Savannah cooks with chef Joe Randall

Southern Living, Apr 2002 by Vanhooser, Cassandra M

At his cooking school, a Northern-born chef praises the virtues of authentic Southern cuisine.

You may have had the rest, but you determine if this is the best," rasps chef Joe Randall, confidently spooning up servings of his creamy shrimp and grits. "I already know how good it is, but I hope you like it too."

Wide-eyed silence greets this announcement. Then, as one forkful ofter another disappears into his guests' months, the accolades begin. "Oh, my word! This is wonderful," moans one grateful convert.

"I didn't know you ate shrimp with grits." a California native confesses. "I thought it was a really odd combination, but now I'm a believer."

The chef chuckles with satisfaction as the students at his Savannah cooking school continue to testify. At this moment, when his students submit to the persuasive flavors of his favorite Southern delicacies, he knows the seeds of his message have landed on fertile ground.

With an evangelical fervor, Joe preaches the joys of consuming authentic Southern food. His church is a tiny house on Savannah's Waters Avenue, his pulpit a gas-fired stove. "I want to make sure that people who visit Savannah leave here with a memory greater than the architecture," he rumbles. "So I do what I call cooking food that leaves a little South in the mouth."

A round and jovial man with a big, smoky voice, Joe followed a circuitous route to Savannah. He grew up in Pennsylvania and learned about traditional Southern food while feasting at the tables of friends and neighbors who had migrated north.

Later he trained with some of the South's finest African American chefs. He shared his knowledge (and theirs) by teaching college classes and by writing one cookbook and contributing to another-both celebrating Southern cuisine. In 1999, he was named director of food service at Savannah College ofArt and Design but soon opened his own cooking school. Classes range from three-hour sessions and children's workshops to six-week basic cooking courses.

Travelers as well as locals sign up to attend the chef's cooking classes. "In a restaurant, you don't have time to demonstrate recipes and make it personal. Here, you get a little history. You get to ask questions, and you get to taste. Then you get to take it back, practice it in your own kitchen, and share it with your friends," he says

His students tonight would endorse his comments with a chorus of amens, but they all have their mouths full.

Chef Joe Randall's Cooking School: 5409 Waters Avenue, Savannah, GA 31404; (912) 303-0409 or www.chef joerandall.com.