SPVAQ32020 - 64

BEHIND THE BAR

Torrence Gregoire, Ina + Forbes, St. Paul
BILLY FELLIN

T

orrence Gregoire, also known as Chef T,
developed an appreciation of food and
drink as a child on the beautiful Caribbean
island of St. Vincent. "My grandmother
used to cook for a large family," Torrence
Gregoire-aka Chef T-told The Southwest
Times newspaper. "I'll always remember her
scooting me up to the pot to taste the food."
Gregoire moved with her family to New
York City when she was 9 and later to
Atlanta. She worked and studied in the
food industry, then took a big leap in 2013,
appearing on Hell's Kitchen with Gordon
Ramsay. Fast forward to 2019: Chef T had
discovered Southwest Virginia and opened
her own restaurant: Ina + Forbes, named
after her grandmother.
Along the way, she acquired an appreciation
for fine liquor, too.
Tell us about your appreciation for alcoholic
beverages.
There's nothing like a craft cocktail. I am a
whiskey drinker, on the rocks; bourbon is
my thing. When I'm feeling fancy, I love me
a good Glenlivet single malt Scotch. I spent
a lot of time in Atlanta during the brewery
boom. I appreciate sours and lambic beers.
But at the end of a day, if I need to sit back
and relax, I need a good bourbon.

64 VIRGINIA ABC | ABC.VIRGINIA.GOV

Discuss the idea that quality spirits provide
the best base for a great cocktail.
That is a true statement. It's like food. I tell
my cooks: Even if you're inexperienced, if
I start with a good quality piece of meat, I
have already given you a fighting chance
by reducing the amount of errors that
you can make. What goes into quality is
experience, expertise, care, craft, but most
of all, the ingenuity of what is in your mind
that transcends to the palate that ultimately
gets executed by your fingers.
How about pairing cocktails and food?
A perfectly paired cocktail with a meal is
just simply euphoric-it's like having the
perfect wine to go with the perfect steak.
A cocktail is so dynamic and multifaceted.
It can get more complex and more diverse
when you start drinking it. Different sips have
different elements of the cocktail, depending
on whether it's stirred or shaken, how big the
ice cube is, what's in the ice cube ...
How do you choose which cocktail to drink
with dinner?
If you are getting anything light, like white
fish, pork, seafood, go with a citrus cocktail.
If you're getting things like appetizers or
cheese-and-meat boards, go with something

that is citrus and floral, like St. Germain
with floral undertones, which really elevates
cheeses, jams, mustards. If you're having
something like salmon, beef, game meats,
I would go with more of a floral but in an
herbaceous atmosphere-look for cocktails
that have hard herbs like rosemary or thyme
syrups, or blackberries, or smokiness,
bourbon, ginger.
What are customer preferences in your
restaurant?
The locals love Ina's Margarita-it's universal,
it's recognizable, it's safe. We get repeat
customers when they realize it's not just
schlepping together sweet-and-sour mix then
throwing tequila in. Out of towners is where
we really get to flex our muscles. They come
for that more edgy craft cocktail. One of our
best sellers is Paul's Lemonade, made with
rosemary simple syrup, lemon juice, muddled
blueberries, finished with vanilla beans.
Anything you'd like to add?
I'm a firm believer in eating local, eating well,
just basically staying true to the craft. I want
people to come out and have a great time
with us. We're honored to be able to share
our passion and our vision with everyone.

-Annie Tobey
http://ABC.VIRGINIA.GOV
SPVAQ32020

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