Interview with Marla Adams of Babette’s Cafe.

Atlanta |USA

Q. Hi Marla, thank for taking some time to talk with us today for the In The Kitchens interview series. Babette’s Café is a quiet jewel in the Atlanta restaurant scene. For those who don’t yet know you, tell us what a dining experience at your restaurant is like.

A. We offer a relaxed, comfortable, restaurant featuring delicious European Provincial cooking. Some describe us as “dressed down elegant.”

Q. I imagine you have a fairly solid crowd of regulars that love Babette’s Café. What about newbies? Do you find people are still discovering you?

A. Yes, of course. Our regulars often bring in new guests, and word of mouth still reigns supreme. Atlanta has become a transient city, so we are always marketing to people who are new to town.

One thing about being a restaurant that is 21 years old; we are now working on our second generation of guests as well.

Q. Your cuisine is Classic European. Tell us a couple of must-try dishes we need to experience when we come to Babette’s Café.

A. I wouldn’t call us “classic” as our focus is on the provincial dishes that one would find in someone’s home or a country inn. Our most popular dishes are our Artichoke and Olive Ravioli, Piroshki of Pork and Veal, Lamb Chops with a Fresh Herb Crust and Red Wine Reduction Sauce. In the summer, I would recommend our Paella,and Alaskan Halibut, in the winter, our Cassoulet.

Q. Tell us about the name. I hear there is a story there behind it.

A. I named the restaurant after the film and short story “Babette’s Feast”. The short short was written by Isak Dinesen. It is the story of a woman who prepares a wonderful meal in a very simple and austere setting. The cooking scenes made me swoon. It is a classic story of community, grace and faith.

I opened the restaurant a few years after the film won an Academy Award in 1985. I find myself having to explain the story to the new generation. [editor’s note: I bet]

Q. Running a restaurant is hard work. So many people have a dream of opening a restaurant. As a long time operator, what advice would you give them before they make the leap?

A. I worked at an investment firm when I first graduated from college. I hated it. Three months later, on a whim, I took a job as a baker. I was making minimum wage with a college degree and getting up for work at 4:00 am. I loved it. My father did not. You must work in a restaurant for several years. You must develop your cooking and your management skills. You cannot be a good cook or chef without good management of your own time, product and other team members. You must be ready to tackle accounting, staffing, marketing, staffing, unless you open with a partner who knows those things.

I think the biggest quality that sets owners and entrepreneurs apart from even great chefs, managers and cooks, is the commitment to doing the best job possible whether you are working for someone else and their guests, investors, bosses, or for yourself. Because now you are the investor, boss and the guests are yours. No one tells you what needs to be done. You have to see it. You have to look for it. You must keep and open mind and never settle for good enough.

You can never make excuses. Not that I’m going to throw myself on my sword if the fish delivery doesn’t come in, but I will probably find a new fish monger.

Q. The kind of food you offer is a real craft. How do you consistently get the nuances of this sort of cooking right?

A. Learning. Experience. Practice, practice, practice. Most chefs who have been doing this a while can put a dish together because they can taste all the flavors in their head. They know what it’s going to be like; the textures, the acid, the aromas. As much as professional chefs have become the network darlings lately, it’s not much different than other skills that require your hands, which is the definition of a craft for me.

A painter knows his oils and brushes, a woodworker knowing the grains of his woods, heck, the surgeon knows how to transplant a heart. Yes there is artistry to all of these and that’s what sets the true masters apart, but not one succeeded without knowledge and practice.

Q. Do you get to Europe from time to time for fresh inspiration or just free time? If so where do you prefer to go?

A. I don’t get to Europe often enough. I have been raising a daughter. She’s off to college in a few weeks and that may change. We recently went to Istanbul (where I lived as a child) and the Greek Islands. I get inspired by things everywhere. Tablecloths, laundry hanging out a window, grapevines grown close to the ground in basket shapes to capture the morning dew. My heart is in rustic cuisine. To me, rustic cuisine is born of necessity, not affluence. I am not so callous as to glorify the struggles people may have, but there is a mindset. There is a focus on getting through the day, of enjoying a ripe tomato, of the fish that was caught, of slowing down. I would rather scrub a kitchen floor than sit in a meeting, which after a frustrating shift last week, I did. My steward was most surprised. I get inspired walking through the woods with my dog. I think, I talk to myself. I even came upon some Chanterelle Mushrooms there last week. But the thing I enjoy most is physical work, hard physical work.

Q. Does the menu at Babette’s Cafe change from season to season or year to year or do your guests come straight for the classic dishes?

A. A little bit of both. I have a few items that are on the menu every day. Then my guests let me play with some seasonal items. They know the Cassoulet will be on the menu from November 1st to March 1st. There’s still almost half the menu that is new each season. More often than that really. Trends happen. It’s fun. I am always studying.

Q. Final question. You can go anywhere in America for dinner this weekend, what two or three restaurants would you pick in any city outside of Atlanta?

A. Per Se in New York, Slanted Door in San Francisco.