Steve is a friend who drives around the south searching out the tastiest in season fruits and vegetables. Today he came in with Alabama peaches. Most were oh so Juicy and sweet with the perfume of summer in a wildflower field.

Had to just couldn’t help myself grabbed my Kershaw from my belt and randomly selected one. Cutting in the juice poured down my hand and onto my arm. Gathered the cooks around and we had a remarkable tasting of one of Summer’s true treats. Peaches left on the tree to ripen. The stories started flying of grandmas and childhood.

Cobblers and Jams. Pie and pickled. Pork chops, salads desserts making a menu isn’t hard when you start off with not only a beautiful product but one that evokes such emotional memory. Everyone said wow that is a good peach as juice dripped from chins and before we knew it 4 peaches were nothing put some seeds Without people like Steve we would be doomed to hard tasteless peaches left on the counter to soften but never developing the flavor that comes from tree ripening picking up the Flavours of a specific terroir sugar development perfume a sort of time travel to childhood and a time when to keep the kids out the house and burn some energy we were sent to pick peaches with the promise of the best peach pie and on the lucky days dare I say a la mode!!!! We all have our own time travel to a place that to us was perfection surrounded by family and love.

Pie crust made the old way with ingredients and that extra something called love that just doesn’t show it’s wonderful face much anymore. It was beautiful and a great break from the wilderness and mountains of work that is a restaurant weekend. So here’s to Steve etter and all the Steve etters out there. Thank you for letting me visit even for a short time with my grandmother and a simpler time called childhood summer