Q&A with Chef Linton Hopkins

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Chef Linton Hopkins is a pillar in the local food community. We are so excited to have him on our menu as part of our Be The Chef series. We got the chance to chat with Chef Hopkins recently to see where he gets his inspiration... and needless to say, we were inspired!

G&G: What did 5 year old Linton Hopkins dream of being?

Chef Hopkins: Like most children, I dreamt of being many different things. I wanted to be a baseball player, join the army, and be a doctor like my dad.

G&G: Why did you become a chef?

Chef Hopkins: I grew up cooking with my mom. In my early twenties I was thinking of a more traditional career, until I realized I could cook for a living. I went to the CIA [Culinary Institute of America] and never looked back.

G&G: What does supporting the local food community mean to you?

Chef Hopkins: By supporting the local food community, I am helping build a better place for my family to grow up, live, and thrive.

G&G: Tell us about your experience with Garnish & Gather. 

Chef Hopkins: My experience with Garnish and Gather has been great! It is a wonderful program that is engaging people in the deliciousness of local food. I, even as a chef, like the convenience of a meal prepped by Garnish & Gather, so I can quickly cook at home for my kids or give it as a gift to my parents.

G&G: Why did you choose to be a part of our Be The Chef Series?

Chef Hopkins: I believe being a chef is not solely about cooking in restaurants. It’s about being an ambassador and defender of good, wholesome, and local foods. I want to share good food with as many people, in as many different ways, as possible and this is an innovative way to do that.

G&G: What inspires you when writing recipes?

Chef Hopkins: My appetite and love of delicious food.

G&G: Tell us about the recipe you wrote for Garnish & Gather.

Chef Hopkins: I crave this coffee cured pork and I paired it with some unique combinations, like the sorghum glazed eggplant sauté, which I thought would be a really great combination with the pork.

G&G: You are a true homegrown Atlanta Chef. What has it been like to watch the evolution of Atlanta?

Chef Hopkins: It’s been amazing to watch Atlanta evolve as a whole, but being a chef, and being involved in multiple aspects of local food, I’ve seen many great chefs follow their dream to open a restaurant. From Billy Allin at Cakes and Ale to Steven Satterfield at Miller Union to Anne Quatrano and the up-and-coming chefs at her Atlanta restaurants; those are the places I like to eat. I’m proud to be part of this city’s continuing culinary evolution.

G&G: You are so supportive of new local food businesses. What do you like about working with them?

Chef Hopkins: I want more local artisans, farmers, restaurants, and small food businesses to thrive and survive. By supporting these local food businesses I am helping build a stronger local food community.

G&G: Why did you start Peachtree Road Farmers Market? Tell us about its evolution.

Chef Hopkins: When our kids were born, we were living in Washington, D.C. and would go to our neighborhood farmers market each Saturday to buy produce. We didn’t have a market in our neighborhood here, so I approached Dean Candler about allowing several farmers and my bread company set up stands in the Cathedral’s parking lot on the weekends. Fortunately, he had always wanted to do a farmers market, so within three months of our discussion we had set up the market with six vendors. Now, there are more than 60 vendors and it keeps getting better.

G&G: Tell us about your new Delta International menu, featuring our local friends like Banner Butter.

Chef Hopkins: It’s great as a cook to show that food can be the same high quality whether you are cooking on a plane, in a hospital, at a school, or in your own home. I source from an array of regional vendors, farmers, and artisans for the Delta menu. In addition to Banner Butter, we buy from Burge Plantation, Blackberry Farm, Many Fold Farm, Riverview Farm, Storico Pasta, and more. The summer menu had a soup that used corn from 5 different farms. I get to support the local food community in a big way through my partnership with Delta. I love it!

G&G: On a night at home, what’s your go to meal?

Chef Hopkins: It’s about the purity of the ingredients, so I like to keep it simple. For instance, pasta with fresh stewed tomatoes is one of my favorite meals and I vary it by adding capers, eggplant or squash, or shaved, roasted cauliflower on top. I’ll make more elaborate dishes for special occasions, but in general I do a lot of one or two pot cooking.

G&G: If you could give one piece of advice to a home chef, what would it be?

Chef Hopkins: Keep it simple and have a good wooden cutting board, made from a hard wood that you treat well; one sharp knife; and a cast iron skillet. Good salt is also important.

G&G: What ingredient could you not live without?

Chef Hopkins: Right now, and this changes like my favorite song, it would be olive oil. Olive oil is one of those amazing, universal ingredients, and I just adore it.

G&G: What’s next for you? 

Chef Hopkins: Along with a continued focus on our current businesses, we will open H&F Burger and H&F Bread Co. at Ponce City Market in the spring and continue to expand our partnership with Delta.

G&G: If you were a fruit or vegetable what would you be and why?

Chef Hopkins: A potato, while maybe outwardly dull, it’s an incredibly versatile vegetable. If I were a fruit, I would be a lemon. Sharp and witty, it’s bright and elevates everything that it is associated with.