A Taste of Culinary History
Someone out there knows a secret about Chef Bernard Bennett, but they’re not talking. Whoever this person is, though, has his gratitude. Because it was this mystery benefactor who tipped off the James Beard Foundation about this wildly inventive chef in Bluffton, earning him a nomination as Emerging Chef. He was named as one of 20 semifinalists.
“I really don’t know who it was. But I don’t think you’re supposed to know,” he said.
Regardless, as you can imagine, he’s thrilled. “When I saw that, it was just tears of joy. This is real. And it’s a dream. I’m honored, and humbled and scared and nervous. I just want to live up to it.”
The James Beard Foundation’s Restaurant and Chef Awards have been awarded since 1991, celebrating fine-dining establishments, “casual gems,” emerging talents and “established masters.” Finalists will be announced in March.
The nomination comes at an auspicious time for the Chicago-born chef, who worked his way up through the Windy City’s culinary scene in spots like The Promontory, River Roast and Big Jones. With the foundation soon whittling down its list of the country’s brightest up-and-coming chefs, Bennett is in the middle of a highly ambitious construction project. His popular food truck, Okàn, will soon move into its new home at The Bridge Collective, translating the Afro-centric concept into a gorgeous new space.
“The truck is more representative of Caribbean-street foods. Here, we are trying to give people an experience,” he said. “Whether you come in and learn something or not, that’s fine. We want to have an experience.”
Boasting high-end finishes and a dining space that wraps around a wide bar with views out to Calhoun Street, the brick-and-mortar version of Okàn will still offer the dishes that have made the food truck such a sensation. For example, the delectably warm and savory hand pies, the sublime roti with its crisp wrap around chickpeas and spices and, of course, the jollof rice.
“I want to showcase the history of African American cuisine, and jollof rice to me is the mother rice of a lot of these famous dishes – jambalaya, Gullah red rice, paella. Rice was important. A lot of people died, making the land able to grow rice,” he said. “It’s going to be food that shows you the resiliency and the history of our people, not just African Americans, but everybody that it’s touched.”
And in that we see the true spirit of Okàn — the stories this food can tell. Under Bennett’s skillful care, dishes evoke the African plains where their ingredients first emerged from the earth. They guide you along, flavor by flavor, as those dishes are transported around the world, mingling with European and Middle Eastern influences to create a culinary diaspora.
Okàn Bluffton is on track to open sometime in March. Follow along at @okanbluffton.
