Sea Island Life Magazine Spring/Summer 2014 | Page 10

seasonal flavors

a

Buffalo chicken sandwich with homemade pickles
from the Men’s Locker Room at Sea Island

Chef Shane
Whiddon prepares
Colt & Alison’s
Poulet Rouge
chicken.

GAME ON:
CHICKEN

CHEFS ARE LEADING THE CHARGE TO SHOWCASE
SPIRITED POULTRY ENTRÉES THIS SEASON.
BY NEAL WEBSTER TURNAGE

roasted chicken entrée appears
on menus across all gastronomic
scales. The bird has a history as
a staple in all cuisines for good
reason, according to Shane Whiddon, chef de
cuisine at The Lodge’s Colt & Alison at Sea
Island. It’s a fail-safe staple, a crowd pleaser
that speaks through a diversity of palates and
cultures. This season, other familiar—and
not-so-familiar—chicken preparations are
poised to take leading roles over roasting.
Taste buds will be surprised as they become
acquainted with the latest chicken dishes.
Tempting diners most during the spring
and summer months at Sea Island are multiple masterpieces that have a genesis in the
highest-quality poultry. A determination to
bring Sea Island guests a taste of “chicken
from the good old days” led Whiddon to Joyce
Farms, a small family farm in North Carolina
that began raising and selling its chickens in
1962. Focusing on Old World breeds, the farm
supplies chickens according to Label Rouge,
an artisan label established and approved by
French authorities in 1965 with standards
that select hardy breeds for their meat quality
and slow growth. In order to qualify for such
recognition, the chickens must be produced
using free-range methods and cannot be used
for culinary purposes until 81 to 110 days
old—twice as long as the industry standard.
Colt & Alison serves Joyce’s Poulet Roug B