For a few years in a row in the time before COVID, Nashville was an annual stop on the Red Beans Road Show, a traveling pop-up restaurant series from New Orleanian chef/photographer/writer/raconteur Pableaux Johnson, and it was always one of my favorite meals of the year. I first met Johnson at a Southern Foodways Alliance event more than a decade ago, but the first time I spent a long time with him was when he called me out of the blue to ask if he could use my kitchen to cook up a big pot of red beans and rice. He had been making Monday night red beans for friends for a long time, always inviting a varied group of attendees and stirring the conversation pot with great food and drink to see what sort of experience emerged.
My girlfriend didn’t know who Pableaux was, so you can imagine she was understandably perplexed as to why I was willing to turn over our kitchen to a complete stranger (to her). But the deal was, we provided the cooktop and plates, Pableaux would handle the rest. We both got to invite friends who didn’t know each other until the guest list exceeded our table size.
I met people that night who are still close friends, and they met new people as well. We sampled Roy Milner’s saison beer that evening, long before he became the founder of Blackberry Farm Brewery. I recognized one of Pableaux’s other invitees that night because she had once dropped off a catering meal at our house from just around the corner at Tayst, where she was working as a server. I had no idea at the time that Molly Martin was such a talented chef and musician who would go on to stage in the kitchen at the internationally renowned restaurant Ottolenghi in London.Â
These are the kinds of connections that take place at a Red Beans Road Show, and now that Pableaux has opened the event to the public, you too can meet remarkable new friends over the course of a three-course party.
He’ll be bringing the carbs to Biscuit Love Brunch in Hillsboro Village at 2001 Belcourt Ave. on Saturday, Jan. 11, for a convivial meal of a simple starter, red beans and skillet cornbread plus something sweet. Meat and vegetarian preferences will be accommodated, and you know that if Pableaux is sharing the kitchen with Karl and Sarah Worley, the food and the vibe will be fantastic. Tickets for the event are only $50, and the fun kicks off with mingling at 6:30 p.m. and sitdown time at 7. (You don’t want to miss the mingling; that’s pretty much the best part!)Â
Reserve your seats and share your food preference at the official RBRS website, and be sure introduce yourself to me if you read about this here and decided to attend. I can never have too many cool new friends!
Update: I wrote this post prior to the horrible events in New Orleans on New Year's Day. In light of the tragedy, I feel now, more than ever, we could all stand to give and receive a little Big Easy love, so I hope you'll still consider attending.
