What are the odds the Lincoln-Douglas Biscuit-Cornbread Debate at the Southern Foodways Alliance Symposium (SFA) will have pollsters tallying and he-said, she-said sound “bites” flying across the airwaves? Could happen when Alabama biscuit roller Jennifer V. Cole and chef Kevin Gillespie, a Georgia skillet licker, exchange heated perspectives in the grand tradition of SFA debates over Pie vs. Cake and Traditional vs. Competition Barbecue. Batters up and butter pats at the ready for the debate at the SFA in Oxford, Mississippi, 7 p.m. on Saturday, October 15. Surely those biscuits are flaky and tender, but Gunshow/Revival Gillespie’s cornbread is backed by grandma.
Atlanta-based chef, restaurateur and cookbook author Kevin Gillespie is gathering family ‘round to bring Revival to Decatur in July. The new restaurant will serve elevated Southern fare and family style dining evolving from Gillespie’s own Georgia upbringing--with the help of a family oriented team including executive chef Andreas Müller and general manager Christy Lee Faircloth. Gillespie and Müller have worked together for a long time and share a penchant for preparing traditional meals with farm-fresh ingredients. Geographically, Müller and Gillespie grew up worlds apart -- Müller in a small town in Sweden and Gillespie in Georgia. Miles aside, the two chefs are close in experiences and interests. Both were reared amid multi-generational families, eating rustic dishes at home and fancier fare when visiting family in larger towns. Müller has worked alongside Gillespie at Woodfire Grill and Gunshow. Faircloth, who’ll oversee the front-of-house team, already has close ties within the Decatur community from her previous years in Decatur restaurants and serving on the management teams of Rocket Farm Restaurants’ No. 246, St. Cecilia and The El Felix. Large families are up her alley—she grew up with seven siblings and is mother to four children and two stepchildren. Follow Revival, located at 129 Church Street, on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
