet.

Jack Daniel’s heralded Master Distiller Jeff Arnett will give a private tasting of the Jack Daniel’s family of brands, including Jack Daniel’s Unaged Rye. For the first time since Prohibition, the Jack Daniel Distillery is offering a new expression from a new grain recipe.

Along with other journalists and writers, I’ll join Jeff as he explores this new offering and Jack Daniel’s world-famous brands. And all of this is a prelude to the thousands from North America and beyond gathering to celebrate this remarkable food event: The Jack 2012 pays homage to a higher life.

TAILGATING DOWN SOUTH IN CLEMSON

AUTUMN FOOTBALL FEAST IN SOUTH CAROLINA

Virginia Tech, A Mano Primitivo, Grilled Feta Tenderloin, Sugarleaf Vineyards, Charlotte Russe, Marshall Tucker Band

By Doc Lawrence

CLEMSON, SC—Traveling down the Blue Ridge Mountains from Highlands, the nearby North Carolina resort town to Clemson is a visual adventure. The natural beauty is stunning with brilliant fall foliage equal to a Monet painting. Combined with the fresh air, the appetite is stimulated prompting a mighty thirst for an eye-opening drink and some tasty casual food. The destination was the tailgating area on Clemson University’s campus, a necessary step for a friendly traveler looking for nourishment.

It’s game day down south with Clemson facing Virginia Tech: Who needs football when there is great food, wines, cocktails and craft beer?



CHARLOTTE RUSSE



Clemson is not far from Spartanburg where the fabulous Marshall Tucker Band started and songs like their classic “Fire on the Mountain,” resonated this autumn day amid the smoke, laughter and never-ending good cheer. Although this is near the mountains and across the state from the Atlantic coast, the food served is connected to the Low Country food culture of the Palmetto state. She Crab soup warms the soul on a chilly fall day and when served, as Max Wheeler does, with an added jigger of good sherry, it is a contemporary but still regal dish reflecting its Charleston roots. No wine with this, just a well-constructed bloody mary with tomato juice made at a local farm and Southern vodka from Georgia’s 13^th Colony Distillery.

The food was uniformly delicious, but one dish was a show stealer: Grilled thinly sliced tenderloin of beef filet with garlic and oregano and topped with flakes of Feta Cheese. The wine was a selection by an engineer, a Clemson grad, A Mano Primitivo (2010), a delight from the southeast of Italy made from the grape with DNA identical to California Zinfandel. The pairing was stunning.

Clemson is surrounded by trout streams and near mighty lakes like Hartwell. Smoked trout was everywhere and one Virginia Tech visitor shared her still warm trout with a glass of spectacular Petit Manseng   from Sugarleaf Vineyards, the acclaimed winery in Charlottesville, Virginia. Wine from the Promised Land is what the universe demands for trout, whether smoked or grilled.

The cooks, parking lot bartenders, revelers and fans who gathered were primarily Clemson loyalists decked out in electric orange, but there were some from Virginia Tech. Paul and Dottie Sammons live in the Washington, DC area and brought a Charlotte Russe with them, a dessert that my dear mother would make on special occasions. This was a collaborative effort, Dottie explained, “with our friends in Ashville who also have a sweet tooth on beautiful Saturdays.”

I had an ample serving accompanied by flutes of J Vineyards Russian River Valley Vintage Brut, a California sparkling wine.

Along the way, memories are made during the tailgating ritual. After doing this for many years, I have believe that these pre-game feasts display America at her best. Goodwill, joy and sharing dominate, even in the midst of often-heated rivalries. Mature folks love to cook, uncork, pour and share, even with a stranger from Atlanta whose football loyalties may well be different. The chance to make new friends is a blessing. A healthy appetite, a willingness to try new beverages and a mind that is open leads to new possibilities.

NOTE: This week is dedicated to  “The Jack,” the Jack Daniel’s 2012 International Barbecue Competition In Lynchburg, Tennessee. I’ll be there serving as a judge, making new friends and reuniting with so many participants from across America and other countries.

