FistFullaRoux

Ooh... I like that. Use the straight sugar, and while it is still hot, sprinkle kosher salt or fleur de sal on it. And let it be a little sweet. You would just have to watch the amount of sweetness you add to the custard itself. Or if you stick with salt and sugar, the salt won't burn. No worries about burning pepper or other spices.

Hey Fistfullaroux - How is Culinard doing? I used to livein BHAM and worked at Southern Living, and watched the opening with interest just after moving to Charleston. Do you hear good things? ← AFAIK, fine. I haven't had much chance to deal with them, but I do know that they will not donate food for charity events ... Bugs the hell out of me. Brunos was even going to donate the ingredients, but no dice. Needed to feed 50 people, so I ended up cooking. So much for supplying some practical experience for the students. But I digress. Haven't had a chance to eat at the restaurant yet, but I've heard good things. I have no idea what their enrollment is, but they are still advertising very very heavily. I hear Susan Notter's name a lot...

But C2 was only a response to Pepsi Edge. Is now when I should admit that I'm a Pepsi fan? Used to be a Coke drinker, but I only had Pepsi available in the vending machines at work (Bufffalo Rock Bottlers is surprisingly powerful), and I got used to it. Came to prefer it.

Enjoyed the article. You zeroed in on the "southern-ness of the beverage of choice. Um, just one thing - Sela Ward's hometown is Meridian, Mississippi. I know, because they have billboards up for 50 miles around the place, which I have to drive through every so often...

I'd love to have a Whole Foods in Birmingham. There are a couple of "gourmet markets", but that requires a lot of legwork. The Bruno's chain is OK, as far as grocery stores go, as they will carry more upscale or hard to find items, and they will special order for you, under most conditions. Birmingham also has Culinard for education, also Southern Living and Cooking Light magazines are headquartered here. They have cooking demos and classes as well. So there is some education available, we're a couple of hours from Atlanta, so it's not like we're completely in the backwoods, but for a city of nearly a million people (metro area), there aren't a whole lot of options.

How about sugar mixed with a bit of Old Bay or other "crab boil" type seasoning mix? Just enough sugar to make a very very thin crust, but it would be offset by the other spices. Or try a spice mix that has sugar in it (Like Tony's) and see if that will caramelize.

I'll buy the heat resistant version of things. My grandmother made the best peanut butter balls that were coated in chocolate with some wax for good measure. What I found was that it allowed you to put a thicker coat without making it too hard to bite into...

Thorny problem, but has similarities to musical performances. My background is in the music business, so keep that in mind. You cannot decorate a cake with a Disney character without paying licensing fees. You can, however, decorate a cake with a mouse. Just not Disney's mouse. A garage band can play Art Garfunkel songs all day. But they cannot put them on a record without the copyright holders permission. Saying that something is copyrighted does not mean it would hold up legally. Copyrighting is a process that must be followed. Licensing is negotiated with the owner of the copyright. All that being said... If a copyrighted recipe is given to you, and you were expected to learn and make it, the person who gave you the recipe cannot expect to come back and say "You can never make this again", unless you are required to license the recipe. In that case, you are using a licensed product which can be pulled according to whatever agreement you have with the license holder. This does not necessarily mean that you can teach the recipe to anyone else, but you tacitly have permission to use it, and make money from selling the results of that use, unless the license states differently. If the recipe is not copyrighted or licensed, the whole discussion is a moot point. In that case, most people, I think, would consider it public domain.

Oh, man. Major bummer. I had forgotten about that one. At least everybody is OK, according to channel 8.

And how can I forget Thundercloud Subs? I have a lot of respect for the place, because in addition to making a fine sandwich, they really support the local music scene. Lots of their employees are musicians, and for the most part, their schedules are extremely flexible to allow for gigs and practices. Also, Amy's Ice Cream. First place I ever saw someone mixing stuff into ice cream on a slab.

phaelon56 mentioned urban sprawl. I think that is a valid point. Cities here, for the most part, tend to be really spread out. Therefore, you have to really want to venture to get to some good food. In Birmingham, for example, my favorite restaurants are in Irondale, Homewood, and Hoover. Still part of the Metro, but a 10 mile drive from home on the south side of Birmingham (except for Homewood).

To answer your second question, go to my post above and read Bourdain's book. Seriously. It's an extreme recollection, but you could probably count on it holding about 75% true for you as well. Question 3 - Advancement is like with any other job. Depends who else is in your market.

