Omnivore - Local chefs organize an MLK Day lunch

Chefs Robert Phalen and Deborah VanTrece of Twisted Soul will serve an authentic 1960s luncheonette menu this Monday

By Angela Hansberger Wednesday January 13, 2016 10:00 AM EST

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When Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963, he eloquently spoke these words: “I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.” MLK Day honors the life and legacy of a champion of equality, tolerance, and racial justice. A local restaurant wants to make it meaningful for diners.

This Mon., Jan. 18 chefs Robert Phalen and Deborah VanTrece (Twisted Soul) are collaborating on a luncheonette menu straight from the early 1960s, a time when Phalen’s One Eared Stag was occupied by a soul food landmark. The building on the corner of Edgewood and Hurt St., just a short walk from the MLK Jr. District on Auburn Avenue, was built in 1920 and later housed Burton’s Grill. Deacon Burton was as well known for his fried chicken as he was for his restaurant’s place in the dialog of the civil rights movement, where King himself dined.

Monday’s lunch will focus on the civil rights movement with food authentic to the late 1950s and 1960s. When people reminisce about Burton’s, it’s the cast iron fried chicken, black eyed peas, collard greens, and cornbread that come to mind. Phalen’s menu is clever, with often unexpected flavors, and ever changing. (His fried chicken is pretty damn good too.) VanTrece is known for her global soul food. Her Decatur restaurant, Twisted Soul, recently closed but will hopefully reopen when a building is found. Prices at lunch will be authentic as well but with a twist in homage to King. While most meals cost $1.50 or so, the final bill asks diners to give $35 to the King Center.

“We were inspired when we learned that Dr. King had often eaten in a building that now holds one of our favorite restaurants, One Eared Stag,” said Chef VanTrece. “We planned this event with Chef Phalen so that our friends and neighbors could add perspective to their experience of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. They can sit where Dr. King sat and enjoy a meal that the leaders of that time may have eaten. Hopefully our guests will reflect on what’s changed, what hasn’t changed and start conversations over good food.”

MLK Day at One Eared Stag is a partnership between chefs of different backgrounds, cooking in a place of historic relevance. Lunch is served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. One Eared Stag, which opened in 2011, is located at 1029 Edgewood Ave. Reservations are recommended for this special event at 404-525-4479. All donations to benefit the King Center.