Sunday News: Southern Junction cravings now national issue, thanks to CBS
Plus where to find unusual meats on Buffalo menus, me cooking live on TV, and the first 10 episodes of Four Bites Show
On Saturday, Lydia Herr and Ryan Fernandez made their network television debut, as Kenmore’s own Jeff Glor came back to Buffalo with a crew and made people around the world hungry by showing them Southern Junction.
Thanks to CBS Morning, which averages 1.7 million viewers, the world found out what’s happening at 365 Connecticut St., where Fernandez and Herr opened their first restaurant in February.
During the broadcast, Fernandez was surprised by a photograph of his grandmother, amachi in his native Malayalam, that his mother had dug out of her files when producers asked for personal history images. “I hadn't seen that in a long time,” he said. “When I saw it on TV, I might have cried a little.”
He told his mother: “We did it. We put amachi’s picture on TV. Shut it down. Let's go home now. Mission accomplished.”
The television opportunity started with a phone message from a CBS producer left on the restaurant line, possibly prompted by Southern Junction being honored with a James Beard nomination.
Then a producer arrived two weeks ago, the night before the television session. The next day, Fernandez and Herr showed Glor how Southern Junction’s unique Indian-Texan menu comes together, while a five-person crew filmed.
Herr, an experienced teacher as well as culinary professional, went into “teacher mode,” Fernandez said, and all went well.
Saturday morning, “the restaurant phone just started ringing, and then my website, our email newsletter, subscriber count went up by like, hundreds.” The show, broadcast in different parts of the U.S. at different times, was broadcast elsewhere in the nation before Buffalo viewers did.
“People started calling from, I think it started at Indiana, then Cleveland,” he said. “Every single person wanted to know if shipped food nationwide.”
Then he started getting calls from West Texas, Midland and Lubbock, Texas barbecue heartland. “I had a few friends in barbecue circles in Austin messaging me, going ‘Dude, you're blowing up here.’ I'm like, ‘What in the world?’ ”
“One man, from Austin or Houston, called around to every single barbecue place in the city, asking them if they were the one that was on TV that morning,” Fernandez said, laughing. “Finally one of the more popular ones was like ‘No, you gotta call Buffalo.’ ”
REVIEW: Tortuga is only 30 minutes from Buffalo City Hall, but when some Buffalonians hear the words “Niagara County,” their interest fades. So here’s my top three pitches at getting this Sanborn outfit on your radar. 1. Eat for $15 or less. 2. South American dishes from Peru, Argentina, Colombia made by a Bolivian and her husband. 3. Conveniently located between Sunflowers of Sanborn and Fashion Outlets of Niagara Falls USA. (For paid subscribers, later today.)
SPEAKING OF TELEVISION: If all goes as planned, I’ll be hitting the small screen myself on April 4. Daytime Buffalo has invited me to contribute a skosh of cooking to WIVB’s morning show. After 10 a.m., I’ll be showing Chelsea Lovell how to make hollandaise sauce, that elixir of lemon, egg, and butter, in under six minutes on live television.
FOUR BITES SHOW: My guest scheduled for Monday had to reschedule, so there won’t be a live interview of a person involved in Buffalo’s foodways this week.
That makes it a fine time to check out the first 10 episodes on the Four Bites YouTube channel. You might have missed learning:
The inner life of flour, from Steve Horton of Miller’s Thumb Bakery.
Argentinian barbecue, from Valentina Garcia Montaño of Cucina at the Richardson Hotel.
What it’s like to go up against Big Pickle, from Lindsey and RJ Marvin of Barrel + Brine.
The diverse community of local food producers showcased at the Farm Shop, from Kelcey Gurtler.
Why a local chicken costs $10, and more meat mysteries explained, from Mike Parkot of Always Something Farm.
Things to think about when tackling a cookbook surplus, with real estate agent Michael Olear, librarian John Burke, and cookbook collector Scotty Harris
Indian cooking, cultural appropriation, and why dried cow dung makes good cooking fuel, with Smita Chutke of Smita’s Cookery.
