Scratch & Co. Chef Peter Henry’s Passion for Food Is More Than Skin Deep

PHOTO COURTESY OF SCRATCH & CO.

Chef Peter Henry loves asparagus so much, he has the vegetable tattooed over his heart.

Other food-related ink includes thyme, dill, tarragon and garlic on his arms and turnips, beets and corn on his legs.

Henry is equally committed to his new role as Scratch & Co.’s executive chef.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SCRATCH & CO.

Troy Hill’s farm-to-fork restaurant is like a culinary playground for the California native, who has more than two decades of experience in the organic and sustainable food movement.

He got his start in the industry as a pantry cook and dishwasher, studied food chemistry at UCLA, attended Le Cordon Bleu California Culinary Academy in San Francisco and worked with chef Alice Waters at the world-famous organic restaurant Chez Panisse.

An expert at pickling and fermentation, he utilizes what others throw away, turning everything from mushroom butts, onion skins and the green tops of leeks into flavorful powders and spice blends.

Fourteen years ago, a serious illness put him in a coma for three months. The experience gave him a greater appreciation for life and the fuel that sustains it.

Since arriving at Scratch in July, he’s been networking with farmers, poring over the eatery’s previous menus to see what he can update and brainstorming new items with the kitchen staff and owner Don Mahaney.

This team effort was on delicious display at the inaugural The Company We Keep Farm & Wine Dinner on Oct. 19. Attendees enjoyed a six-course meal featuring ingredients from Footprints Farm in Fayette County and thoughtfully selected wine pairings by Bello Vino.

It was a fun, informative and filling evening.

PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

The menu included deviled eggs, mushroom bisque, popcorn grits with smoked chard and root beer agrodolce, apple-and-beet salad with goat cheese whip, duck confit with smoked pear reduction and a ground cherry tart.

Footprints Farm owners Jeremy and Ellen Swartzfager were on hand to raise a toast. Jeremy even sang “An Irish Blessing” at the end of the meal, which Henry referred to as “friendship on a plate.”

As servers expertly weaved between tables, Henry explained to guests what went into each offering. He’s a natural-born teacher who spent two years at Cafe Momentum, Downtown’s nonprofit, BYOB restaurant that also serves as a training facility for justice-involved youth.

That’s where he met Mahaney.

“Don and I realized how much we had in common,” Henry says. “We see food and community in the same way. Well-fed people tend to be happier people. Applying that to our community means a lot to us.”

Different farmers, producers and makers who supply Scratch & Co. will be featured in the ongoing dinner series. Follow the restaurant on social media for updates.

“If you can run a restaurant while supporting the community,” Henry says, “you’re creating a family that didn’t exist before.”