I have to share a story with you today. Many of you may or may not remember the “Renaissance Man” Eugene Walter. The new cookbook “The Happy Table of Eugene Walter” has just come out and in it is a story by the editor of coming to our restaurant in downtown Mobile – Roussos – with Eugene.
Well, I learned from Eugene many things but one of the first lessons I learned from him was about freshly ground pepper. One afternoon I was in the back of the restaurant in the kitchen when one of my employees came and got me and said that there was a man in the lobby insisting on seeing me. She whispered that it was that man that always came in “barking” with a smile on my face I said “Oh, that has to be Mr. Walter!”
When I went into the lobby to greet him, he handed me a sack and said “look inside my dear” which I did and I pulled a pepper grinder out and he exclaimed “don’t ever let me hear you tell a cusotmer again that you do not have a pepper grinder! No restaurant the caliber or yours should ever be without one!”
From that day forward we always had Eugene’s pepper grinder on hand for anyone but especially for him. (The lesson I got that day, along with the pepper grinder, was about all the various peppers and which ones I should put into our grinder). I just got the cookbook and so far have truly enjoyed what I have read and most of all enjoyed reminiscing about Eugene.
I’m with you Mr. Goodman if I could sit at his table with a glass of wine and listen to one more story…
–Georgia