Gwin Grimes is an inspiring individual. She wears many different hats in our local food community. She is the owner of Artisan Baking Co. with her husband, Mark. She teaches vocational and avocational culinary classes and is the author of three cookbooks. She is the president of the North Central Texas Farmers Market Corp., which operates Cowtown Farmers Market, serves on the board of the Fort Worth Food & Wine Festival and is a member of the Tarrant County Food Policy Council.
When Gwin cooked her amazing Father's Day meal at Twenty at the Tower, her entire team was composed of former students. Andrea Blair, Lacey Ferrier and Julia Dunaway are all former students of hers. They are, and have been, volunteering their time, to assist the mentor that tirelessly spends her time assisting so many others. I had a chance to ask Chef Grimes a couple of questions to give you a little more insight into such a special person.
Q: What is your favorite dish to prepare for yourself?
A: What I cooked yesterday! Roast chicken and vegetables or, in winter, short ribs braised in red wine with carrots and onions. Classic French technique, farmers market ingredients.
Q: At what age did you first start cooking? A: Maybe 8 or so, when I got an Easy-Bake Oven. I tried to rig it to get hotter and bake faster. Not much has changed since then.
Q: What's the best meal you've ever had?
A: I probably should say it was a meal I ate in Europe or San Francisco or New Orleans. In reality, it's probably the one I'm having tomorrow. I am always looking forward to the next great meal, and I have them everywhere and probably more often than I should!
Q: What's the hardest part of being a chef?
A: The lack of dinner invitations! No one wants to cook for a chef -- except maybe other chefs -- but I love anything that someone takes the time to prepare for me.
Q: What are the benefits of shopping at a farmers market?
A: Freshness, the variety of produce (Six kinds of zucchini! Every color of tomato!) and the ability to look the person in the eye who grew or made your food. And it's a wonderful community of vendors and customers, people who care about the food they eat. And talk about it. A lot.
Q: What advice would you give to someone considering enrolling in culinary school?
A: Keep your day job. Seriously. Get a night or weekend job in food service and try it out first. You don't need a culinary diploma to get a job in a kitchen. Then start looking at schools and find the program that suits you. Having the school training may mean faster promotions, if you prove your worth in the kitchen. I went to culinary school at night, after I left work at my "real" job. Mild-mannered reporter by day, escargot slinger by night -- that was my life for a couple of years.
Artisan Baking Co. is a very small, family-owned business that specializes in great-tasting, handmade bread and gourmet foods, all made from scratch with local, seasonal and organic ingredients. I urge you to go by and see her or place an order online. She is always my son’s favorite stop at our trips to the Cowtown Farmers Market due to his love of her Chocolate Chunk cookies. Small businesses can't operate on Facebook likes alone.
www.artisan-baking-company.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artisanbakingcompany
Twitter: @artisanbakingco
Russell Kirkpatrick is AGM at Reata Restaurant and Founder of the Fort Worth Food and Wine Festival
