ATHLEISURE MAG #81 SEP ISSUE | FOOD IS COMMUNITY Chef Justin Sutherland

We always like when we have the chance to catch up with our favorite chefs. Chef Justin Sutherland is focused on sharing his love of food for restaurants such as Handsome Hog and Big E. In addition to being the host of Fast Foodies, he loves sharing the stories of BIPOC chefs as they bring their passions in the culinary space via Taste the Culture. When we spoke to him earlier this year, he let us know that he was working on his cookbook which is out now! We talk about his passion for food, giving love to the Twin Cities culinary community and more.

ATHLEISURE MAG: We always enjoy talking with you. The last time was earlier this year ahead of the Fast Foodies second season. We’re happy to connect again and I have to say that we sent prayers your way after your accident. Just seeing your positivity coming out from everything that you have done. How have you been able to maintain such resilience and positivity with your surgeries and your recovery?

CHEF JUSTING SUTHERLAND: I mean, honestly, a lot of that positivity and strength comes from the incredible outpouring of support that has come from friends, the wider food community and just strangers from across the country and the world that have really been keeping me going and giving me the strength to want to get back ASAP!

AM: Like you, I’m from the Midwest which has a lot of influences from the South as well as global areas. From a culinary standpoint, Minnesota has had a spotlight on it from chefs such as yourself, Yia Vang (Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend, Relish, United Shades of America), Andrew Zimmern (Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern, What’s Eating America, Bizarre Foods: Delicious Destinations), can you tell us what people can expect from the Minnesota or Twin Cities culinary scene?

CHEF JS: You know, I’m very happy that it’s getting it’s due. For a long time, people have looked at the Midwest as that fly over region where nobody really associated us with good cuising. I think that we have one of the best in the country. I think that something that understated about Minnesota is that it is thought of as Scandinavian and very meat and potatoes but it is actually such a melting pot of different cultures. We have the largest Somali population in the country, the largest Hmong population in the country, a huge Vietnamese influence, a huge Native American influence – so I just think that the food that is so Minnesota, is so global.

AM: Where do you draw your culinary inspiration from?

CHEF JS: You know very globally as well. I have a huge multicultural background. I have a grandmother from Japan, I have a grandfather from Mississippi, another grandfather who is Norwegian so we ate sushi, collard greens and Lapskaus all at the same table growing up. I was very lucky to be able to eat very globally as a kid and to be able to cook with my grandmothers.

AM: What is it about the Twin Cities specifically, that draws you to want to contribute to the culinary scene?

CHEF JS: There’s no reason to leave and to try to do it somewhere else you know? I’m very happy and blessed to be able to be part of resurgence of that dining scene and it wouldn’t be right to leave!

AM: You have a number of restaurants under your belt, Handsome Hog being one of them. It is defined as Contemporary Southern. What does that mean to you and what can guests expect when they come to dine.

CHEF JS: It’s you know, a love of that Soul Food culture. Once again owing to my grandma – Sunday suppers that always had that pot of collard greens on the stove and having that cooking. I just think that Southern Hospitality and that comfort that you get when you think about Soul Food in the South as well as what you get when you walk into Handsome Hog and you get into that beautiful and high-energy environment. Sometimes I think that we relate that humble food with roadside eateries that you do at home with your families and then suddenly you take that cuisine and put it in that beautiful environment.

AM: Earlier this year, you also opened Big E in Portland at The Moxy Hotel and I know that you have another one in Minnesota. In prepping for the interview, I literally drooled over these friggin’ sandwiches. I like Her Name is Yoshimi and think that it’s amazing and clearly there is a major egg focus here and a nod to Biggie himself, tell me more about this concept and how it came about?

CHEF JS: You know it’s 2 of my favorite things. I love egg sandwiches and I travel extensively and every time I’m on the road, I’m asking hotel concierges where the best egg sandwiches are and at what spots. It’s always been something that I have loved and music has always been a big part of my life. The Notorious B.I.G. being one of my favorite all time artists – it was a good way to meld my favorite things and then with the dining trends that were changing and coming out of the pandemic and being able to do something that’s quick service where you can still give high quality chef driven food that we can replicate and pop up all over the country in fast casual.

AM: Love it and as mentioned at the top, we talked earlier this year with your cohosts Kristen Kish (Top Chef, Selena + Chef, Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend) and Jeremy Ford (Top Chef, Fast Foodies, Isaac Takes On). What was your favorite episode from the second season of Fast Foodies and is there any word on a 3rd season?

CHEF JS: Oh man! That’s tough. The second season was really fun and it was really great being able to have our finale with Joel McHale (Community, The Soup, Celebrity Beef) to come back - he is a wild card! We love working with him and that little spin where we didn't know that he would be our final guest. We had already formed a relationship with him but that spin on the finale episode was a lot of fun to work with him on. Season 3 is still in talks. We don’t know and haven’t started filming, but we do plan on having another.

AM: You host and Executive Produce, Taste the Culture. I love this show, I just watched the Pop Up Empowerment episode that also had Brady Lowe in it – I'm a fan of Brady as I was a judge for one of his Cochon555 events here in NY.

