It all started with a love of cooking.
Raymone Hogue has worked his way up from the bottom of the kitchen food chain to his current position as the executive chef at the new Upper Arlington location of Tupelo Honey.
The Buffalo, New York, native started his food career as a dishwasher and continued to be promoted until he was in management, opening restaurants all over the United States.
With Tupelo Honey, he has been there since day one, when it opened the first location in Ohio late last year. He hired all the staff, with whom he is close-knit, and emphasizes working together.
“Just seeing how we’ve come together so far, coming together as a team, not losing a lot of people and you know, just holding that standard and holding an operation of excellence and I really feel good about it,” Hogue says. “We take pride in this amazing food that comes out of the kitchen and make sure it's hot, fresh and ready every day.”
Hogue says Tupelo is unique for its Southern style and comfort food. Tupelo’s signature dishes - like its biscuits and jam, shrimp and grits, mac and cheese, and fried chicken - are being embraced by the Columbus crowd.
“Us bringing that culture to them is opening up the hearts of everyone,” Hogue says.
Try whipping up a dish straight off the Tupelo menu at home, including grits with goat cheese.
Southern Bone-In Pork Chop
- 8 oz. pork chop
- 1 oz. canola oil
- 2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 4 fl. oz. goat cheese grits
- 2.5 wt. oz. blanched broccolini
- 2 wt. oz. bacon jam, hot
- ½ tsp. chives, minced
Method:
- Coat pork chop in oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Grill on both sides, marking chop with cross-hatch grill marks for about 6-8 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 155 degrees.
- Allow the chop to rest for 3-5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place whole broccolini on a cooler spot on the grill. Allow it to heat up without charring or getting hard grill marks.
Assembly:
- Ladle the grits onto the center of the plate.
- Place the grilled broccolini over the center of the grits.
- Lay the pork chop across the top of the broccoli with the bone pointing up.
- Top the pork chop with the bacon jam.
- Garnish with chives.
Blanched Broccolini
Ingredients
- Broccolini
- Salt
Method
- In a large stock pot, bring 4 quarts of salted water to a boil. Ensure you have enough water for broccolini to move around in pot.
- While waiting for water to boil, gather your ice bath. Fill a 6-inch-deep hotel pan with ice and water. Place a 4-inch perforated pan into the 6-inch hotel pan. Ensure you have enough ice water in pan to completely cover the broccolini.
- Once water is boiling, add broccolini.
- Cook for 4-6 minutes or until bright green and tender.
- Remove from pot and shock in ice bath. Remove as soon as chilled, draining well.
Bacon Jam
Ingredients
- ½ pound bacon ends and pieces, cut as best you can into ¼ inch pieces
- 2 cups red onion, remove ends, peel, and slice in half. Then cut each half into strips
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup cider vinegar
- ¼ cup brewed coffee
Method
- In a heavy bottom pan, add bacon and render out the bacon until crispy.
- Add onion and cook until tender, about 4-6 minutes.
- Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
- Store in an airtight container under refrigeration.
Goat Cheese Grits
Ingredients
- 3 cups water
- 1 teaspoon (sea) salt
- 1 ¼ cups grits
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoons cream
- 4 ounces goat cheese
Method
- In a heavy saucepan, bring the water and salt to a boil over high heat.
- Stir in the grits and butter and bring back to a boil.
- Add the cream and decrease the heat to low, simmering for about 10 minutes, or until the mixture is creamy and thick.
- Remove the pan from the stove and whisk in the goat cheese until melted.
Claire Miller is an editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at cmiller@cityscenemediagroup.com.