How Krista Van Wagner, who put Lackawanna’s Curly’s on the map with jerk, has traded kitchens for classrooms on her new educational mission in Buffalo.
What three cranky old guys remember, want, and wish for the essential diner-style restaurants in our lives, with Kevin Thurston of Tipico Coffee, and Roy Bakos, Thurston’s partner in the late lamented Godot Cafe.
What Buffalo has to do to get past its wings, weck, and pizza image to become the national food destination it ought to be, with Christa Glennie, food editor of Buffalo Spree.
WOMEN IN FOOD: Thanks to an invitation from Missy Singer DuMars of Crown Hill Farm, I got to explain why women in the restaurant business have to play the game on hard mode. Here is the episode page, including the recording, transcript and links.
As the first man on the Women in Food podcast, I also offered a primer on how to get a food journalist’s attention in a useful way, and what journalists need from people who would like to see their efforts known.
I also took the opportunity to shout-out some of the women running successful restaurants in the area, including Mary Ann Giordano of Gigi’s Cucina Povera, Zelalem Gemmeda of Abyssinia Ethiopian Cuisine, Sherry Davies and Dina Mattiello of The Dove, Elizabeth Sher of Pattaya Street Food, Amira Khalil of Amira’s kitchen, Zina Lapi of Casa Azul, and Ngoc Lan Nguyen of Pham’s Kitchen. (Plus offer my yiayia-derived tzatziki recipe at 48:36.)
ASK THE CRITIC
Are there any restaurants in the area that serve “unusual” meats i.e. rabbit, quail, venison, game etc? I found quail at a couple of Vietnamese places, but was wondering if there are any more.
Gayle Davis, via email
Vincent Thompson, Prescott's Provisions: Right now we are about to put a lamb carpaccio on for spring. We just took our venison carpaccio off the menu.
Tom Moriarty, Moriarty Meats: Rabbit won’t be until Aprilish. We don’t have any crazy things on the menu currently but the menu will change shortly.
Patrick Chmura, Craving: We were thinking about doing the Barnyard Bolognese in April. (That’s a regular special at the whole-animal-focused restaurant, made of beef heart, liver, and kidney.)
While we’re on the subject of nonstandard meat, another local option is Mighty Meats, local grass-fed beef that’s ground with a bit of beef organ meat for increased nutrition and flavor.
It’s available at the Farm Shop, 235B Lexington Ave. (entrance on Ashland), or you can mail-order the frozen product direct to your door at eatmightymeats.com.
More reading from Michael Chelus:
Turkish cuisine has arrived in Depew at Sofra Turkish Cuisine [Four Bites]
Emily Savage of Savage Wheat Project joined Andrew on the latest episode of Four Bites show [Four Bites]
Tappo Restaurant Group announced that its next catering venture will be at the Hotel at the Lafayette [Buffalo Rising]
More coverage of Wayland Brewing Company's first Spring Food + Beer Festival on 4/6 [Buffalo Eats]
Christa reminded us that the farmers markets in North Tonawanda and Lockport have winter hours [Buffalo Spree]
Christa also wrote about Buffalo Home Bar [Buffalo Spree]
Andrew wrote about 10 world dishes you can find around WNY at places like DiTondo and more [Four Bites]
Francesca wrote about places to find unusual wings like Belt Line Brewery & Kitchen, Doc Sullivan’s and more [Buffalo News]
Southern Junction was featured on CBS Saturday Morning [Buffalo News]
Funk and Fermentation is now open [Buffalo Rising]
Newell visited Connecticut Street Creamery [Buffalo Rising]
Brett visited Pure.Roots [Step Out Buffalo]
Brett also wrote about Meat & Eat Charcuterie [Step Out Buffalo]
#30#
A new WOW in the city! Southern Junction beats the best!