Community

Working with Taste Carolina for the past 16 months has allowed me to meet many talented chefs and artisans. One of the earliest connections I made was with the chef/owner of Acme Restaurant in Carrboro (west of Chapel Hill), Kevin Callahan. He might be one of the friendliest, most down-to-earth, successful, and down-right talented people I have had the pleasure of getting to know. I intend to have a sit-down with him to pick his brain about his career and how/why he chose to open a restaurant, but that's a story for another day. Right now I wanted to write about an event that Kevin invited Cameron and I to this past fall.

In Maine we have Lobster Bakes. In North Carolina there are Oyster Bakes. During a regular Saturday tour Kevin enlightened us. He explained to the group that he drives to the NC coast early on Saturday morning to pick up all of the oysters then heads back to Carrboro to drop them off at a farm that a couple of close friends own. People are asked to bring their own beverages and maybe a snack to share. There's a big bonfire and everyone hangs out and eats oysters that have been baking over smoldering coals. The whole thing sounded so cool, and also so familiar. My eyes must have lit up because later that week Kevin invited Cameron and I out to the farm.

Even though the Oyster Bake was this past fall, it was an experience that I won't soon forget. The oysters were incredible. In fact, incredible doesn't even do them justice. Fresh from the North Carolina coast, those babies had been out of water for less than 24-hours. It doesn't get better than that. All of the food was delectable and I could go on and on about it, but what I remember most about that day was the sense of community I felt.

It's no secret that food brings people together. It's the entire reason that I currently have a job! In this area I think that sense of community is magnified by the proximity of resources. As we shucked oysters and stood around the bonfire we had conversations with farmers and farmhands, chefs, bakers and artisans, fishermen from the coast, and people like me- self-proclaimed Foodies. I have been told that Chicago has incredible Farmers' Markets, and I should have plenty of access to local foods, but will I find that sense of community that I have grown to love? What does living local mean in The Second City? Does it expand beyond food into relationships? We'll see...