Kat Robinson is such a recognizable determine within the Arkansas meals scene that generally to get the total buyer expertise, versus the meals author expertise, she visits eating places in disguise.
“I’ve developed a very signature look over time,” Robinson stated, “the hat, the duster, the large flowy sleeves.” Since Robinson’s documentary movie “Make Room For Pie: A Scrumptious Slice of The Pure State” got here out, she says, she tends to be acknowledged on sight by extra folks when she’s out reviewing meals. “That’s good, I suppose, however there are occasions I simply wish to be common folks. … I wish to write about what everybody will get.” (She wouldn’t say how she disguises, as a result of then she wouldn’t be disguised.)
After speaking with Robinson by telephone for 40 minutes about Arkansas eating places, it grew to become clear in a short time that she’s form of an encyclopedia on the topic. She’s written a number of books concerning the state’s meals choices, 4 of which function journey guides about the place to seek out the perfect plates or pies. She wrote two extra books in 2020; they only weren’t the books she had in thoughts when the yr started.
“Initially I had two books that I used to be already researching for the yr that I’d hoped to have by the top of the yr,” Robinson stated.
One e-book would have been concerning the historical past of cheese dip, totally different cheese dip kinds, the place to seek out them and the right way to make them, Robinson stated. The opposite e-book was to be in the same type, highlighting catfish customs in Arkansas. Robinson deliberate to assemble these two books the identical method she put collectively “One other Slice of Arkansas Pie,” by which she traveled to all 75 counties in Arkansas to analysis pie in every county.
However COVID-19 modified her plans. “I used to be actually afraid in the beginning of all of this as a result of we didn’t understand how the virus was unfold,” Robinson stated. “I might unintentionally carry this into populations in rural components of the state, particularly with restaurateurs who’re a lot older than I’m.” Arkansas has a whole lot of septuagenarian restaurant house owners proper now, she stated, and the thought that she may unfold the virus whereas interviewing them was too dangerous.
The books weren’t all that glided by the wayside. Robinson additionally had 22 public appearances scheduled between April and Could. She was set to keynote the South Arkansas Literary Pageant and was scheduled for a solo flip on the Six Bridges E-book Pageant.
“These are the ways in which I fund what I do,” Robinson stated. “I don’t cost eating places for any of it. Coming into this yr, I used to be very excited as a result of I obtained to the purpose the place, between e-book gross sales and public talking, I might pay all of the payments, and in some ways, a whole lot of that obtained taken away from me,” she stated.
Robinson was additionally in talks with PBS about doing an agritourism particular that will have aired in December. Robinson beforehand labored with PBS on “Make Room for Pie,” a documentary about pie featured in Arkansas eating places. It was nominated for a regional Emmy award in 2018.
“I’ve needed to do that particular for some time as a result of I believe agritourism is very missed,” Robinson stated, “however when March 30 got here alongside, we met by Zoom, and it felt like in some ways attempting to save lots of face. The undertaking we needed to do [was] unimaginable at [that] cut-off date, and I discussed, ‘There’s lots of people I do know who’re cooking at house that usually don’t, they usually’re going again to their household traditions and placing their very own swing on issues.’ ” Robinson labored with Arkansas PBS to create a no-contact cooking program referred to as “Home Cooking With Kat & Friends.” The one hour particular aired in June.
“I recorded my segments over three weekends in Could, and I contacted a whole lot of totally different folks they usually did auditions by telephone, and we selected six to be part of our lone program. It was utterly no contact, none of us noticed one another, we have been all in our personal houses.
“And concerning the time that I began rolling with that, I put out a message on Fb.” She was on the lookout for quarantine recipes. Forty-three totally different folks contributed 80 recipes that grew to become “43 Tables — An Web Neighborhood Cooks Throughout Quarantine.” The collaborative recipe e-book, which options appetizers, salads, soups, greens, breads, entrees and desserts, serves a 2020 time capsule that highlights how folks spent quarantine time in a useful method.
“The e-book is a second in an unsure time, a culinary report of what occurred in these scary months,” Robinson stated in a press launch. “It’s singular in its composition and material — I’ve but to seek out every other compilation created like this in the course of the pandemic. COVID-19 could have saved us in our houses, but it surely didn’t quell our want to interrupt bread with each other.”
Whereas engaged on “43 Tables” and “Dwelling Cooking with Kat & Mates,” Robinson, for the primary time in a decade, discovered herself with a whole lot of time to prepare dinner relatively than writing about those that cooked for others.
“Between the months of March and July, I used to be making anyplace from two to 5 meals a day,” she stated. If she had an thought for the house cooking present, she’d make it and movie and {photograph} it. “I’d make up a number of meals, after which I’d distribute them to my mother, my associate, those that I knew who would open their doorways and discover a ready meal in a bag ready for them. It’s an enormous departure for me. Up till 2007, after I left KTHV [Robinson worked as a producer with KTHV, Channel 11, for years doing a morning show], I did a whole lot of cooking however as soon as I began overlaying the restaurant scene, nicely, you don’t make meals when you have already got meals,” she stated. Whereas making all of those totally different recipes, she began to develop a extra private cookbook thought.
