The 8th annual Atlanta Food & Wine Festival is the premier event of its kind in the South. Think red carpet meets white coat. Michelin stars mingle with James Beard Award-winners to demonstrate the laciness of caul fat, discuss the microbiology behind fermentation, and debate the economics of sustainable sourcing.
But while this top-flight culinary brain trust was convening over the past weekend, we took the opportunity to pose two far-more-important questions:
You’re on a road trip, hungry, and you have to gas up. What snacks do you get? Farther down the road, you’re hungry again, but this time you face a panoply of fast-food joints. Where do you go?
And since fast-casual is all the rage, we captured these chefs with a Leica Sofort, the luxury brand’s first entry into the instant-camera game.
Here is what we discovered:
“Funyuns, sour gummy bears, Takis Mexican chips, and the Flamin’ Hot Munchies Snack Mix. That’s my jam. Your fingers are red and you start to lick them. If sh-- gets crazy, I will hit Taco Bell. I get the Doritos Locos or the cheesy Gorditas.” —Brittanny Anderson of Brenner Pass in Richmond, Va., 2018 James Beard Foundation Best Chef Mid-Atlantic semifinalist
“If I’m trying to be healthy, a granola bar of maybe some trail mix. Otherwise, Cool Ranch Doritos, Mountain Dew, and something chocolatey. And then a sausage egg and cheese biscuit from McDonald’s.” — Ferrell Alvarez of Rooster & the Till in Tampa Bay, Fla., 2017 James Beard Foundation Best Chef South semifinalist
“Pork skins and a root beer. Every time. After, I’m gonna go to Wendy’s and get a Baconator with extra cheese. Not a root beer at that point, because I’m clogging up. So, a bottle of water. —Cory Bahr of Restaurant Cotton in Monroe, La., 2015 Food Network’s Chopped Champion
“Jerky and Bojangle’s chicken and biscuits” for her. For him: “You know those shrink-wrapped sandwiches that come in the triangle plastic containers? That’s me. Egg salad.” —Michelle and Greg Baker of the Refinery in Tampa, 2016 James Beard Foundation Best Chef South semifinalist
“Spam musubi. It’s a big gas station thing in Hawaii. Sushi rice with Spam on top, with nori wrapped around it. Best thing ever. And then a Whopper. No mayonnaise.” —Todd Thrasher of Restaurant Eve in Alexandria, Va.
“Doughnuts. Or sandwiches at Sheetz. Good toppings. I like it over 7-11. Later, Subway would be my first pick. Or Arby’s grilled chicken sandwich and definitely, fries. Double-fried so they’re extra crispy.” —Sunny Baweja of Lehja in Richmond, Va., 2018 Richmond Magazine Best Restaurant