“ The table is where all of our lives become intertwined—our shared history of family and pleasure”—Kevin Callaghan
When the first ingredient in a recipe is half a cup of bacon fat, you know you’re in the South. “My grandmother’s banged-up bacon fat can was always on the bottom shelf in the refrigerator, right by the opened jars of jams and pickles,” Callaghan says. And her green beans, enriched with that fat, were always on his family’s Thanksgiving table. “We had the beans, Senator Russell’s Sweet Potato Casserole, turkey, stuffing, and sliced canned cranberry sauce. Other newfangled things would make appearances, but the big five were always there.” Today the chef serves the green beans in his restaurant during the holiday, often getting help from his daughters in snapping the fresh beans. “Sometimes during other seasons, I forget how good fresh green beans cooked to hell and back can taste,” he says. “They are also good cold the next day, with a giant turkey sandwich. Now I’m hungry.”