“This was one thing I deliberate to write down maybe after I retired or if there was ever a gradual season … however I wasn’t anticipating this,” she stated. Robinson stated the unique thought for the e-book was Arkansas recipes we should always all know.
“I don’t know if this occurred with you, however lots of people began having loopy goals as a result of every part was such a shock. I suppose it was a PTSD response,” she stated. “For me, it was remembering moments from my childhood that I hadn’t thought of in many years, they usually all tied to meals. I began cooking the issues that I bear in mind from my previous and that’s the place ‘A Chunk of Arkansas’ actually comes by means of. I had such private connections with every of the dishes I used to be making. Every thing appeared to conjure a reminiscence, and I needed to seize that as a result of I’d by no means actually sat down and written down all of the recipes that have been in my head.”
“A Chunk of Arkansas” is split into programs that may conjure recollections for anybody who grew up in Arkansas. “Upon Awakening” options recipes equivalent to sugared rice, chocolate gravy and made-from-scratch cream gravy. “Bites In Between” has recipes for Rotel cheese dip and Mexico Chiquito-style cheese dip, a recipe that Robinson’s labored for years to copy. “From The Bowl” options recipes equivalent to chili, hen soup, gumbo and crimson beans and rice. “Issues Noodles Go With” has a recipe for turkey tetrazzini or hen spaghetti, meatloaf, meatballs and ratatouille. Considered one of Robinson’s favourite dishes she made this yr is her fried hen recipe, which seems on the quilt of the e-book. One other favourite is within the “Sweeter Issues” chapter: a recipe for quaint chocolate hand pies.
Robinson stated the most important problem of placing the e-book collectively was that “I needed to settle for that I used to be going to reveal a bit extra of my private life than I had felt snug with earlier than. I’ve very a lot tried to maintain my very own historical past out of the equation. One of many large issues so far as simply writing about what’s going out on the earth is, it’s not about me. I’m not a part of that story; I’m simply sharing that story. I needed to let go of the notion that these are non-public issues they usually shouldn’t be shared. Some issues in there are humorous and a few issues are simply sensible, however there’s some issues that I’ve by no means talked about earlier than, like how my mother and I simply barely held on again within the late ’70s and early ’80s every time we first moved to Little Rock and we have been grime poor. She was attempting so laborious to verify we have been in a position to survive on her nurse’s wage and that meant austerity, positive, but it surely additionally meant that our meals recollections — even when they’re simply loopy meals recollections that aren’t connected to a price ticket, like speaking about Poncho nachos and cheese dip — they have been these actual luxuries we have been in a position to afford once we have been simply scrambling. … It’s laborious to confess that you simply’re poor, and that’s one thing that I suppose is simply a part of how we develop up right here is we’re by no means presupposed to admit that we have now these type of challenges,” she stated.
Robinson stated the most important lesson she realized within the kitchen this yr wasn’t fairly a kitchen lesson, however a lesson in availability.
“I’ve all the time been in a position to scrape collectively no matter I’ve and make good dishes, and that’s what I did in March, April and early Could. As quickly as our farmers markets began to open and we had out there strawberries, blueberries, tomatoes and squash and all this bounty from our gardens, every part I made simply blossomed. There’s one factor consuming for consolation and sustenance, however this was consuming for pleasure. If you happen to open the e-book and also you see the entrance cowl web page and all these greens — I went vegetable loopy. I’ve by no means extra appreciated the truth that I reside in a state that has such a various and fantastic availability of contemporary, homegrown produce.”
Robinson did most of her produce procuring at Urbana Farmstead and Me and McGee Market.
“Folks needed contemporary produce a lot after being self-isolated for that point that our produce wasn’t only a commodity, it was like a love letter from the fields. And having the ability to exit to a market the place masks have been required and figuring out this was a protected place for me to go to fed into my soul as a result of I’m a traveler; I really like being on the highway. It’s one of many the explanation why being a meals author has been outstanding for me as a result of I’m in a position to take off and go to all these communities and meet folks and be out within the air. To not be capable of try this has damage my soul.”
Robinson does have plans to get again on the highway once more in 2021, however not with out protocols.
“I’ve made the pledge, I can’t eat inside a restaurant till that is over,” she stated. “I’ll help my eating places, I’ll order, I’ll even go in and shoot meals, however I’m not taking my masks off as a result of I don’t wish to danger spreading COVID-19.”
You may order copies of “43 Tables” and “A Chunk of Arkansas” or any of Robinson’s different books by means of WordsWorth Book Co. within the Heights, bookshop.org or on Amazon. Go to Robinson’s meals weblog here.
Supply: arktimes.com