Welcome to the Sidebar: Where A Local Chef Shows You Where To Find (And How To Cook) North Carolina’s Best Ingredients
You know what's funny about being a chef? Even after 30 years in professional kitchens and growing up in this state, I'm still learning about the fresh ingredients in North Carolina. It’s crazy, right?
Some years into my career, I came across some local produce and spices that I never worked with before – and I’m telling you, it changed e-very-thing I thought I knew about cooking fresh.
And that's what I want to dig into here on the Sidebar.
Yeah, I'm a chef (and yes, I've picked up some tricks along the way), but more than anything, I've always been curious of what our local farmers, fishermen, and food artisans are doing right here in North Carolina’s backyard.
So I'm committed to exploring markets, visiting farms, and experimenting in my own kitchen. Sometimes nailing it, sometimes... well, let's just say my very opinionated family will be the judge and jury.
See, while running my personal chef business, I realized something: the most exciting part of my day isn't just cooking the food. It's…
discovering new ingredients
learning their stories
figuring out how to make them work in real life, for real families like mine.
When I find that great new producer or finally crack the code on making a heritage recipe more weeknight-friendly, I can't wait to share it all with you, family.
Here's what we’ll get into:
- Where to find some of the best local ingredients
- How I make traditional NC dishes work for modern family life
- What I'm learning about seasonal cooking and local food
- Some pretty cool stories and tips I pick up from our amazing local producers
Think of this as your pass to my ongoing journey with North Carolina's food – from the professional kitchen to my family table, from my successes to my learning moments, from traditional techniques to modern interpretations.
Whether you're a foodie like me or just starting to explore our local ingredients, you're welcome here. Because at Fresh Take Sidebar, we're all students of our state’s amazing food culture, and there's always something new to discover.
You up for it, family? Let’s make something good together.
~ Chef Carl
P.S. If you like what you’re hearing so far then the blog is only the half of it. Click here to sign up for my newsletter, The Weekly Market Guide, where my sub’s get access to exclusive content, behind-the-scenes stories, and real-time market updates. As you know, I do fresh. I don’t do junk. So your inbox won’t get it either. Promise.
