1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:03,000 Speaker 1: This is taking stock on Bloomberg iyme pim Fox my 2 00:00:03,120 --> 00:00:06,840 Speaker 1: co host Kathleen Hayes. Let's turn our attention now to 3 00:00:06,920 --> 00:00:10,119 Speaker 1: the world of food with Vivian Howard, the chef and 4 00:00:10,360 --> 00:00:14,760 Speaker 1: owner of a restaurant in Kinston, North Carolina. It's called 5 00:00:14,960 --> 00:00:18,560 Speaker 1: Chef and the Farmer and also the Boiler Room restaurant 6 00:00:18,680 --> 00:00:22,079 Speaker 1: in Kinston, and also the author of a forthcoming book. 7 00:00:22,120 --> 00:00:26,400 Speaker 1: It is entitled Deep Run Roots, Stories and Recipes from 8 00:00:26,400 --> 00:00:29,320 Speaker 1: My Corner of the South. Vivian, thank you very much 9 00:00:29,360 --> 00:00:31,680 Speaker 1: for being with us. Thank you for having me. When 10 00:00:31,720 --> 00:00:34,120 Speaker 1: you say my Corner of the South. Tell people a 11 00:00:34,120 --> 00:00:37,360 Speaker 1: little bit about your personal history, because you've come from 12 00:00:37,360 --> 00:00:40,360 Speaker 1: North Carolina. You're currently in North Carolina, but you've had 13 00:00:40,360 --> 00:00:44,960 Speaker 1: a sojourn in New York City in which you managed 14 00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:48,200 Speaker 1: to get married and start a soup business. I understand, 15 00:00:48,240 --> 00:00:50,519 Speaker 1: and then decided to go back to North Carolina. Tell 16 00:00:50,560 --> 00:00:52,640 Speaker 1: us a little bit about you. Yeah, I grew up 17 00:00:52,680 --> 00:00:56,560 Speaker 1: in eastern North Carolina, which is um we call it 18 00:00:56,600 --> 00:00:59,640 Speaker 1: the coastal Plain, is in between Raleigh and the Beach. 19 00:01:00,520 --> 00:01:04,520 Speaker 1: And then I always wanted to leave. I ended up 20 00:01:04,560 --> 00:01:08,360 Speaker 1: in New York. I worked here, cooked here for about 21 00:01:08,360 --> 00:01:10,720 Speaker 1: five years and then moved home and opened a restaurant 22 00:01:11,319 --> 00:01:13,600 Speaker 1: in the town that I said I would never return to. 23 00:01:14,600 --> 00:01:18,800 Speaker 1: And um, we've been there for about ten years now 24 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:23,760 Speaker 1: and have a two restaurants and uh PBS series based 25 00:01:23,800 --> 00:01:27,000 Speaker 1: on that kind of experience. And this is my first book. 26 00:01:27,440 --> 00:01:28,759 Speaker 1: You know, it's so funny because as a girl grew 27 00:01:28,840 --> 00:01:32,600 Speaker 1: up in Olympia, Washington, lovely town in Washington State, but 28 00:01:32,760 --> 00:01:36,399 Speaker 1: wanted to come to New York. Um, it's funny how 29 00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:39,080 Speaker 1: sometimes you can you can go home again. I haven't yet, 30 00:01:39,120 --> 00:01:41,320 Speaker 1: but that really touches a court I think with a 31 00:01:41,319 --> 00:01:44,520 Speaker 1: lot of people tell us about Let's start with the PBS. 32 00:01:44,600 --> 00:01:47,840 Speaker 1: It's a hit show, a chef's Life. Um yeah, so 33 00:01:47,880 --> 00:01:51,120 Speaker 1: a chef's Life. We're in our fourth season and it 34 00:01:51,200 --> 00:01:56,720 Speaker 1: is a show about family and place and tradition told 35 00:01:56,720 --> 00:01:58,760 Speaker 1: through the lens of food. I like to say it's 36 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:02,080 Speaker 1: not a cooking show, um, but it is definitely. Our 37 00:02:02,480 --> 00:02:06,920 Speaker 1: medium is food, and every episode is about an ingredient 38 00:02:07,360 --> 00:02:11,560 Speaker 1: and we explore that ingredient past and present and farmer 39 00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:16,320 Speaker 1: or produce an example of one ingredient profiled. Um. So 40 00:02:16,480 --> 00:02:22,360 Speaker 1: in this season we do uh watermelon, so we um, 41 00:02:22,400 --> 00:02:27,360 Speaker 1: we have a backyard barbecue with my family. Um, we 42 00:02:27,440 --> 00:02:30,359 Speaker 1: make watermelon ron preserves with a woman in my community 43 00:02:30,360 --> 00:02:33,680 Speaker 1: who taught me how to can. And then I'm writing. 