Food in Focus: Seed Kitchen & Bar
Chef Doug Turbush’s recently opened Seed Kitchen & Bar in Merchant’s Walk is quickly gaining recognition for its simple-yet-sublime modern American cuisine served in a unique Ai3-designed space, where patrons can pull up a chair to butcher block dining tables or the arrow-shaped bar. For a recent issue, Chef Turbush chatted with us about East Cobb’s newest culinary gem.
How did the restaurant get its name? The name ‘Seed’ fit perfectly with our philosophy to use local farmers and artisan producers.
What can diners expect? A chef-driven restaurant with unpretentious service. The last thing dining out should be is stressful, and we really want you to feel comfortable trying new food, wine, craft beers and cocktails.
What’s on the menu? We print menus daily because, at the end of the night, you’ll see me and my chef de cuisine at the chef’s table with cookbooks laid out to dream up new dishes and tweak past ones. A popular item we’ve served was the scallops and pork belly with roasted butternut squash and brown butter vinaigrette.
And the bar? It’s important to me that this restaurant be the wine destination for all of East Cobb. Therefore, you will find incredible values on cherry-picked boutique wines.
What’s your favorite design element in the space? I wanted guests to visualize local farms and my worldwide influences, so Ai3 came up with this incredible idea for mosaic art pieces that are made up of hundreds of personal photos from produce markets to travels with friends and family. As you get closer to the art the tiny pixels become apparent, but as you step away you’ll see a dandelion releasing its “seeds” for the next season.
What culinary trend could you do without? I could live without the term “farm to table.” I prefer “locavore.” I was doing this concept 15 years ago in Minneapolis when all of the local farmers pulled up out back to drop off their best produce; nothing has changed for those of us that have always tried to use premium local products to make our food taste even better.
What unexpected ingredients do you love to use? Charred ginger adds spice, depth and dimension to soups and sauces. And we use roasted shallots on practically everything for their sweet, mild garlic flavors.
