Chef Ben Halperin in the kitchen of his restaurant, Augusta, in Oxford. (Stephen Mally for Hoopla)
Ben Halperin, 38, Oxford
Chef/owner @ Augusta Restaurant
How long have you been a chef?
I worked in restaurants most of my life. I started getting more serious about it about 6 years ago, when I was living in New Orleans. I learned on the job.
How would you describe your culinary style?
My style is mostly French, and I do use a fare bit of New Orleans ingredients and style.Can you explain what New Orleans style is for us Midwesterners?This is an oversimplification, but it involves specific ingredients and techniques, liking using a roux (pronounced RUE, a mixture of butter and flour used to thicken sauces and stews), and what they call the trinity: onion, celery and green peppers. The technique is definitely French, that’s where it really comes from. Then there’s also Creole cooking, which has African roots.
Do you offer both styles of New Orleans cuisine at Augusta?
I make a Creole-style gumbo – gumbo is a word for okra, using it is what makes it African-style, or Creole-style. I do some (Cajun) specialties like crab cakes and crawfish beignets. I also do down-home comfort food – steaks, fried chicken, fried catfish – basic foods, home-style, but with a Southern twist.
What is the most popular dish on your menu?
That’s hard to say. We sell a lot of steaks. We have a wood-fired grill with hickory and cherry wood, and just about everything that we cook in there is popular. We have a fairly small menu, so everything moves pretty well. And then I usually run specials, too.
What can people expect o see as specials?
We like to put a crab crust on fish, like halibut. Anytime I can, I like to bring in fresh fish. We’ll bring in fresh oysters too, occasionally. Those go really well.
On your Web page, you say your mission is to serve freshly prepared food from as many local resources as possible – why is that important to you?
It just makes the most sense. The local product is going to be freshest, and it doesn’t make sense to ship food all over the place with fuel prices so high. Of course, in the middle of the winter, it’s difficult to get any (local) produce, but in the spring and summer, I buy locally from some people in Homestead, and I’ll also get produce from people with the private gardens. I’ll show up to work and there will be a bag of tomatoes on my door knob.
Do have anything special planned for Mardi Gras?
I think we’re going to get out some of the New Orleans favorites – some jambalaya and red beans and rice and run them as specials.
–Anne Kapler
Crawfish Beignets
- Crawfish Beignets with spicy remoulade on the side (Stephen Mally for Hoopla)
5 cups flour
5 tablespoons baking powder
¼ cup chopped fresh basil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1-pound bag peeled crawfish tails
Vegetable oil
In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, basil, garlic and crawfish tails. Add about 2 cups water to make a thin batter.
Heat about ½ inch oil in large fry pan over medium-high heat. Using a large spoon, drop the beignet mixture into the oil and fry about three minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and let drain on paper towels.
Details: Augusta Restaurant, 101 S. Augusta Ave., Oxford; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday (reservations recommended); call (319) 828-2252; online www.augustarestaurant.net
