Today we’d like to introduce you to Steven Lingenfelter.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I learned a lot about southern cooking from my mom and both of my grandmothers, all originally from Louisville, Kentucky. Everything they made was from scratch, tasting was a must and they always seasoned their food with salt. As a kid, I watched a lot of cooking shows like Yan Can Cook, Julia Child and Justin Wilson. Over summer vacations, my sister would film me on our dad’s giant VHS recorder. Since my parent’s tastes weren’t super adventurous, I would seek out and try to make any kind of food that we didn’t normally eat at home. Maybe for that reason, my favorite type of food to cook and eat would be Chinese and Japanese food.
After graduating high school, I went on to culinary school in New England where my grandmothers’ teachings were revisited and I was introduced to classic French cooking techniques. When I finished college, I returned to Atlanta and held positions at local restaurants such as Spotted Trotter, Veni Vedi Vici, Alluvia at The Cheetah Lounge and Antica Posta.
Then, in 2009, I started a rogue underground food company to avoid getting burnt out from the industry completely. My fiancé and partner, Laurie and I began making our favorite foods from scratch and gained a cult following. We had some success with this really rich, 40% milk fat ice cream that we sold to friends and coworkers by the pint. One of the most popular flavor combinations was one we called APD – espresso ice cream with pieces of Krispy Kreme doughnuts and candied bacon in it. We were also fermenting and bottling our own hot sauce, cooking whole hogs and even ran a few under-the-radar taco stands!
In 2013, we were offered the opportunity to take over the kitchen in a bar on Edgewood Avenue. We ran there for about 15 months and during that time, were voted as having the best burger by both Business Insider and Zagat. We outgrew that spot and found our own place in Virginia Highland. Despite many accolades (including two major network features) and a mass of new fans, the location wasn’t working and we closed after 2.5 years.
After some well-deserved rest, and a little regrouping, we’ve begun holding pop-ups around town, serving everything from tacos to ramen to banh mi sandwiches. We do have a couple other things in the works that are in the early stages but that we are pretty excited about!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Anyone who is a small business owner knows that it is a full-time job plus some. Finding qualified and reliable workers is a perpetual challenge. Having the resources and support to be able to step back and work on the business instead of in the business is always a trying task when you are an owner/operator. It may be a cliché, but you have to wear many hats to get through the day sometimes!
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Illegal Food and Mouth Of The South – what should we know?
Our specialty is delicious food made from scratch. We got our start serving burgers made from a single animal origin grind. Meaning we’d butcher half a cow in-house and from that, we’d create our proprietary blend of ground beef. Our burgers, specifically the Hank, helped to put us on the map and landed on many “Best Of” lists locally and nationally. The Hank is basically an homage to the classic backyard burger and was also inspired by a favorite served out of a roller rink I frequented as a child. It incorporates melty American cheese, special sauce, our tangy fridge pickle, crunchy shredded iceberg and sweet onion on a toasty bun.
Alongside the burgers, we sold hand-cut fries (these were cut in-house daily, soaked, blanched and then fried to order) that we’d topped with creative, international ingredients. One of our most popular and featured items was our Okonomiyaki style fries. The toppings originate from a savory Japanese pancake. Shredded seaweed, bonito flakes, pickled ginger, toasted sesame seeds, scallions, house mayo, fermented chili sauce and a sweet Worcestershire-like sauce all translate well on top of French fries!
But burgers and fries aren’t all we are known for. Besides making everything from scratch, butchering beef and pork weekly, we also produced our own condiments such as mayo, catsup, pickles and mustard. We also cured and smoked our bacon in-house, tied and dried salamis, made beef jerky, smoked meats and stuffed and linked sausages and hot dogs.
We tried to serve as much diverse food as possible to keep things interesting for us and our guests. The products available at market, and from our purveyors and farmers, all dictated what we would serve as specials that week!
Many fans were excited about the enormous cuts of meat that we would serve, specifically our tomahawk steak. The steaks ranged from 45oz to 7lb depending on the size of the cow that week. Many heads would turn when we brought it into the dining room and people loved being able to share it with everyone at their table.
Once we served Kung Pao Bullfrog and the more adventurous eaters were invited into the kitchen to pick out their frog, watch us dispatch it and prepare it in front of them. Minutes later they were enjoying their fresh dish!
Whether it’s putting our own spin on a dish we tried while eating out or creating something original, we make food that we like to eat. And we like to have fun with our food, serving high-quality dishes without any stuffiness. Our background is solidly DIY and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Our family and friends have been extremely supportive, whether it is just listening and offering advice or pulling a shift with us at a festival! They’ve been there for us since we started the business and we are very grateful for that.
The guests that have come out to eat with us since we started in 2013 have been amazing. We’ve gained so many close friends that began as our customers! And we love meeting new people that decide to take a chance and try our food.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mouthofthesouthatl.com
- Email: mouthofthesouthatl@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mouthofthesouth_atl/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mouthofthesouthatlanta/
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