44 00:02:34,360 --> 00:02:37,839 Speaker 1: I'm writing my cookbook during the show, and so they 45 00:02:37,880 --> 00:02:40,400 Speaker 1: follow me on that journey. And one of the recipes 46 00:02:40,480 --> 00:02:44,440 Speaker 1: I'm um including in the book is uh watermelon braised 47 00:02:44,520 --> 00:02:48,519 Speaker 1: pork shoulder. And so we we kind of uh explore 48 00:02:48,520 --> 00:02:51,600 Speaker 1: all those threats. Tell us a little bit about this 49 00:02:51,720 --> 00:02:56,960 Speaker 1: idea of sourcing your ingredients within a geographical area of 50 00:02:57,000 --> 00:03:01,280 Speaker 1: the restaurants. Yeah, so eastern North Carolin, Wanna is formerly 51 00:03:01,320 --> 00:03:05,240 Speaker 1: a tobacco growing region, and tobacco is not really a 52 00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:09,480 Speaker 1: thing anymore, and so we have all these small farms 53 00:03:09,520 --> 00:03:12,400 Speaker 1: and one of our goals with our restaurant is to 54 00:03:12,440 --> 00:03:16,480 Speaker 1: help make eastern North Carolina region of small family farms again. 55 00:03:17,120 --> 00:03:21,239 Speaker 1: So we try to source everything within about a hundred 56 00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:26,720 Speaker 1: mile radius in an effort to improve the economic uh 57 00:03:26,840 --> 00:03:31,040 Speaker 1: status of our community. So deep run roots stories and 58 00:03:31,120 --> 00:03:34,400 Speaker 1: recipes from my corner of the south. What kind of 59 00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:38,520 Speaker 1: what's unique about your roots where you're from, the kind 60 00:03:38,520 --> 00:03:40,440 Speaker 1: of cuisine I think a lot of people think Southern. 61 00:03:40,520 --> 00:03:43,120 Speaker 1: They might think of black eyed peas and smothered chicken 62 00:03:43,480 --> 00:03:46,000 Speaker 1: and pulled pork. I expect there's a lot more to 63 00:03:46,040 --> 00:03:48,160 Speaker 1: it than that, right, So I grew up in deep run, 64 00:03:48,280 --> 00:03:51,520 Speaker 1: That's why it's called that. And um, I think that 65 00:03:51,560 --> 00:03:54,600 Speaker 1: the South is much like think of it like Italy 66 00:03:54,840 --> 00:03:57,640 Speaker 1: or France, and we never think of Italy as all 67 00:03:57,680 --> 00:04:00,840 Speaker 1: the food being the same. And there's very stink regions, 68 00:04:01,120 --> 00:04:04,480 Speaker 1: and I think the American South is very much the same, 69 00:04:05,120 --> 00:04:09,560 Speaker 1: um idea. And so eastern North Carolina we have very 70 00:04:09,600 --> 00:04:13,640 Speaker 1: specific things like we make this fish stew there that uh, 71 00:04:13,800 --> 00:04:18,159 Speaker 1: the last step is to drop whole eggs over the top, 72 00:04:18,320 --> 00:04:21,640 Speaker 1: and so they perch on top of the stew. Uh 73 00:04:21,839 --> 00:04:25,720 Speaker 1: we Um. Our country ham is actually air dried sausage, 74 00:04:26,160 --> 00:04:30,200 Speaker 1: So that's our charcouterie. Um. Sweet potatoes. We grow more 75 00:04:30,240 --> 00:04:33,800 Speaker 1: sweet potatoes in Eastern North Carolina by like ten times 76 00:04:33,800 --> 00:04:36,000 Speaker 1: than anywhere else in the world. So sweet potatoes are 77 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:38,280 Speaker 1: a staple in our diet. So we have a very 78 00:04:38,320 --> 00:04:43,480 Speaker 1: distinct cuisine. And um, that's kind of one. That's one 79 00:04:43,480 --> 00:04:46,200 Speaker 1: of the main focuses of the book. Did you always 80 00:04:46,240 --> 00:04:49,719 Speaker 1: know that you were going to cook? No, I always 81 00:04:49,800 --> 00:04:54,080 Speaker 1: knew that I love to eat and I wanted to 82 00:04:54,120 --> 00:04:59,000 Speaker 1: be a storyteller, and so I started cooking UM as 83 00:04:59,040 --> 00:05:02,360 Speaker 1: a means to get behind the scenes look at restaurant 84 00:05:02,360 --> 00:05:04,080 Speaker 1: work so I could write about it. And then what 85 00:05:04,240 --> 00:05:06,520 Speaker 1: ended up happening was I loved cooking, I was good 86 00:05:06,560 --> 00:05:11,520 Speaker 1: at it. I liked the team kind of experience, and 87 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:15,400 Speaker 1: so I fell into it. I guess yeah. I spent 88 00:05:15,440 --> 00:05:18,159 Speaker 1: many years in the front of the house, waiting tables, 89 00:05:18,400 --> 00:05:21,600 Speaker 1: tending bar and it is definitely teamwork, and it's intense. 