Pizza from Chef and the Farmer

We rarely eat pizza here at home, because we're not fond of the typical "American style" pies that you get in most places. The one exception has been Rucker Johns (a small chain of three restaurants that started at the beach and now has a location in Greenville), who makes a nice thin crust pie with interesting toppings.

Chef and the Farmer is a highly-acclaimed restaurant in Kinston, which is an oxymoron in itself, as Kinston is definitely not a fine dining mecca.  Chef Vivian Howard grew up in nearby Deep Run, and after living and working in New York City, she and her husband moved back home and opened their restaurant.  The restaurant offers innovative cuisine using fresh local ingredients, and all of the dishes have a decidedly Southern flair.  Some of you may have seen Vivian on the Today Show last week, when she did a segment showing how to make her mother's chicken and rice, and then transform it into meals for the rest of the week.  She was also the subject of a PBS series entitled "A Chef's Life" that did a wonderful job of showing her commitment to using fresh ingredients sourced from local farms.

Year before last, a kitchen fire burned the restaurant to the point where they were closed for several months.  During that time, they kept their staff on the payroll, to ensure that they still had quality help when they reopened.  One new addition after the fire was a wood-burning pizza oven, and they offer the pizzas as a menu item in the restaurant, as well as for carry-out from the wine shop that's attached to the restaurant.

So last evening, after having spent the day doing particularly dirty, sweaty work with a back that was already sore, I sent David to pick up a pizza for dinner.  I didn't even look at the menu online, leaving him to make the decision; and he rightly chose the Crookneck Squash Pizza with roasted garlic, parmesan, Benton's bacon, and dill.  The crust was thin but still had a nice chew, unlike some thin crust pizzas that have an almost cracker-like crust.  The squash was thin lengthwise slices made with a vegetable peeler, the dill was fresh, and the roasted garlic flavor pungent and sweet at the same time.  I usually leave the ends of the crust on my plate, but much to David's chagrin I polished off every tasty bit.

Chef and the Farmer has become a destination restaurant for folks all over the state.  We're so lucky to live fifteen minutes away!

Chef and the Farmer Website