ALLYSON SMITH
Chef sidesteps poli-sci career to preside over the kitchen at Scottie’s on the River
Allyson Smith, executive chef at Scottie’s on the River, didn’t attend culinary school. In fact, at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, she majored in political science and was at one time president of the university’s Political Science Club. But she loved to cook and found herself drawn to studying the political and economic impacts of food rather than politics and government.
“I was bartending at the time and begged my bosses to let me start serving a seasonal local food menu,” she says. “I had always wanted to be a chef, although I was studying to be a lawyer and eventually Secretary of State or a Supreme Court justice.”
She’s been at Scottie’s since it opened in the summer of 2018, and, though she once aspired to the high court, she says she’s still “shocked” to have achieved the position of executive chef. Here, she talks about her family’s influence on her love of cooking and the best part about being a chef.
Q Do you come from a family of cooks?
A: Both of my parents and both sets of grandparents were great cooks. Everyone in my family loves food, good cocktails and a great dining experience. My parents encouraged me to cook, but, more importantly, they also taught me how to enjoy food.
Q What’s the best part of your job?
A: I think any chef will agree that it’s making the food. But I also enjoy the happy faces of people eating my food in the restaurant and the cold beer after a crazy Saturday that the line and I killed.
Q You work in a maledominated field, so how do you encourage young women who want to pursue a culinary career?
A: I enjoy teaching the little bit of knowledge and creativity I possess to my younger line cooks, especially young ladies who show an interest in the kitchen. Even if they aren’t necessarily interested in cooking on a steaming hot line in the summer or learning how to hold a knife properly, I do my best to inspire a bit of confidence and the assertiveness one needs in this industry.
“My all-time favorite recipe to make is linguine with clam sauce. It’s been a work in progress since I was 15 and loading up on carbs for swim meets. I think I have almost perfected it, and I make this as a special occasionally at Scottie’s.”
Q Are you seeing more women pursuing culinary careers?
A: I am so proud to see that more and more women are becoming chefs. Overall, I’m optimistic for the future of our industry and look forward to these new sets of challenges we face.
Q How has the pandemic affected your career?
A: Life is a little different since the pandemic. There are good days and bad days, but I am excited to learn the long-term effects of the pandemic on the restaurant business — good and bad. It’ll be interesting to see how the industry will sustain higher wages as restaurants need to compete for employees.
Q What food trend do you think is interesting right now?
A: Food trends are fascinating to read about and watch on TV, but I think I’m always a year behind. I do always enjoy simple, chef-driven, fresh food, though.
Q What people would sit at the table for your dream dinner?
A: Former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, musician Danny Carey and political activist Stacey Abrams.
Q What’s your favorite food city outside of Chattanooga?
A: Chicago. It has a pretty great vibe. But I’ve enjoyed dinner all over the world. Chattanooga, though, has an inspiring lineup of chefs and there are few, if any, places I wouldn’t recommend.
Q Describe the menu at Scottie’s.
A: Elevated American cuisine in a casual atmosphere. Scottie’s serves steak and seafood mostly. I’d recommend the New Bedford sea scallops — nothing fancy, just giant sea scallops seared and glazed with sriracha honey.
Q What’s your favorite dish to prepare?
A: My all-time favorite recipe to make is linguine with clam sauce. It’s been a work in progress since I was 15 and loading up on carbs for swim meets. I think I have almost perfected it, and I make this as a special occasionally at Scottie’s.
– ALLYSON SMITH, EXECUTIVE CHEF OF SCOTTIE’S ON THE RIVER
Linguine With Clam Sauce
3 cups diced shallots
3 cups diced yellow onion
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup minced garlic
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 cup sliced garlic
12 anchovies, minced
16 ounces pinot grigio
12 ounces clam juice (bottled or from canned clams, below)
1 tablespoon dried thyme
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 cans chopped clams, drained
1 pound linguine, cooked in very salted water (reserve 1/2 cup pasta water)
1/4 pound unsalted cold butter, diced
2 cups fresh chopped Italian parsley
Grated Parmesan cheese
Over medium-high heat, cook the diced shallots and yellow onion in olive oil. Add minced garlic, reduce to medium heat and caramelize vegetables until they are amber in color. Add crushed red pepper, sliced garlic and anchovies. Stir until anchovies seem to melt away. Add wine, and reduce until mostly evaporated. Add clam juice, and reduce by half. Add thyme, salt and pepper. Add clams, and cook until heated through. Add cooked linguine, 1/2 cup pasta water and cold butter. Stir over low heat until sauce thickens and coats pasta. Add fresh parsley. Garnish with as much Parmesan cheese as you like, and serve with a lovely dry rose, if desired.