By Jim Beaugez
Chef Nick Wallace of Jackson has spread his farm-to-table gospel far and wide since winning the Food Network reality show “Chopped” in 2009.
Growing up on a farm in Edwards, Wallace learned methods of both cultivating and preserving vegetables as well as curing pork, beef and chicken in the smokehouse. He also learned to appreciate each season for the bounties they brought his family — and especially summertime, when seasonal favorites like heirloom tomatoes and cowpeas hit the table.
“There’s so much abundance of so many fresh ingredients to use,” says Wallace, a James Beard-recognized chef and Top Chef alumnus who runs the kitchens at two downtown Jackson eateries, the Hen & Egg at the Sun-n-Sand building and the Nissan Café at the Two Mississippi Museums.
Summertime will be on his mind this Saturday, June 27, at 2 p.m. at Catfish Row Museum in Vicksburg as he and Tyler Yarbrough collaborate on one of Wallace’s favorite summer dishes: a braised pork ragù over handmade orecchiette pasta served with pecorino gremolata, a traditional Italian herb sauce, all prepared in house.
“Orecchiette is perfect for this time of the year,” Wallace says. “It reminds me of the beach, because it’s almost like a seashell. Everybody’s going on vacation, and I think you’ve got to connect the dots in some kind of way.”
Yarbrough, a Clarksdale native, currently leads the Partnership for a Healthier America’s work in the Mississippi Delta and partners with community initiatives like Rootswell, a Clarksdale group aiming to create more “good” food access points in the region. The duo will discuss preparing dishes from local and homegrown food sources as part of the demonstration.
The core ingredient in their farm-to-table presentation is the pork, which is local. Wallace says he works with farmers on diet to produce the flavorful cuts of meat he uses at his restaurants.
“Working closely with a lot of pig farmers is great because they cultivate them for exactly what you want,” he says. “It’s not like just ordering a pork chop — this means getting to know the farmer and putting together something great. It took us a few years of preparation around what the pig eats to get to the right amount of fat content.
“I think food should be all about a true experience,” adds Wallace, whose culinary work is rooted in Mississippi foodways and family memory. “It should tell you some type of journey of how it ended up on your plate. That’s how I see food.”
Although Wallace and Yarbrough are familiar with each other’s work, this will be the first time they collaborate. “The kitchen brings transparency from how you cook, your respect for food, and your respect for service,” Wallace says. “There’s already respect between Tyler and me, and he has a passion for what he does, so we’ll let the sparks kind of fly.”
Wallace’s appearance will be his third time participating in Catfish Row Museum’s Summer Chef Series. It’s become a tradition, he says, and it’s special to him personally because of the trips he remembers taking to Vicksburg with his father, who loved the River City.
“It’s such a great time for me, because it’s right next door to where I grew up,” he says. “I always feel at home and treat it just like home, and I cook things that make me feel at home. It’s the farm-to-table experience, but it’s ignited with so much more passion. Every single year I’m trying to top the last year.”
The fourth season of Catfish Row Museum’s Summer Chef Series will also feature father-and-son duo Luke and Tommy Hughes, the chefs behind Tommy’s BBQ and the Tomato Place on July 11; Chris Fink and Sally Bullard of Main Street Market on July 25; and Ty Thames of Restaurant Tyler and Eat Local Starkville on August 8. All events in the series begin at 2 p.m.
