Georgia Magazine - December 2022 - 38

GEORGIA Cooks
By Hans Rueff ert
Embracing
brunch
Chef Hans Rueff ert prepares brunch at the Old Mulehouse
restaurant in Jasper.
S
hoehorned between breakfast and lunch is a meal that
doesn't quite fit in: brunch. Even the name is a bit of a
Frankenstein's monster-a mash-up that borrows pieces
from both meals that bookend it.
I'll be the first to admit that I'm a latecomer to the brunch
party. I was raised by a pragmatic German father, and brunch
didn't fit neatly into our family's structured lives: an early
breakfast, large midday lunch, 4 p.m. tea, light dinner, sleep
and repeat. My only memory of a childhood brunch is a
character buffet at Walt Disney World, but calling that slice of
chaos " brunch " seemed like a justification to command a higher
price for breakfast. I formed a negative opinion of brunch
before we'd even been properly introduced.
It took my teenage daughter to sell me on the concept of
brunch. The morning after a late-night concert, Ella recommended
we seek out a brunch spot she'd read about online.
After a little arm-twisting, I said " yes, " and we set out to find
the restaurant, a trendy spot that was once a service station.
Vintage, galvanized-metal feed troughs overflowing with
culinary herbs lined the walkway, local folk art filled every
available inch of wall space and a " help yourself! " coffee station
with mismatched mugs stood ready to caffeinate the lengthening
line of late-morning guests.
It was the kind of place that I thought would annoy me,
38 Georgia Magazine December 2022
but it was magical. It had great coffee, curious-yet-comfortable
cocktails, engaging service and an inviting menu. The experience
opened my eyes to the full potential and unapologetic
allure of brunch.
Just as brunch lives on the border between breakfast and
lunch, it flirts with the intersection of sweet and savory. Offerings
like chicken and waffles, sausage biscuits with sorghum
syrup and bacon-studded cornmeal hoecakes are right at home
on a Georgia brunch menu but might seem out of place at any
other meal.
A Champagne and fresh orange juice Mimosa seems a bit
over-the-top at breakfast but feels just right at brunch. It's that
playful spirit that makes brunch a state of mind, a mood and an
unhurried, joyful social occasion worth sleeping in for.
Best of all, you can create a bit of that brunch bravado in
your own home anytime the mood strikes you. You can even eat
brunch in your pajamas!
This month I've asked a few of my friends to share their
favorite brunch recipes, and I've included one of my own. Enjoy!
Hans Rueffert is a chef, author and gastric-cancer advocate
who has spent his entire life working with food. He serves as the
culinary ambassador at the Old Mulehouse restaurant in Jasper.
Learn more about food history and culture by listening to his
food-focused podcast, " But I Digest, " at butidigestpodcast.com.
CAROLYN RICHARDSON / GSU
http://www.butidigestpodcast.com
Georgia Magazine - December 2022

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