Passion for food drives creativity, outreach

“She has a presence about her, and respect from cooks and chefs,” said restaurateur Billy Streck.

He was speaking of his recent hire, Savannah Sasser, who took over the kitchen at his Inman Park restaurant Hampton + Hudson in midMarch.

Sasser, 31, has earned every bit of that respect from chefs and cooks. Just look at her handiwork that she leaves behind at Twain’s Brewpub & Billiards in Decatur. For nearly the past five years, she worked there to establish a kitchen that did not make just “typical food pub,” but rather of a quality to rival the beer. It meant sourcing all proteins locally, taking spent grains used for brewing and turning them into tasty cheese straws and cornbread. When she departed from Twain’s for her new job at Hampton + Hudson, Twain’s was a scratch kitchen. The menu was seasonal instead of static.

Meanwhile, in 2016, she was tasked with developing the menu for Twain’s sister venue Comet Pub & Lanes. There, you’ll find creative fare not usually served up at a bowling alley.

She’s now been given the keys to take the 1-year-old Hampton + Hudson to new heights, and she’s already making change happen. Her new spring menu recently launched. It features her style of playful new American but Southern-minded dishes-witha-twist, but also product — like octopus — she couldn’t work with at Twain’s, because it didn’t resonate with that clientele.

Knowing her diners and dishing up what they want is something Sasser does well. Considering Hampton + Hudson’s proximity to the Beltline, she’s catering to the pet-loving crowd by making doggie cupcakes and hard doggie biscuits, with plans to start regular doggie mingles on the restaurant’s patio. The monthly vegan dinner she had expected to launch at Twain’s is still a go, just at her new workplace. “I’m passionate about vegan food and making it something different than the average ‘here’s some roasted vegetables,’” said the former vegan.

And while these are all part of her efforts to push Hampton + Hudson “to its full potential,” the community-minded chef is doing her part to make a culinary statement for the state. Since 2015, she’s served as a Georgia Grown chef, a group of chefs who work to create awareness about products grown or raised in the state and who foster relationships with farmers. In June, she’ll accompany other Georgia toques on what will be her third trip to the James Beard House in New York to serve up an all-Georgia meal.

Sasser’s “passion for food and her trade,” is precisely why Streck hired her. “Sky’s the limit,” he said of her potential. “She is going to do great things.”

Hampton + Hudson, 299 N. Highland Ave. N.E., Atlanta. 404-948-2123, hamptonandhudson.com.

CONTRIBUTED BY TOMAS ESPINOZA Hampton + Hudson executive chef Savannah Sasser is tasked with taking the year-old eatery to new heights.