Rooted in delicious

When you size up the quiet, composed executive chef Russell “Rusty” Holman in the flamboyant, jazzy setting of D.C.’s Eatonville Restaurant, you may wonder why this modest young man isn’t serving up vegan fare in a library’s dining room.

How does he keep up with the very flashy and demanding crowds who want more, more, more of his solid Southern cooking?

At least, you realize, he is Southern, so knowing how to whip up to-die-for fried chicken brined overnight, with mashed potatoes and the catfish perched on jalapeno-spiked cheddar grits, must be part of his heritage.

(To understand the Southern food cravings at Eatonville, you should know the restaurant commemorates the life and times of author and Howard University graduate Zora Neal Hurston from Eatonville, Fla. The town of Eatonville, which was founded in 1887 by a group of former slaves, became the oldest African-American municipality in the United States.)

A native of Durham, N.C., who finished high school in Roanoke, Va., Holman had plenty of homebound inspiration and experience.

“My mother is a great cook,” he said, noting she sometimes helps cook in the restaurant kitchen. During opening week, she helped shape and finalize the restaurant’s dessert recipes.

“She made gourmet meals every night, and she gave me a subscription to Bon Appetit magazine when I was growing up,” he said.

Finally, in college at the University of Georgia, Holman began to take his cooking seriously, preparing interesting meals for friends. Upon graduation, Holman headed to foodie mecca San Francisco, where after working at some temporary office jobs to earn tuition, he enrolled in the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. While he was enrolled, he took advantage of his locale and worked in several local restaurants, including stints at Jeremiah Tower’s notable Stars and at The Black Cat restaurants.

After graduation, Holman worked as a private chef in California and later in Spain. Having further broadened his experiences, Holman was hired as the sous chef for the upscale Cache Cache restaurant in Aspen, Colo.

“That place really influenced me,” he says.

From there, he worked as executive chef at Mimosa Grill, an upscale restaurant in Charlotte, N.C.

As fate would have it, Holman moved to Washington to work as the executive chef of The Rookery in Georgetown. Then one day while scanning Craigslist ads, Holman spotted a listing for a “Top Chef”-style competition to fill the executive chef’s position for what was to become Eatonville.

“There were 300 applicants,” he says. “We were narrowed down to 12 for the cook-off. We had five or six competitions. I was a runner-up, but my understanding of simple Southern cuisine helped me.”

Luckily, his Southern upbringing has served him well, and now overseeing this very busy kitchen, Holman reports that his hush puppies, the fried chicken breast and the catfish really are very popular.

As for his own personal favorites? It’s the pan-fried pork chop and the pecan-crusted trout. Not bad, not bad, indeed. And how about a wedge of the oatmeal-pecan pie for dessert?

Q&A with chef Rusty Holman

What’s your comfort food?

Steak and baked potatoes, or maybe pizza at 2 a.m.

What is your approach to cooking?

I cook seasonally and use the freshest, highest-quality ingredients. It’s important for me to know for whom I am cooking, and that helps me to know what I want to cook.

Which chef has inspired you the most?

Probably the one I’ve worked with in Cache Cache Bistro in Aspen. That was Chris Lanter. He brought me to the second level and honed my skills in fine dining.

Which are your favorite restaurants?

Central, and I really enjoy that. And Proof.

Which are your favorite cuisines?

Asian when I go out — a lot of sushi — and Southwestern cuisines. To cook, new American.

From the Chef’s Kitchen

Mushroom Loaf

Serves four

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1 cup diced yellow onion

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1 1/2 pounds sliced mushrooms

4 eggs

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning blend

1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and line it with parchment paper.

Put the butter into a 4-quart pot and place over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the onion, garlic and thyme sprigs. Sautee until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms to the pot, stir and increase the heat slightly. Cook the mixture until the liquid has cooked off, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Whisk the eggs well in a large mixing bowl. Add the cream, parsley and Cajun seasoning, and whisk to combine. Add the mushroom mixture, one serving spoonful at a time, to temper the egg mixture, stirring well after each addition. Add the bread crumbs and stir well. Pour the mixture into the pan. Set the pan in a large roasting pan and fill the roasting pan with water halfway up the sides of the loaf pan. Place the roasting pan into the top half of the oven

Bake until the center is set, 60 to 70 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool 15 minutes before turning out onto a plate to slice.