Cover Story: Real Stories Scott Peacock, Executive Chef At Watershed

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Scott Peacock is the executive chef at Watershed in Decatur:

“My friend Edna Lewis helped me to see the value of the food. Once I got it, it was sort of like a light bulb going off, it was exciting. A big part of that was that she was from South, and I was from the South. And she identified so much with being a Southerner and I was trying to escape being a Southerner. I finally came to see the importance and the significance of being who you are, and celebrating that, and that food is a big part of that.

“What I have seen gradually more and more over the years is the appreciation and the respect that Southern food seems to be getting a bit more of. That has definitely changed, and I’m happy and glad for that fact.

“I love to see Atlanta restaurants that you walk into and think, ‘I am in Atlanta.’ And by that, I mean in the South — it doesn’t even have to be a Southern restaurant, but more that you could close your eyes and know where you are, rather than thinking, ‘I could be in New York, or Dallas, or Los Angeles.’ That’s what I look for, that’s what attracts me, is a strong sense of place.”