Chef Nick Melvin

chef_nick_melvin

Q & A with Chef Nick

Why is sourcing local and or organic produce important to you & your restaurant? I truly believe that as a cook and as a chef its my job to help introduce local and organic products to the guest.  They come to my restaurant w/ full trust that the food I’m giving them will be the best quality and the best for them and so its my responsibility to give them the best.

If you were a farmer what would you raise or grow? Of course the obvious answer should be pork, b/c I believe its God candy, but I would love to grow any type of veggie.

What one seasoning can you not live without? Sea Salt

What should every kitchen not be without? A great crew, your nothing without your team, all else will follow accordingly.

What chef or person inspired you to enter the culinary world? My mother was definitely a heavy influence on my entering the culinary world and my two icons would have to be Alice Waters and Frank Stitt

What celebrity or historical figure would you most want to serve a meal to?Bob Dylan, why?? Cause Dylan is god

Where and with whom would be your ideal location for your last supper? What would you eat, drink and listen to ? Wow, last supper, I’d have to say that I would have dinner with in an old building in the French Quarter, we’d have to start off w/ some absinthe, gumbo, whole roasted hog, sweetbreads, and simply prepared roasted veggies, finished off w/ a butterscotch bread pudding and several shot of pappy van winkle.

With a passion for food and all things pure and local, nationally acclaimed Chef Nick Melvin, formerly of The Farmhouse at Serenbe, creates Southern comfort inspired dishes with modern influences at Atlanta’s PARISH: Foods & Goods, a true neighborhood restaurant and market. A New Orleans native, he utilizes the local and farm-to-table philosophies that PARISH embraces as he brings the flavors of Southern roots back to Atlanta. Dishes epitomize his blending of the character, taste and love of the Crescent City with local Georgia flair. He emphasizes local farmers through weekly changing appetizers and entrées.

Prior to taking the helm at PARISH, Melvin was the executive chef at the Farmhouse at Serenbe, where he created a prix fixe, weekly-changing chef’s choice menu that featured seasonal dishes that incorporated the freshest ingredients from the Serenbe Organic Farms. His approach to local, sustainable and organic farming and cooking has been featured nationally in The New York Times and on the Travel Channel, as well as locally in The Atlantan. Preceding his time at Serenbe, Melvin was a mainstay at Concentrics Restaurants as a sous chef at Murphy’s, Room at TWELVE and TAP.

Melvin graduated from Le Cordon Bleu at Scottsdale Culinary Institute in 2003, during which time he held an externship at Hotel Jerome in Aspen, Colo., and Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse in New Orleans, La. He perfected his culinary skills while staging with Chef Susan Spicer at New Orleans’ Bayonna and Frank Stitt of Highlands Bar and Grill in Birmingham, Ala. Born and raised in New Orleans, Melvin quickly developed a love and appreciation for the wonderful food of the Crescent City. He spent many afternoons cooking with his mother, who first introduced him to Alice Waters’ principles of using fresh and local ingredients in cooking. When he’s not in the kitchen, Melvin enjoys gardening, traveling and playing racquetball.