Page 3 - confessions1

FORWARD

Let me confess...

I met Chef Sammy’s food before I met him. I decided to try out a new restaurant in Atlanta
with my sister, Connie. We sat at the bar and looked over the menu. Everything sounded so
good but my eyes fell on the Shrimp & Grits specifically because they were prepared with
turkey sausage. I don’t eat beef or pork so I was in food heaven when I saw that! We ordered
several dishes to sample a bit of everything and waited for the food to arrive.

They placed the shrimp & grits in front of me and I blessed the food. (Come to find out I was
the one receiving a blessing.) The presentation was amazing. The jumbo shrimp were
swimming in some kind of cream sauce with the turkey sausage. There were tomatoes and
green onions and it seemed almost sinful it smelled so good. I picked up my fork, put it in
the dish and lifted it to my mouth, careful to get a bit of all the goodness in that bowl unto
my fork. The grits were a consistency I can’t even accurately describe as a writer...they were
creamy and cheesy and so flavorful my mouth literally watered. The shrimp were cooked to
perfection, and every bite popped with flavor. It was the PERFECT DISH. That first experience
with his food was so good I remember every detail like it was yesterday. I know that we were
pleased with every bite. We were already planning our next visit and what we would order.

We made sure to make friends with the bartender so we could hit her up to get a seat
because they appeared to be pretty busy.

After a few drinks, I asked the young man sitting next to me (who turned out to be the
owner’s son), “Who is the Chef? WHO COOKED THIS?” He said, “Chef Sammy Davis. He’s in
the kitchen right now.” My immediate response was, “You have to go get him for me. I have
to meet this man.” I honestly just wanted to shake his hand and look into the face of the
person who had managed to compile one recipe that took you all the way to paradise on first

bite. It was busy so it took him awhile to come out. We were sitting right near the kitchen
door so the door swung open and some guy in a white chef coat walked through the door. I
noticed that his chef coat said “Chef Sammy Davis” so I turned to the side in my chair and
said “You are the man who cooked these shrimp & grits?!” I’m sure I was loud because I had
been drinking but I didn’t care.

He just nodded his head and I went on and on about how that was the best meal I had in my
entire life and I just wanted to shake the hand of the man who prepared it. He smirked,
shook my hand, gave a little salute and went back in the kitchen. Almost like “Yeah, I know.

I’m the shit. What’s new little lady?” The nerve. The awesome experience of his food followed
up by actually meeting him was so anti-climatic. I laugh now literally out loud as I type this
because who knew where we would end up just a few short years later...but that’s a story for
another day.