When Jeff Buben tried to take biscuits off the menu at dinner and do a potato-dill roll instead, the innovation lasted only one day. We realized we had to put the biscuits back on or we were out of business. The chefs laughed about their strategies for protecting themselves against charges of inauthenticity. The chefs agree that changes in the tradition have been necessary, some dictated by changes in taste and some by changes in raw materials. Southern chefs use less fat than in the past.
Innovation is always a struggle.
It's hard to maintain the cooking of a region within the South. People aren't aware of these differences. In most people's minds, Southern is New Orleans. All the chefs realize that they, like other American regional cooks, are riding a wave of nostalgia for home-style comfort foods. But all are optimistic about the future of Southern cooking.