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THURSDAY. MAY 26. 2022 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 3A
“But I Digest” celebrates the history,
the heroes, the hoopla of food
Hans Rueffert teams up with Food Network friend in new podcast
photo/ButIDigestPodcast.com
Hans Rueffert, left, and Steve McDonagh co-host the new podcast “But I Digest. ” Each
episode focuses on a specific food or ingredient, and delves into its history in a way that’s
“well informed yet whimsically irresponsible. ”
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff Writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
What do croissants and
the Battle of Vienna have in
common? What about nut
meg and Admiral Russell?
Clams and Howard John
sons?
I didn’t know either. But
these connections and more
are explored in “But I Di
gest,” a new food-centric
podcast hosted by local chef
Hans Rueffert and
Steve McDonagh
that delves into a
food or ingredient
with meanderings
into quirky food
history and cul
ture.
Rueffert and
McDonagh met on
the set of Season 1 of Search
for the Next Food Network
Star in 2005. McDonagh
went on to have a series on
Food Network, as well as
successful restaurants and a
large catering business in
Chicago with his husband.
Rueffert became well-known
locally as a chef and cancer
survivor, and now works at
The Old Mulehouse as head
chef.
Over 15 years after that
initial meeting - and lots of
cooking in between - the seed
for “But I Digest” was sewn.
Avid podcast-lover Rueffert
saw a space that wasn’t being
filled in the food podcast
world. He wanted to create
something informative, but
fun and witty and casual, and
approached McDonagh about
the idea last year.
“We didn’t want to just
say ‘Hi. Here are the facts.
See you next time,”’ Rueffert
said. “We wanted to have a
fun journey dis
covering the
food and going
through its his
tory, the food
heroes along the
way, and the
hoopla, which is
the culture
around food. It’s
crazy the things we eat, not
just because of nutrition, but
the ceremony and culture
around it.”
They’ve already recorded
24 episodes for the bi
monthly podcast. They’ve
got titles like, “Figs, Fake
Wasp News, and Fig Fun
nels,” “Sandwiches, the 4th
Earl and Demon Baboons,”
and “Cabbage, Cartier and
Colcannon Socks.”
Each episode also in
cludes two recipes - one food
recipe using that week’s in
gredient, as well as a cocktail
recipe that’s related to the
food. (McDonagh is a mixol
ogist and author of The New
Old Bar, a book about vin
tage cocktails.) For the crois
sant episode, for example,
recipes are “Croissant Sand
wich with Figs & Brie” and
“Monkey Gland and Home
made Grenadine” (You’ll
have to listen to the episode
to find out how monkey
glands relate to croissants,
but the drink includes gin, or
ange juice, absinthe and
grenadine - not nearly as un
appetizing as it sounds).
The pair’s chemistry is re
laxed and genuine, with no
shortage of witty banter,
puns, and the occasional rib
bing in each episode, in addi
tion to segments like “Stump
the Straight Guy.” It’s a show
for foodies for sure, but side
steps being stale or snobby
(i.e., canned cheese and a
molasses flood make appear
ances), or limiting its audi
ence to only foodie types.
McDonagh is retired from
working day-to-day in
restaurants, focusing more on
acting, so Hans comes up
with the topics.
“I let him take the lead on
that since food is still his day-
to-day life,” McDonagh said.
“He chooses items that mean
something to him. Figs, be
cause he’s got fig trees in his
back yard. Honey, because
he’s had honey bees. All of
these items mean something
to him so I’m happy to let
him take the lead.”
After the topic is selected,
they do their individual re
search, but don’t share notes
before the show to keep
things fresh and genuine.
“We do surprise each
other quite a bit and that
keeps things fun,” Rueffert
said.
McDonagh believes that
more than information,
“What makes a good podcast
is conversation and relation
ship.”
They also occasionally
have guests, many of whom
are well-known chefs in the
food world. In June, for ex
ample, Virginia Willis, James
Beard award-winning author
of Bon Appetit, Y’all, will sit
in on an episode. Mark Sum
mers, host of Unwrapped and
Search for The Next Food
Network Star, will also be a
guest.
“There’s real background
information, there’s stupid
silliness, and then there is
useful application in what
we’re doing,” McDonagh
said. “We also sprinkle in
trivia and mockery. I think
we make a good team.”
You can find all episodes
and recipes online at
www.ButIDigestPodcast.co
m.
New GSP Commander takes helm in Pickens
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff Writer
areinhardt@piekensprogress.com
Following the promotion
of longtime Georgia State Pa
trol Post #28 Commander
Tim Nichols, Kevin Evans
will take the lead role at the
post that serves Pickens and
Cherokee counties.
Evans has a long and sea
soned career with the state
law agency, which began as a
patrol deputy at the
Gainesville post in February
2001. Over the years he
worked at a number of posts
in Georgia, rising through the
ranks as he went. He was
eventually promoted to cor
poral in Jasper in 2015 where
he worked four years before
being promoted to buck ser
geant in Villa Rick in 2019.
In 2021 he was promoted to
post commander in
Cartersville where he served
for a year and a half.
When Nichols was pro
moted to Lieutenant Assis
tant Troop A Commander
Evans took the position of
GSP Post #28 Commander.
Nichols worked as post com
mander here for 10 years.
When asked what goals he
has for the post under his
leadership, he said, “Tim ran
a good ship and left things in
a good place so I’ll keep what
he had going. I would like to
eventually increase the num
ber of troopers, but that takes
time.”
Nichols will have an of
fice in the Jasper post, but
will primarily be at Troop
Headquarters located in
Cartersville.
“After spending a third of
my career in the Atlanta area,
I’m glad I had the opportu
nity to work close to home
for the last 10 years,” Nichols
said. “SFC Evans worked out
of the Jasper post as a trooper
and as an assistant post com
mander before his subse
quent promotions took him to
Villa Rica and then Paulding
County. I have all confidence
that he will be a great asset to
Post 28 and the community.”
Evans was bom and raised
in the Lake Hartwell area. He
has four children, ages 6 to
early 20s, and lives in Chero
kee County.
Photo/Georgia State Patrol
Kevin Evans, right, will now serve as Georgia State Pa
trol Post #28 commander after Tim Nichols was promoted
to a new position.
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