90 00:05:22,040 --> 00:05:24,039 Speaker 1: I think that's one of the things that's fun about it. 91 00:05:24,080 --> 00:05:25,880 Speaker 1: You're busy, and you get through the rash and you 92 00:05:25,920 --> 00:05:28,840 Speaker 1: move on. What would you what advice would you have 93 00:05:28,880 --> 00:05:32,400 Speaker 1: for somebody who wants to start a restaurant. I'd say, 94 00:05:32,400 --> 00:05:36,240 Speaker 1: definitely work in one, because, as you know, it's a 95 00:05:36,240 --> 00:05:39,280 Speaker 1: certain type of personality that enjoys it. You either love 96 00:05:39,279 --> 00:05:42,080 Speaker 1: it or you hate it. I'd say, if you want 97 00:05:42,160 --> 00:05:46,279 Speaker 1: to UH, either work or in or own a restaurant, 98 00:05:46,440 --> 00:05:49,240 Speaker 1: you need to be prepared to work when everybody else 99 00:05:49,520 --> 00:05:54,320 Speaker 1: is relaxing or celebrating UM. And not to turn anyone 100 00:05:54,360 --> 00:05:57,200 Speaker 1: away from it, but that is a reality for sure. 101 00:05:58,440 --> 00:06:02,440 Speaker 1: The training that you received or that you managed to 102 00:06:02,520 --> 00:06:07,240 Speaker 1: get yourself not only from other chefs, but from culinary institutes. 103 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:12,000 Speaker 1: What did you learn that you didn't know about cooking 104 00:06:12,400 --> 00:06:14,320 Speaker 1: as a result of all this? Not all of them, 105 00:06:14,320 --> 00:06:17,080 Speaker 1: but I mean, was there something about the way that 106 00:06:17,080 --> 00:06:19,800 Speaker 1: that food is then prepared in a restaurant setting that 107 00:06:19,960 --> 00:06:22,560 Speaker 1: is different than the way you came to it as 108 00:06:22,600 --> 00:06:27,279 Speaker 1: a not working as a professional? Um? Absolutely, you know. 109 00:06:27,400 --> 00:06:33,080 Speaker 1: I I kind of learned to cook classically in in restaurants, 110 00:06:33,120 --> 00:06:36,720 Speaker 1: and then I moved home and then started to go 111 00:06:36,760 --> 00:06:40,080 Speaker 1: into more home kitchens and and learn from home cooks. 112 00:06:40,120 --> 00:06:43,159 Speaker 1: And I went into that situation thinking that I knew 113 00:06:43,200 --> 00:06:47,920 Speaker 1: everything already, and it was so surprising to kind of 114 00:06:48,040 --> 00:06:53,200 Speaker 1: figure out that, um, not all uh food genius is 115 00:06:53,240 --> 00:06:57,000 Speaker 1: born in the restaurant kitchen. That there's so many, um, 116 00:06:57,640 --> 00:07:01,760 Speaker 1: little nuggets of wisdom and and tricks and delicious dishes 117 00:07:01,760 --> 00:07:05,400 Speaker 1: that are done in the home kitchen. And it really 118 00:07:05,440 --> 00:07:10,000 Speaker 1: I think takes both uh to build you know, your 119 00:07:10,040 --> 00:07:13,560 Speaker 1: personal style as a cook women chefs. Once upon a 120 00:07:13,560 --> 00:07:17,320 Speaker 1: time that was such a rarity many women working as 121 00:07:17,400 --> 00:07:21,239 Speaker 1: chefs now oh yees' um. You know, it's so interesting 122 00:07:21,280 --> 00:07:25,080 Speaker 1: that in our culture we always think of women, you know, 123 00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:27,560 Speaker 1: the matriarch being the cook in the family, but never 124 00:07:27,800 --> 00:07:32,080 Speaker 1: in the restaurant kitchen. But that's definitely changing and women 125 00:07:32,160 --> 00:07:35,400 Speaker 1: over the past few years have have, uh, you know, 126 00:07:35,600 --> 00:07:41,320 Speaker 1: taken you know, major platform in restaurant kitchens and I 127 00:07:41,360 --> 00:07:45,120 Speaker 1: think I think it's good. Well, Vivian Howard, good to 128 00:07:45,120 --> 00:07:49,120 Speaker 1: have you with us on taking Stock. Vivian Howard chef 129 00:07:49,720 --> 00:07:52,520 Speaker 1: an owner, Chef and the Farmer and the boiler Room 130 00:07:52,560 --> 00:07:56,320 Speaker 1: restaurants in Kinston, North Carolina. The host of PBSS hit 131 00:07:56,360 --> 00:08:00,440 Speaker 1: show A Chef's Life, and coming out with her first cookbook, 132 00:08:00,480 --> 00:08:03,080 Speaker 1: Deep Run, Roots, Stories and Recipes from My corner of 133 00:08:03,080 --> 00:08:06,160 Speaker 1: the South in the Fall. This is Bloomberg Radio.