So now, wait a second. Fox has their hands on projects from Bourdain and Gordon Ramsey? Someone taking a run at Food Network, maybe??? Doing it the same way they did with The Simpsons. Over-the top characters, raunchy/violent/dysfunctional humor... Maybe they are on to something, folks.

I hate to sound like an episode of Kung-Fu, but only you will know if you are capable of doing it. Cahnging careers at any age is difficult, though your experience would (I think) serve you well in a cooking capacity. Regarding money, I'd definitely think that an accountant would make more than a chef, at least until you get to the upper echelons, where you get a cooking show and your face on products in the spice aisle. I tossed around the same idea a few years back, and I came to the following conclusion - I like to cook. If I HAD to cook every day it wouldn't be fun for me anymore. I also know that I have authority issues. I try to play nice, but it has to make sense to me. I'm too smart for my own good, I guess You must read Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. Seek out other books that tell the story of how a chef got to where he is. Whatever you decide, good luck!

Jimyo's hanky comment has been stalking my dreams since I read it for the first time last year.

Birmingham has a bit of the "eh" factor. If you are a fan of BBQ (which I am not) you have options. For the real food fan, it is a chore to search out great places here. You either get to the point where you find one or two special places, then do the rest at home, or else just hit a drive thru. This is not to say that Birmingham has no good food. It's there. It's just that what I consider good food, and what the rest of this town considers good food are very different. For example, I made red beans and rice for a group of people yesterday. It was not my best effort, and was OK at best. These people acted like the hand of God came down and goosed them. As this town goes, being the sports mecca (phht) that it is, pub food, BBQ, and tailgating fare seem to be the winners. You can pay $90 a person for dinner, or you can get some decent wings. Evidently, I hang out with the wrong crowd, but I can't afford Hot and Hot Fish Club on a regular basis. So back to the original post, Birmingham has some pretty good casual places, a select few upscale places, but the overwhelming majority of the restaurants in town rate no higher than a 6 or 7 on the scale.

If you really want to try it, plan on feeding 20 or so people, and go ahead and buy one. You will make yourself crazy trying to do one yourself, with no experiences to help you. Personally, I don't care for them. I don't go out of my way to avoid or find them, they are just - eh. I think not worth the time or effort. But if you are willing to foot the bill, and go through the trouble of cooking it, make sure you do it right. Check the temperatue often until it is done.

Louisiana is a little unique in the coffee world, as they have their own sort of blends and techniques. Not all Louisiana coffee has chickory in it (despite what the tourists think). I'm specifically trying to compare brands; Community, CDM, Seaport, etc. I drink Community (when I can get my hands on it), and I always remember my aunt drinking Seaport. Don't much care for Chickory, myself... Any comments? edited to replace the Charlie Daniels Band reference with the Cafe Du Monde reference. I need a cuppa myself, I think.

Add my good thoughts to the other ones on this page. I am lucky to have some priceless family heirlooms in my kitchen as well. I made a massive batch of red beans in a huge pot I got from my grandfather. I miss him still, but I spent the day yesterday remembering the good things, while stirring in his pot that I am now taking care of. She's not that far away. And congratulations on the job!

But that does not mean they are right...

Probably a diabetic. Regarding butter/margarine, my money is on the spreadability factor. You can't tear bread trying to put margarine on it (especially for older or younger folks with motor skills issues).

He still sticks his thumb in his mouth way too much. And he always looks like he's constipated when he's mixing or squeezing a lemon.

Fukui-san from Iron Chef And Bourdain as Sid Vicious? That's a bit of a stretch, even for him. Bourdain can be polite occasionally. I'd venture Gene Simmons, though. Bigger than life persona, all about the business, raconteur, etc and et al...

Maybe I said that wrong. Obviously, the food has been an attraction for years. But only since they showed up have there been specific trips to New Orleans just for food. Before, it was "Let's go to New Orleans, get a bite to eat, then hit the Quarter". Now, to a certain extent, the Quarter is secondary. For a long time, the Lucky Dog guys made as much money as the restaurants did. It was always known that you would eat well in New Orleans. I just don't think that it was the primary reason for the trip. Not that the frat boys in town for Mardi Gras drop a couple of bills at Commander's Palace anyway... I'd be curious to see a breakout of restaturant vs bar revenue over the last 15 years or so, and compare it with the early 70's.

I was just having a bit of fun (watching the clock move veeeerrrrryyyy slowly on a Friday afternoon) I think Oliver's reach has more to do with the BBC than anything else. The BBC has far reaching agreements and partnerships all over the world, plus satellites. Food Network is cable only in the US and Canada. Scripps cannot compete with the BBC.