The Engine behind the Grill!
An INTERVIEW with Robert Stehling
2008 James Beard Award Winner “Best Chef Southeast”
Chef Stehling works on his 1969 Plymouth Barricuda on a well deserved day off! Robert Stehling spends a lot of time under the hood and over the grill and we don’t mean just at Hominy Grill, we mean his 1968 Plymouth Barracuda. We spoke with him about his vintage ride and a few other things.
WTC: What attracted you to this particular car? Where did you get it?
RS: I just grew up with this type of car, and I had seen one years ago, I had a vivid picture in my mind of what I wanted. I bought it from a farmer in Ridgeville.
WTC: How many times have you re-worked the engine of this car?
RS: Three times. Certainly, I would never want another car, I have been in every nook and cranny of this car, I know everything about it.
WTC: You lived in New York for a while; were you always into southern food or did you ever stray?
RS: I worked in a lot of restaurants in NYC for not very long each. I had a lot of different jobs. Sarah Beth’s was my longest, I think it was about two years, but I always knew I wanted to own a southern restaurant. I always talked about it.
WTC: Any thought of expanding or opening a new restaurant?
RS: No, I just keep tweaking things trying to make it better and I am here all the time.
WTC: Could there be some parallels between your car and your restaurant?
RS: I don’t know, the car was supposed to be a diversion from the restaurant. I mean I guess there’s something about fried chicken and gasoline and racing around on a Saturday night I mean it kind of goes together.
WTC: Are you resting a little now that you have gotten the award?
RS: No. People are really coming now and they are expecting more, so for me it’s a work order!
WTC: Are you more relaxed now?
RS: No, but my wife says I am different. I do feel light hearted in a way from getting that type of validation from the industry for what I am doing.
WTC: So on this third time reworking the Cuda, Is it going to be more of a hot rod.
RS: That’s’ right, this time it’s a super rod.
