Crispy fried chicken and bacon-wrapped meatloaf. Pots of smoky greens and fresh corn fried in fatback. Cakey cornbread. Lemon icebox pie and pound cake.
When you dig into the Southern country cooking at Revival restaurant in Decatur, you get a sense that the hand that makes it is well versed in the region’s culinary traditions. That would be true.
What you might not guess is that the executive chef hails from a place where salmon rules over catfish. And where sweets are more likely to be small, almost-savory bites than gargantuan slices of pecan pie or red velvet cake.
His name is Andreas Muller, and he grew up in Kristinehamn, Sweden — far from the land of hush puppies and pimento cheese.
For five and a half years, Muller — a Viking-like man with a ginger beard — has worked with chef Kevin Gillespie, a short, pudgy Georgia native, “Top Chef” fan favorite, and fellow ginger. First at Woodfire Grill, then at Gunshow, now at Revival, the two have formed an “Odd Couple” partnership that has molded Muller into a rising star of the Atlanta restaurant community.
"We have a saying in Sweden," Muller says of his friendship with Gillespie, the owner of Revival and Gunshow. " 'That's the dot over the 'i'.' We just clicked."
Until he moved to Atlanta in 1994, Muller’s idea of the South came from TV. “I thought it was just swamps and rednecks and rebel flags everywhere.” It wasn’t until he became interested in food that he came to appreciate the integrity of the place — the history, the land, the agriculture, the superb local ingredients.
His first job was at a McDonald’s in Marietta. The self-described “late bloomer,” now 37, eventually trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Atlanta and got a job as a hotel cook in Fair Hope, Ala., where he loved being on the Mobile Bay and became smitten with Southern food. After a couple of years, he returned to Atlanta, where he worked at the now-shuttered Woodfire; then moved to 4th & Swift; then H. Harper Station; then reconnected with Gillespie at Gunshow, in 2013.
Before opening Revival in July, Muller and Gillespie developed recipes for the fried chicken and cornbread that are now Revival favorites. (After 12 tries, they came up with a fried bird that is seasoned with spices, dipped in wet batter and deep fried.) The cornbread is Gillespie’s grandma’s; he will not divulge the family secret.
A man of few words, Muller has a hard time explaining why he loves the cuisine of his adopted home. But give him a minute, and he traces it back to his memories.
In Sweden, they didn’t have Southern-style barbecue when he was a kid, but they had smoked fish. They didn’t have an endless summer of tomatoes and sweet corn. But they foraged for mushrooms, berries and fruit. “As a family you would get together and spend time and take care of your food.”
Muller thinks it would be weird to serve Swedish food at a Southern restaurant. But sometimes, he’ll add dill to the field peas or garnish the sweet potatoes with chives. And he dreams of having a garden behind the restaurant. In the Sweden of his childhood, he says: “Every house had a little patch of herbs — always parsley and chives.”
Gillespie thinks he and his protege have more commonalities than differences.
“Andreas’ food that he grew up on is not that dissimilar to the food that I grew up on,” Gillespie says. “Yes, the spices may be different. The herbs may be a little bit different. There might be a slightly heavier reliance on seafood. But in many ways, it has so many mirroring aspects to it.”
One of the things Muller appreciates about Southern food is its purity. It’s not meant to be rushed. “It takes time and that’s what I like. I like the build-up. There’s a lot of love and preparation that goes into it.”
Gillespie says Muller is more interested in cooking a perfect pot of collards than arranging froufrou food on a plate.
“Andreas is the perfect person to lead the kitchen at Revival,” Gillespie says, “because he has a passion and a love for that food that feels very driven by the heart and just sort of connects people in a very soulful way.”
Recipes
Revival Meatloaf
This luscious meatloaf is wrapped in bacon and glazed with a sweet-tangy sauce. It is a favorite at Revival, Kevin Gillespie’s Decatur restaurant, where Andreas Muller is executive chef.
For the glaze
2 cups light-brown sugar
1 cup ketchup
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon Spanish paprika
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons apple-cider vinegar
For the meatloaf
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
1/4 cup chopped onions
1 3/4 teaspoons powdered beef base or bouillon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound ground chuck
1/4 pound ground pork
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons half-and-half
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/8 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
3/4 cup toasted Panko crumbs
12 strips of bacon
To make the glaze: In a medium sauce pot, place the light-brown sugar, ketchup, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, Spanish paprika, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce and apple-cider vinegar. Mix well, and cook over medium heat until the mixture is smooth, about 3-5 minutes. Do not boil. Remove from heat and set aside.