CHEF JS: He’s one of my best friends.AM: Oh yeah? So seeing him there and having you talk about all of these things. Tell me about the show, what made you want to do it as it is now one of my favorite shows since I have seen it.

CHEF JS: I really appreciate that. It’s kind of been one of my first opportunities to be an executive producer and again to be able to make the kind of show that I want to make and to tell the kinds of stories that I want to tell! There are so many untold stories in the BIPOC food community around the country that generally get overlooked. So it was an opportunity to take the spotlight off of me and move in and just help amplify those voices and to tell those stories.

AM: What was your favorite episode?CHEF JS: It ended up being in season 2 which is coming up in a few weeks. Two of my favorites will be in the new season. But the High Hog Farm Education one was amazing. It was just such a cool way to spend the day on that farm. Especially because Black farming gets very very overlooked and just being able to tell their story and to learn their story – it was one of my favorite episodes.

AM: Over the past few days, you’ve literally been on a junket with you focused on promoting your book Northern Soul: Southern Inspired Home Cooking from a Northern Kitchen. Can you tell me more about why you wanted to create this cookbook and to approach it in in this way?

CHEF JS: Soul Food, Southern food has always had a place in my heart from watching my grandmother cook to going to school in Atlanta. I dove myself into that culture and this is a collection of recipes from family, Handsome Hog and a lot of the stuff that people have emailed or asked me for these recipes after dinner on how we did stuff. It was time to share and to give everyone what they were asking for.

AM: Chef Kwame Onwuachi wrote the forward on this book. Why did you want to include him in this?

CHEF JS: Many reasons. He has been a good friend for a very long time. The things that he has accomplished at his age is incredible. I just thought it was important to include him in this. I was very blessed that he said yes.

AM: I love that the cookbook spans so many things from lunch, brunch, dinner etc. But I also like that you have a section on Pickled Things – I love pickled things and although I had never heard of Watermelon Rinds being pickled, it’s cool that it is in there. What are 3 recipes that you are super excited to be in this cookbook?

CHEF JS: The Pickled Watermelon Rinds are one of them. I think that especially in the North this is not something that we would think about. You think of watermelon rinds as something that you would normally throw away. The amount of flavor that can be found in there and paired with recipes, I was happy to share that. My favorite recipe and I think that it tells the story of Soul Food, Southern Cuisine and ultimately food that came over from the slave trade is Collard Greens. I think that this tells the story of Soul Food. If you can break it down for me, then I think that that is it.

AM: In a few days, you will be hitting the festival stage at Bourbon and Beyond which takes place in Louisville. We love when food and music come together. What is that you will be cooking and why did you want to be part of this festival?

CHEF JS: I have done a number of food festivals across the country and I was so lucky to be able to do this 3 years ago before it went on hiatus due to the pandemic. It was one of the most fun food and wine festivals combined that I had ever done. There are so many similarities between food and music and I just think that having those two things combined is incredible! I also think that Louisville has a special place in my heart that's where my Top Chef season was and that’s where my career got a jumpstart and being able to be back here, Louisville will always be special to me!

I’m going to combine 2 of the recipes from the cookbook. I’m going to do a Lobster from the cookbook. I’m going to do a Lobster Biscuits and Gravy. We’ll be demoing the Buttermilk Biscuits with the Bacon, Chives and Cheddar. Then, I will take the Lobster Etouffee base and will use that as the gravy and it will be a kind of upscale version of biscuits and gravy.

AM: That sounds fantastic! I love Louisville, I went to Indiana University so we spent a lot of time there since it was about 2 hours away.

You’re the Culinary Consultant for Allianz Field the home of MLS’ Minnesota United F.C. What does your role involve in terms of being in that position?

CHEF JS: It really started pre-conception when they started building the stadium. Where Allianz is located, it’s on University Avenue which is an extremely multicultural neighborhood. It was really important and especially with me coming on, to reflect the neighborhood and soccer. Soccer is such an international sport so making sure that we are celebrating all the multicultural cuisines that are part of soccer and Minnesota.AM: We know that you’re always repping Hybrid Nation since you are a co-founder of this brand. It also has a collab with MLS as well. How did that collab come about and are there upcoming projects with the brand that we should keep an eye out for?

CHEF JS: I mean the brand is ever evolving. My younger brother conceived it – shoot, 10 years ago! But I think that our trademark In Diversity We Trust on our hats and branded everywhere, it just made so much sense in soccer. Again, such a diverse support, every country plays it and it’s this natural global equalizer so I think that the partnership only made sense.

AM: Like we talked about before, you have a lot of things going on. We know that Taste The Culture Season 2 is coming out. Do you have anything else that we should keep an eye on and are you thinking of having another cookbook coming out?

CHEF JS: Yes, there are other projects coming out and unfortunately, I can’t share them with you! Just keep and eye out. There were projects that were in the works that had to be put on hold due to the accident and we’re just finally picking those back up. Definitely keep an eye out but there is nothing that I can share with you or my agent will kill me!

AM: Well we want you to stay alive so that we can see everything that you have going on!

IG @chefjustinsutherland

PHOTOS COURTESY | Justin Sutherland