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CNN Live Saturday
Famous Chef Moves Restaurant To Noonin, Georgia
Aired August 30, 2003 - 16:22 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDERICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Noonin, Georgia. It's a small town dripping in southern charm. Well, it's a kind of place where neighbor knows neighbor and American basics take center stage. That is until a new chef came to town proving delicious food knows no boundaries. CNN's Bruce Burkhardt explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRUCE BURKHARDT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Noonin, Georgia, like so many small southern towns, you have your confederate memorial, there's the seed store, gun shop, a little further down the street you have the lawyers office. A little french bistro. Next to taht the insur -- hey, wait a minute, a french bistro?
PATRICK TERRAII, RESTAURANT OWNER: Today we have gespacho.
When we start selling duck here, everybody thought that we were going out there in the backwoods and shooting a duck and bringing it in.
BURKHARDT: It's been something of an adjustment for Chef Patrick Terraii. After all, Noonin is a nice town but it's not hollywood.
TERRAII: Of course, everybody knows that Mr. Wells was a staple in our restaurant until he died.
BURKHARDT: Orson Wells, Sylvester Stallon, Jack Lemon, Dina Shore, just a few of the celebs that used to hang out at Patrick's previous restaurant Ma Maison. During the '70s and '80s, Ma Maison was the place to be and be seen in hollywood. Patrick among the first of the so-called celebrity chefs. In fact, it's where Wolfgang Puck got his start.
TERRAII: It was magical.
BURKHARDT: But the magic ended when Patrick learned he had cancer. He closed up Ma Maison to focus on getting better. He did.
Also eventually marry add woman from Georgia. They settled in Noonin. A few years ago, he back in the restaurant biz. No celebrities now but there's Nell Jackson.
NELL JACKSON, SEED SHOP OWNER: We have had reports from customers that's eaten there, says it's good.
BURKHARDT: Nell, runs the seed shop across the street from Patrick's restaurant but hasn't eaten there yet. That little spat with the french a while back over the war in Iraq didn't help things much for Patrick. Liberty fries are on a lot of menus around here. Well, then the Escargot and the Quiche aren't going to move like hot cakes.
TERRAII: I mean, first time I put quiche on the menu, I didn't sell it. Then I said maybe I'm not marketing it right, and I changed it to cheese pie.
BURKHARDT: Then, you sold it?
TERRAII: Of course. Now it's the No. 1 seller.
BURKHARDT: So as it turns out, frog legs and grits can both share the same plate. Bruce Burkhardt, CNN, Noonin, Georgia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired August 30, 2003 - 16:22 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDERICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Noonin, Georgia. It's a small town dripping in southern charm. Well, it's a kind of place where neighbor knows neighbor and American basics take center stage. That is until a new chef came to town proving delicious food knows no boundaries. CNN's Bruce Burkhardt explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRUCE BURKHARDT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Noonin, Georgia, like so many small southern towns, you have your confederate memorial, there's the seed store, gun shop, a little further down the street you have the lawyers office. A little french bistro. Next to taht the insur -- hey, wait a minute, a french bistro?
PATRICK TERRAII, RESTAURANT OWNER: Today we have gespacho.
When we start selling duck here, everybody thought that we were going out there in the backwoods and shooting a duck and bringing it in.
BURKHARDT: It's been something of an adjustment for Chef Patrick Terraii. After all, Noonin is a nice town but it's not hollywood.
TERRAII: Of course, everybody knows that Mr. Wells was a staple in our restaurant until he died.
BURKHARDT: Orson Wells, Sylvester Stallon, Jack Lemon, Dina Shore, just a few of the celebs that used to hang out at Patrick's previous restaurant Ma Maison. During the '70s and '80s, Ma Maison was the place to be and be seen in hollywood. Patrick among the first of the so-called celebrity chefs. In fact, it's where Wolfgang Puck got his start.
TERRAII: It was magical.
BURKHARDT: But the magic ended when Patrick learned he had cancer. He closed up Ma Maison to focus on getting better. He did.
Also eventually marry add woman from Georgia. They settled in Noonin. A few years ago, he back in the restaurant biz. No celebrities now but there's Nell Jackson.
NELL JACKSON, SEED SHOP OWNER: We have had reports from customers that's eaten there, says it's good.
BURKHARDT: Nell, runs the seed shop across the street from Patrick's restaurant but hasn't eaten there yet. That little spat with the french a while back over the war in Iraq didn't help things much for Patrick. Liberty fries are on a lot of menus around here. Well, then the Escargot and the Quiche aren't going to move like hot cakes.
TERRAII: I mean, first time I put quiche on the menu, I didn't sell it. Then I said maybe I'm not marketing it right, and I changed it to cheese pie.
BURKHARDT: Then, you sold it?
TERRAII: Of course. Now it's the No. 1 seller.
BURKHARDT: So as it turns out, frog legs and grits can both share the same plate. Bruce Burkhardt, CNN, Noonin, Georgia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
