The Man Behind the Pork Chops: Chef Terry Koval

Friday, August 8, 2014

Terry Koval has worked his way to being one of Atlanta's favorite farm to table chefs. He shares G&G's love of local food, as you can see on his tumblr page, which is littered with great pictures of farmers, local food and kitchen fun. His twitter handle probably describes him best: "Chef, passionate about where food comes from, the people who grow it and produce it. Wild man, husband, daddy. Love what I do. Eat everything & waste nothing."

He was introduced to the cooking scene as a dishwasher in South Carolina. He decided to try his hand at the West Coast and headed out to San Fransico, skateboard in hand. That's where he found his love of local, seasonal produce and farm to table dining. But thankfully for Atlanta, the South called again. He has worked in the kitchen of many classic Atlanta restaurants, like Canoe and Farm Burger to name a few.

Excited to get the chance to use even more local food and grow as a chef, Terry made the transition from Farm Burger to Wrecking Bar Brewpub. The 18,000 square foot Victorian mansion that houses the Wrecking Bar has gone through many changes, and it's latest has been a solid transformation of the menu by Terry. As Atlanta Magazine describes it, "he is a chef who makes an honest restaurant out of a beer hall." His dishes are creative and seasonally focused, and always showcase the best local food.

His style shines in his G&G Be The Chef recipe, Pork Chops over Field Peas & Carrots with Coffee BBQ & Chow Chow. This dish is right off of Wrecking Bar's menu and will show you why he was named a 2012 Atlanta Rising Star Sustainable Chef. This dish features juicy Riverview Farms pork chops smothered in a homemade sweet and savory coffee BBQ sauce. You'll serve it over a bed of field peas and carrots then top it with Doux South Chow Chow.

To test this recipe, we decided to get in character for Wrecking Bar. So we invited a few friends over and enjoyed some local brews while we cooked. The decision was unanimous at the table - best BBQ sauce any of us had ever made! See for yourself! He'll be on the menu for just a few weeks, so be sure to snag a meal and transform your kitchen into Wrecking Bar.

photo credit: Peachtree Road Farmers Market