TAILGATING DOWN SOUTH IN NASHVILLE

VANDERBILT TAILGATING-A SATURDAY TO REMEMBER

Nashville Hot Chicken, Kilbeggan Irish Whisky, Vanderbilt, Jack Daniel’s, Las Moras  Malbec, Merle Haggard, Tennessee Travel

By Doc Lawrence

NASHVILLE. No wonder locals have a swagger in their walk. Downtown Nashville is as cool as a city gets outside New York. The Ryman Auditorium, the Country Music Hall of Fame, countless honky-tonks with live music and the spirit of a place moving forward dominates. Vanderbilt, a blue-chip university tailgates with a dedication to higher living and it’s not unusual to see a spread laid out on white tablecloth. Champagne is often served in flutes alongside dishes like Nashville Hot Chicken, a community staple that ranks with Miami’s Cuban sandwich, Louisiana’s oyster po’ boys or Tallahassee’s Grouper Burgers.

Hot chicken? The rage dish was conceived at Prince’s, a legendary Nashville restaurant where owners have shared their buttermilk bath cayenne pepper battered fried chicken with the world. The finished chicken is served on a slice of gently friedwhite bread and garnished with dill pickle chips.

My game day began with a visit to the Ryman and a stop at the magnificent Hermitage Hotel for cocktails and snacks at the luxurious Capital Grille bar. Here, folks talk college and NFL football, country and rock music and other sophisticated small talk. Perfect background for a Bloody Mary.

The historic and romantic Hermitage has a staff for the ages. The valet was a studio musician for a major recording company and a bellman sang and played in clubs on his days off.

Tailgating at Vandy can range from informal to elegant. Some things have a high society feel much like the Virginia experience at Charlottesville and Oxford, Mississippi on a football weekend. In this big city the conversation about food and drink is pretty interesting. I asked one tailgating group what wines they were pouring and how they selected them. The response would make a sommelier proud. “Lamb lollipops” Sandi Campbell instructed, “are ours are great grilled; and taste better with a beautifully balanced Malbec.” Her selection was Las Moras (2010) from Argentina. Ms. Campbell knows her lamb and wine.

Nashville is the epicenter of Tennessee whisky: it’s got that tailgating feel according to many enthusiasts and nothing is more closely associated with Nashville and the entire state than Jack Daniel’s. Meandering through the maize of pre-game partiers confirmed this but also provided a view of diversity. Nashville has a strong Irish heritage. I found to my delight that Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey is perfect with a slice of Benton’s Smoky Mountain Tennessee bacon with an orange juice chaser.

Nashville is core American, but it retains a Deep South accent and is a rising star in new culinary adventures. Tailgating fits the culture in Music City like a Hank Williams song in a Honky-Tonk.

                                  Nashville Hot Chicken Recipe

(Nashville’s legendary Brother Love believes this to be the recipe from Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack in Music City. Only they really know, but this is tasty and easy to make.)

 

Ingredients

The Paste (enough for one or two chicken breasts):

1 tbsp plus 2 tsp lard

3 tbsp cayenne

3 pinches sugar

3/8 tsp salt

1/4 tsp garlic powder

Other Ingredients:

Self-rising flour, chicken, white bread, and pickles

directions

*All the seasoning is in the paste; dredge the chicken in plain self-rising flour. Fry it.

*Mix all of the ingredients for the paste (microwaving the lard for about 30 seconds will make this easier). Apply it evenly and liberally to the fried chicken using either a basting brush or your latex glove-protected hands. Note: Use about a teaspoonful of paste for each side of a chicken breast.

 *When you’ve covered the top half, flip it over onto a piece of white bread and add the pickles..

NOTE: This pairs well with a Jim Beam American Stillhouse Old Fashioned cocktail with Merle Haggard’s “Big City.” playing in the background..