Fresh food is expected fare at the average farmers' market. But on Saturday, the last day of the Texarkana Farmers' Market for 2019, local celebrity chef Jeff Loving served up a breakfast feast for attendees, ladling out portions of fresh eggs, biscuits and gravy, potatoes and tomatoes. And in the spirit of the farmers' market, all were made with local ingredients.
"I'm all about the farmers' market," said Loving, serving up yet another steaming ladle of gravy for his biscuits as eggs cooked gently in a pan. "I'm usually working on Saturdays, but I had a chance to help out today. I hope they get to the point where they can be open more. Support local!" he said.
Loving, an experienced cook and restaurateur, has been plying his trade for 30 years, 16 of them in Texarkana. Brickhouse Burgers in Central Mall and the Twisted Fork are two local creations to his name. And now he operates Chef On the Run, his catering service.
"I started that in 2009, wanted to slow things down a bit; that's the reason for the mobile service," he said.
He originally got started in the cooking business part-time and ended up getting experience all over the world, traveling with his father, who was a career Navy officer and took him all over the world. He got to learn cooking under a wide variety of circumstances and meet lots of people in the business. He realized this was his calling.
"I was good at it," he said. "And I loved the camaraderie. My fellow cooks and I are knuckleheads. Knuckleheads are fun."
Loving turned to chat with the waiting, hungry shoppers, making sure they were served with a smile and a quip.
"I've taught cooking classes, emphasize customer interaction," he said. "I love showing folks how a chef does business, how a chef thinks. It is all about the passion, the creativity, the consistency, good work and communicating with your staff, that's how a good chef does it."
Moving the customers through, reflecting upon the cuisine chosen, he said preparation was the key to the farmers' market breakfast.
"You just get set up for ease of preparation. Hey, its breakfast," he said.