To make the loaf: Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and onion, and saute until translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in the beef base, salt and black pepper. Dump the mixture into a large mixing bowl; allow to cool completely. Add ground chuck, ground pork, eggs, egg yolk, half-and-half, Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard. Mix well. Add parsley and bread crumbs; mix well. Shape into a loaf.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Place bacon strips side by side between two sheets of parchment paper, and roll with a rolling pin to flatten. (You want to form a flat rectangle of bacon.) Place the loaf in the center of the bacon, at a diagonal, and wrap with bacon. (For a neater wrap, fold the sides over first; then the ends, tucking the excess neatly under each end.)
Place the meatloaf in a roasting pan. Bake until the internal temperature is 125 degrees (about 15 minutes). Brush with glaze, and cook another 15 minutes. Glaze again. Cook until the internal temperature is 155 degrees (about 15-20 minutes). Glaze a third time. Allow to rest for about 10 minutes. Glaze a fourth and final time. Slice and serve warm. Serves: 6-8
Per serving, based on 6: 671 calories (percent of calories from fat, 45), 26 grams protein, 68 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 34 grams fat (14 grams saturated), 199 milligrams cholesterol, 1,505 milligrams sodium.
Lemon-Glazed Sweet Potatoes
This recipe is simplicity itself, and wonderful for fall. Revival executive chef Andreas Muller likes to garnish the dish with chopped chives, a touch that reminds him of his native Sweden.
2 large sweet potatoes
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1/4 cup lemon juice
2/3 teaspoon grated nutmeg
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon chives, thinly sliced, for garnish
Place sweet potatoes in a pot with water, bring to a boil and simmer until potatoes are just tender, about 20 minutes. Place potatoes on a plate and chill in the refrigerator. When potatoes are cool, peel them and slice into 1-inch discs. In a sauce pot, combine sugar, water, lemon juice, nutmeg and salt; bring to a boil, about 5 minutes. Stir to dissolve sugar, and take off heat. Place potatoes in a small baking dish, cover with liquid, and bake in oven at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. (Spoon the sauce over the potatoes a couple of times while baking.) Spoon the leftover glaze over the potatoes. Garnish with chives, and serve. Serves: 2
Per serving: 535 calories (percent of calories from fat, 1), 2 grams protein, 134 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 1 gram fat (trace saturated fat), no cholesterol, 85 milligrams sodium.
Andreas’ Swedish Cinnamon Buns
Vetebullar (wheat buns) are a staple of the Swedish kitchen and always on hand when you take a fika (coffee break). Revival executive chef Andreas Muller, who hails from Kristinehamn, Sweden, makes his vetebullar with cinnamon and cardamom and garnishes with pearl sugar (which can be found at specialty stores or ordered online). Sliced almonds would be a nice touch as well.
For the buns
7 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup natural cane sugar (may use granulated sugar)
1 1/2 teaspoons finely crushed cardamom seeds
1/4 teaspoon salt
For the filling
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup natural cane syrup (preferably Steen’s)
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons finely crushed cardamom seeds
For the topping
1 egg, beaten
Pearl sugar (may use Sugar in the Raw or other sprinkling sugar)
Melt the butter in a sauce pan, then stir in the milk. Heat to 110 degrees, or until just barely warm, about three minutes. (The milk-butter mixture should not be too hot, or it will kill the yeast.) In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in some of the warm liquid and set aside to bloom, about 15 minutes. In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, cardamom and salt. Add the rested yeast mixture along with the remaining butter and milk. Work together with your hands until you can make the dough into a ball. Transfer the dough to a flat surface and knead it until smooth and elastic, 3 to 5 minutes. The dough should feel moist, but if it sticks to your fingers, add a bit more flour. Place the dough in a bowl, cover and proof until double in size, about 1 hour.
Grease a large baking sheet.
Make the filling just ass the dough has finished rising. Using a spatula, cream the butter, syrup, cinnamon and cardamom until it is thoroughly combined.
When dough has finished rising, divide it in half. Return one-half to the bowl and cover. Lightly flour a flat surface or countertop. Place the remaining dough on the surface, and roll it out to an 11-by-17-inch rectangle.
Carefully spread half of the filling on top of the rolled-out dough so that it covers the entire area. Be sure to go all the way to the edges. Roll up the dough. Slice the roll into 15 to 18 equally sized slices, and place them on a baking sheet. Pinch the end of the roll to keep it from pulling away during baking. Repeat with second half of the dough. Proof again, covered, for 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 435 degrees.
Brush buns with beaten egg. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until just lightly brown. Serve warm. Makes: About 36 buns
Per bun: 118 calories (percent of calories from fat, 36), 2 grams protein, 17 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 5 grams fat (3 grams saturated), 18 milligrams cholesterol, 22 milligrams sodium.
