The path to restaurant ownership for Katie Birmingham has been anything but traditional. The chef, turned lawyer, turned restaurateur first made a name for herself working under Günter Seeger. She followed that up by serving as the sous-chef de cuisine at Anne Quatrano’s Bacchanalia.
In need of a change, she dropped the food gig and decided to wax intellectual at Kilpatrick Stockton. Now, the LaVarenne trainee is back and doing her own thing. She has brought a delightful sensibility to her Midtown sandwich shop, appropriately named Noon Midtown. I should say, don’t get too excited guys, she’s been off the market for a while.
On any given day, you’ll see Birmingham bounding about her restaurant with an ear-to-ear smile, tending to one of the many customers that descend during the lunching hour. Her approachable personality and high-energy attitude is infectious to say the least. Hopefully, her time here will give you a little insight into what drives her to do what she does. Alright ya’ll, time to get down to brass tacks. And with that, welcome to ITCK!
1. What is your favorite ingredient? Just one? That’s tough. Topping my list of standards are vinegar, salt and pork fat
2. What is your least favorite ingredient? Bananas
3. James Beard Award or Michelin Guide star? James Beard
4. What turns you off? Inertia
5. What is your favorite curse word? Jiminy Cricket. Or maybe heck. Fuck if I know.
6. What one item must you have in your kitchen? Just one again? Fine—fire.
7. What one item would you ban from your kitchen? I’ll see Ryan’s ban on chili pepper chef pants, and raise him toques
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Lawyer, perhaps…oh, wait…
9. What profession would you not like to do? Lawyer…dammit…
10. You are faced with the choice of selecting your last meal, what’s in it? If I’m lucky, it will include: my mom’s macaroni & cheese; my grandfather’s homemade scrapple and sourdough pancakes; the Ali Baba’s roasted chicken with garlic sauce, hole-in-the-wall-bring-your-own-bag bakery pita bread, and lamb shawarma with pickled turnips we used to get in Saudi Arabia when I was kid; Martin Gagne’s seared foie gras with beets; and, a broccoli, rice and sour cream burrito (with both the red and the green salsas) from the old Tortillas on Ponce.
About Inside The Chef’s Kitchen
ITCK is a weekly series featuring an Atlanta area chef or culinary personality. It is based on the Proust Questionnaire and inspired by James Lipton’s Inside The Actors Studio. You can find all the posts here on FoodieBuddha.com by clicking here. Also, you can follow it via twitter at #itck.
Probably the funniest one so far. I’m getting tempted to steal your idea that you stole for an Athens version next year
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After reading this, how could you not LOVE her. Yes she is infection and she definitely walks the walk and talks the talk. If the food is half as good as her delightful personality this place is a sure bet to become the in stop in town. Can’t wait to check it out someday.
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Hilarious. This one is my favorite so far.
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