Page 32 - South Mississippi Living - October, 2018

DINING culinary couple
story and photos by Julian Brunt
T he food culture and restaurant scenes on the Gulf Coast are remarkable, but you might not know the amazing caliber of local chefs.
There are a dozen chefs who have outstanding backgrounds and are as talented as chefs anywhere. Of all the interesting chefs on the Coast, two of my favorites are married and work at the same place. Chefs Matthew and Patti Kallinikos work at the IP Casino Resort Spa. Chef Patti is the pastry chef and Chef Matthew is the chef de cuisine at thirty-two, the IP’s fine dining restaurant.
I recently spent several hours with Chef Patti in the 24-hour-a-day, seven- day-a-week pastry kitchen where
she makes an assortment of seriously delicious pies. She is a culinary school grad and has been a baker for four years. If you think the life of a baker seems idyllic, put your mind around a kitchen that uses more than 800 eggs and produces close to 1,000 pastries a day.
Chef Matthew Kallinikos attended the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, one of the most prestigious culinary schools in the country. He also has two post graduate
degrees from CIA and has been in the culinary field 24 years. Thirty-two is an award-winning restaurant, including the AAA Four Diamond Award and
the Wine Spectator Best of Excellence Award, both for the past 10 years.
Both chefs are passionate about their chosen profession and are at the top of their game. You won’t find any short cuts taken, any ingredients but the best, plating will be world class, and creativity will be off the charts. There are flavors, textures and techniques that will blow you away.
The menu at thirty-two is described as modern European but expect a fair
portion of farm to table and everything made from scratch. Check out the smoked foie gras, artisanal cheeses, and the amazing New York strip progression (cab strip, prime strip, wagyu strip), just to mention a few highlights.
Chef Patti made a sweet potato pie with gingerbread crust and pecan streusel, an apple and salted caramel pie and a bourbon banana cream pie during my visit. If you are very lucky and one of these pies is on the menu the night of your visit, you will end the evening in a sweet bliss like never before.
Chefs Matthew and Patti Kallinikos
Almond Olive Oil Cake PB & J - Chocolate Blackout Cake Pan Seared Day Boat Halibut Moroccan Spiced Lamb
32 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • October 2018 FOR MORE REFLECTIONS OF THE GULF COAST >> www.smliving.net