Springtime is upon us.
Flowers are blooming, vegetable gardens are taking shape, and a moment of coolness and calm finds us moments before summer’s full force arrives. In preparation for our Spring Dinner Series event. we caught up with Chef Jordan Rainbolt to talk season and place. Whether pulling from her family’s Native American heritage, her formal culinary training in Korea, or her experiences working with a variety of cuisines, Rainbolt uses open-fire cooking and innovative approaches to seasons to challenge culinary expectations through her Native Root project.
EHC: What does Spring taste like to you?
JR: There’s such a rejuvenating energy that comes with spring. The warm weather initiates the renewal of produce and flowers that have been anticipating their arrival. The flavors of spring allow us to reinitiate vibrancy, embracing the delicate and sweet flavors that we are now able to have again.
EHC: Tell me about Native Root – How does that project reflect who you are as a person/creative/chef?
JR: Cooking is my love language and my culinary style stems from an admiration of global culture, food, and technique. Based on my locality, I strive to use indigenous ingredients with global inspiration to create unique tasting experiences for those I am serving. I consider myself a purist when it comes to the flavors and textures of seasonal ingredients I use in my dishes. There’s a beauty in the authenticity of different flavors and I believe that cooking is the learned game, playful and magnificent, of ingredients assembled on a dish.
Beyond my passion for the relationships between culture and food, I have a deep-rooted curiosity for how cultures grow their food, prepare their food, and eat their food. My focus is to convey and share this through Native Root.
EHC: How have you approached developing the menu for the Etowah Dinner Series?
JR: When brainstorming and developing this menu, I was really excited to embrace ingredients that showcase Spring, but also our region. We are in a part of the country where there is so much abundance and there is so much story to tell using these ingredients. This region is such a melting pot of so many different cultures and traditions.
One dish that I’m very excited about is a venison loin that is seared and finished with a whiskey-washed tallow pan sauce. Served with a root vegetable pave and dandelion greens. I’m especially excited to use dandelion. This beautiful, earthy green is considered a weed by many but I’m passionate about having the opportunity to present it in a way that it deserves.
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