Friends Drift Inn Farm – Real Life and Chefs
At the Cross Roads
And Chomping at the Bit
And….They’re Off!
Four thirty is too early in the day to emerge from under the quilts; especially on Saturday when I prefer to sleep in. What idiot publicist scheduled the Jeremy Ashby interview at 9:30 am when I must travel about two and a half hours to arrive?
Oh wait….that would be me. Giggles
A long drive to Bluegrass Country through foggy mountains is just not as peaceful as you might think. Call me crazy, but I like to actually SEE where I am going. The Mountain Parkway by Braille can be nerve racking. I worry we will be late.
Charlie and I arrive at WLAP, Lexington’s Clear Channel Radio Studio, with time to spare. When Chef Jeremy Ashby comes to the door, I am struck by his presence. He walks with a quiet assuredness. He’s taller than I thought. His smile is warm; his bear hug unexpected.
The chef and I have been facebook friends for months. We have clicked from the get go. It is good to meet face-to-face.
Clip, clip clip I tap down the halls in my pointy toed shoes. The studio has a cozy waiting area complete with a posh sectional sofa and pool table. We settle in making small talk, as I try to get a handle on this enigmatic talent called Jeremy Ashby.
Before I know it the tables are turned. It’s Ashby on the air; Sunny Side Up Lexington co-hosted by his business partner Sylvia Lovely. Now I am in the hot seat. The hour breezes by……we all are pleased the show has gone well. Especially Jeremy, who has eaten half a jar of my pickled okra, and more than a few of my sweet pumpkin biscuits. Sylvia looks at him accusingly, as she samples the remains of Bourbon Tomato Jam .
Once the show is over, we head to Azur Restaurant and Patio for lunch and quiet time to wrap up the interview. It is there that I finally figure out what has been gnawing at me.
Have you ever seen a great thoroughbred just before a race? The really special ones have a mystical calmness that veils their competitive spirit, their longing to run with free reign, that fiery determination that breaks through the field and into the winners circle. “You can tell a champion by what’s written in their eyes” Grandma used to say.
I look into Jeremy Ashby’s deep dark expressive eyes…..and I know. I just know. There are volumes written there…past, present, and future. Jeremy Ashby has all the pieces to the puzzle. He just has to put them together in his own time, his own way. When he does….there will be a day of reckoning.
Chef Jeremy Ashby; he may be the best kept secret in the Bluegrass…but he won’t be for long. Remember his name; you will be hearing it again.
Follow Jeremy’s culinary adventures at Azur Restaurant and Patio.
Chef Sean Brock Hillbilly, Preacher, Farmer, Chef
