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a burger joint
TRIVIA
Tuesday
Nights
8pm
Mexican Restaurant
2895 North Decatur Rd
Decatur, GA 30033
Hours: 11am to 10:30pm
Buy any two i
fajita dinners, get
$7 OFF
®C3
Buy any
two combination
dinners with two
drinks, get
1 Free
Dinner
Not valid with any other
combination offer.
Expires 7/31/18
V /
Food for Thought Chef Christina Conde
Or vice versa?
A: Our menu is a combination of the menu
at our sister store, Candler Park Market Deli,
for lunch, but we also wanted to showcase
food thwat would pair well with beer and
wine. That’s why tapas work so well. The
owner, Greg Hutchins, is quite the wine
connoisseur, so we try to choose foods that
pair nicely with wine and beer drinkers.
Q: What’s the difference between how you
cook at home versus at work? Are there
things you’d never cook for yourself at home?
Do you use your own kitchen as a lab, or
save experiments for the restaurant’s kitchen?
A: 1 always cook with passion and love in
both kitchens. It’s my love language. I do
try, however, to get a little more creative and
think outside the box a little at work. I am
constantly looking for new ideas and trying
to challenge myself. I also try to empower
my team and encourage them to try to create
new and excit ing dishes for our specials.
Q: Where do you get food inspiration? Do
you study other restaurants or particular
chefs, certain books or magazines?
A: All of the above. Its funny because I don’t
watch TV, but if I do, it’s cooking shows or
food channels or documentaries. I feel like
you can never stop learning. A friend of mine
just recently asked me if I am a picky eater
when I go out to eat. I said “no, I love trying
new things and love all food.” (El
Q: Kitchens are an intense atmosphere. What
does your kitchen sound like? Is it deadly
silent, does somebody pick a radio station or
playlist, or do you just fling witty banter?
A: Heck no, we are far from quiet! We
definitely fling the witty banter. We have an
awesome team with all types of personalities,
and we all love to laugh and joke around
with one another. I don’t have much
tolerance for drama or negativity. We try to
keep it a positive place to work. Music is a
must in a kitchen. However, because we are
an open kitchen, we have to be a little more
mindful of our tunes and how
loud we play them. So it’s usually
just headphones.
Q: In addition to the open
kitchen, the entire Gather
restaurant is right inside the space
of Grant Park Market with just a
blue velvet rope between them.
Do you have pretty good people
watching opportunities from the
market side?
A: Absolutely, although I am
usually in back and don’t get to do
it often enough, but I usually get
the good stories from my staff.
Q: Gather has three menus—breakfast,
lunch and dinner. A lot of the lunch stuff is
also on the dinner menu, but what are your
feelings about breakfast for dinner?
A: Truth is, breakfast is my least favorite
meal of the day. Just give me my Yeti full of
coffee and I am good until late afternoon,
when I finally remember I haven’t eaten yet.
I realize that there are a lot of people who
still eat in the mornings,
so we created a breakfast
menu for them, but
dinner is my baby. It is
where I get to be most
creative and showcase
my passion for food. I
guess if there’s a way to
make a deconstructed
breakfast at dinner that
is not so breakfast-like,
I would, but otherwise I
keep those two separate.
Q: The dinner menu
emphasizes Spanish
tapas. What is one thing
you wish everybody understood about a
meal made of small plates?
A: It says it all in the name itself. Gather.
Gather is a place for friends and family to
come together in your local neighborhood.
Tapas are a great way for friends and family
to gather and share great food, drinks and
laugher.
Q: Some of the beer and wine served at
Gather is also available to buy in the market.
Does the market side influence your menu?
By Megan Volpert
Food Forethought is our
ongoing Q&A feature with local
chefs, mixologists, servers and
restaurateurs. This month, we
talk with Chef Christina Conde
of Gather at Grant Park Market,
519 Memorial Drive. Find out
more at grantparkmarket.net.
Q: Gather has an open kitchen,
which guests often like because
they can see all the cooking
going on. What are the pros and
cons of an open kitchen from a
chef s point of view?
A: I never worked in an open
kitchen before Gather. I never really
understood the value of being hidden in
the back cooking. The kitchen life is a very
different life. There is a lot of pressure and
a lot of moving parts going on at all times.
We laugh, we play, we yell, we say things
that sometimes could offend the public, so
it was an adjustment for sure. But having an
open kitchen it is an excellent way to connect
with our guests and that to me is the most
important thing.
since 1961
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& Atlanta United Games!
Make reservations for your next
occasion for up to 100 people!
George’s
1041N. HIGHLAND AVE. NE, ATL, GA 30306
404-892-3648
www.georgesba ra nd restau ra nt.com
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July 2018 l iNtown 27