Enrika Wiliams on Creativity, Seasons, and Inspiration.

EHC: Tell me a little about yourself - Introduce yourself to Memphis.

EW: My name is Enrika Williams. I am originally from West Point Mississippi, which is in Northeast Mississippi. I am currently based out of Jackson, Mississippi and I am a culinary and Chef creative. I've always had a love for food and the way it connects people, and the way that we intuitively feel things when we are dining or preparing a meal or just being in the company of people. I love the way that food is used as a creative medium just like pottery or paint, or watercolors or photographs, to form a way for me to express myself. 

My philosophy on food and dining is that just because food is expensive, doesn't guarantee that it's going to be delicious. Great food should be accessible to everyone and you should not have to choose between “Am I going to buy gas and pay my car insurance this month” Or “Am I going to be able to buy groceries.” 

I try very hard to support local as much as I can all the time in any way that I can. From food and wine and even labor, local things help to tell the story. It also contributes to many parts of the economy - the hospitality economy, the culinary economy, and the creative economy. These are very valuable, important aspects of not only the business but of supporting people.

It goes beyond just having a good product and putting it in a beautiful restaurant and providing it to the public, you know. 

EHC: What story are you trying to tell with your work?

EW: There are so many untold stories and so many different perspectives on food - so there isn't just one way to tell a story, or even to tell my story. I'm a lot of people, and I've had a lot of experiences, so for me, I'm constantly in pursuit of introducing people to me for the first time. I want to let guests know that I'm here and that I exist. There are lots of creatives and people like myself, and I love being able to show what that creativity means to me.

EHC: How does your background continue to influence your approach to food?

EW: I'm a reformed band student from high school. I was very awkward, so I spent a lot of time in the library. I would read all kinds of books, I was always just fascinated by art, expression, and culture. And I have great parents, who made sure that they provided me with all the tools and toys that I needed to explore all aspects of the things that I was in constant wonder about…

My parents gave me the freedom to be whatever and to think, however… I had amazing teachers, elementary school teachers, who gave me just a platform gave me perspective gave me a canvas to just explore, grow, be, wonder, feel… all of those things. I was never told that I couldn't, I didn't hear that until I was I was much older. I was always given room to explore and research for myself. 

I grew up in West Point, which is a super small town, like a little hamlet. I just saw how food was such a connector, not only in my family but in the community - anything that was going on, there was always a food element to it. And I just loved the way that people came together. I love the ritual of preparing for the meal and using food to be hospitable. Food was community…If there was a need, or if someone was sick, or there was a new baby, or somebody moved into a new house, or someone was moving away, or going on a trip, food was always present in some way. As a hope, as a reminder, as a kind word, as a fresh breath of air…food was just always present. 

Music is a big inspiration. My father, rest his soul, had an immaculate vinyl record collection. My father was an artist, a Renaissance man. So he painted and he worked with wood and he had an amazing green thumb, though I did not receive it. I cook things, but I can't grow anything to save my life. 

My grandmother had chickens in her backyard. My grandfather had an amazing garden. And it was beautiful. And it was bountiful. He did everything that you could ever imagine on this plot of land that you can grow the varieties of peppers and tomatoes and ochre and corn, and peas, onions, bell peppers, cucumbers, watermelon, sweet potatoes, just all of these things and I just loved seeing from the soil, all of these things grow. And I was just always constantly surrounded by fertile things, fertile people, and fertile ideas. And I just ended up constantly in that state of excitement…and I'm still in a state of wonderment, even at this age. 

So wonder and imagination and creativity and also doing things in food to honor my parents, My grandparents, and my relatives who are no longer here. 

Showing appreciation and honoring tradition is really important to me because we all have connectivity with our own experiences in our life, and I want my work to express that. I think the food that I make is very intuitive - Very centered in feeling... 

EHC: What does Deep Summer taste like to you? (what does it smell like? What texture is it?) 

EW: It tastes like last-minute, impromptu barbecues…like grilled food. It tastes like outside dining, quick things, things that are still. We're using the last of the tomato; So we make and salsa we're putting it on tacos. We are taking the last corn and making maque choux or we're grilling it. 

It smells like when it's hot…It smells like when the rain stops. 

Deep summer is warm, not spice. It's warm…I think of toasty things — Paprika and nutmeg, not a lot, just a little bit. The texture is supple, creamy, smooth, oily…Things with some bite, some citrus. And definitely ice cream.

EHC: As a chef, how do you see the relationship between the seasons and your work within them?

EW: Before farm-to-table and seasonality and working closely with the seasons was a thing, I was already thinking in that way - I grew up with that. My grandfather would give me tips about how to grow greens properly and which were best to eat at certain times of the year. I grew up around people canning things, shelling peas, and shucking corn to put up to freeze for later in the year. So I'm always reminded of those things that my people would do. 

Sometimes, you know, when I'm feeling lonesome for a moment, I'll make a dish that reminds me of that time…

I try to use ingredients within season you know, as much as I can, also consider the treatment of the ingredients. In the summertime that’s lots of raw things lots of quickly sauteed or blanched. 

EHC: What sources do you use for continued inspiration?

EW: Everywhere, and everything. Truly. 

I know it sounds trite, but I read a lot. I watch a lot of movies… I'm inspired by makers and people who are very creative who are not necessarily chefs; You know, writers, painters, photographers, musicians, composers, directors…I'm just inspired by imaginative and expressive things. The freedom and the joy that comes with it, that inspires me in my creation… and finding ways to retell the story of it, because everything essentially has been done. But it's my job to find a way to share it and recreate it in a way that reminds me of a moment, or a person, or a place, or a time.

EHC: Any notes on your approach/process to your menu for the Etowah Dinner Series? Are you particularly excited about a specific dish?

EW: Right now I am in LA, I was in Vicksburg last week, And I was in New York for Juneteenth. So travel is a big inspiration to me. The notes and approach to my menu for the Dinner Series is that Memphis is relatively close to West Point where I grew up. So I'm going to pull from a lot of nostalgic things and “I remembers” and “Oh, my goodness, you remember when we used to have…” or “This reminds me of something.” I'm taking a lot of notes, I have sticky notes everywhere, all over my journal all over my laptop...

There is one particular dish that I am most excited about sharing and it's with very humble ingredients. I'm really looking forward to showing that and telling guests the why and the how that brought it to this menu. I'm also excited about working with Rodney Ellis and having their artwork work in conjunction with the food, and the menu, and the aesthetic of everything.