It’s early in the morning in Washington, NC. A time when even the roosters are still yawning. Executive Chef Jamie Davis sits at a table, his head in his hands, scanning a list of local fishermen and farmers. What has been caught this week? What produce is freshest? Each week the same questions with different answers. The result becomes the menu of the Hackney which changes almost daily.
It takes focus and commitment to run a kitchen where the menu changes so frequently. But Chef Davis does it with ease. Maybe it’s the discipline of his military background, serving in Iraq. Maybe it’s his training at culinary school in Savannah. Maybe it’s his childhood love of seafood growing up locally in Jacksonville. If you ask him what motivates him, he says it’s a desire to push the culinary envelope. And that’s exactly the mindset that has garnered Chef Davis a coveted James Beard nomination, an honor reserved for those at the forefront of global gastronomy.
The sea to table movement is new in some parts of the country. But, here in Little Washington, it’s been a way of life for generations. Settled in the 1700s at the junction of the Pamlico and Tar Rivers, the "original" Washington became an economic center. Fishermen and small boats took to the wide water ways to claim their daily catch and sell to local restaurants. Generations later, that relationship still exists.
It’s a relationship that Chef Davis has become a part of and turned into his own success. "Every week I hear someone tell me that they’ve never tried a certain food, but if Chef Jamie is behind it, they’ll try anything. He has built that trust with our customers," says Suzanne Hackney, owner and restaurant manager..
While part of that trust comes from repeated exposure to great meals, It’s also because Chef Davis knows exactly where a fish came from, who fished it, and could even tell you what kind of equipment they used.
"All of our seafood is local," says Hackney. "We are seafood led. Chef Jamie is the best seafood chef I’ve ever seen and he has a great heart for buying local. Everything is chosen, seared, cooked perfectly. I lived abroad in England and France half my adult life and I’ve never tasted seafood like he’s able to prepare. We rarely bring back a plate that has anything on it."
From tuna and grouper to shrimp, oysters and the sweetest blue crabs, Chef Davis ensures that his guests get their fill of the freshest food available from the sea. Each dish is prepared with bold flavors, using different techniques to really let the ingredients shine and speak for themselves. "I love the satisfaction of getting a perfect crispy sear on a piece of fish or creating a mouthwatering sauce that ties a whole dish together," says Davis.
Whatever he’s doing, he’s doing it right. Even before his James Beard nomination, Chef Davis had developed a loyal following of foodies, locally and nationally. So, don’t go thinking this award is going to go to his head or change his stance on what makes good food.
"Stay true to yourself, be teachable, there’s nothing worse than somebody who thinks they know everything. Dedicate yourself to your craft, stay hungry for knowledge, it’ll take you far," he says. Then he stands back and smiles.
Spoken like a true, award-winning Chef.