Island Pantry
Chef Sean Priester cooks Southern style

By Kaui Philpotts

Nobody, if they can help it, goes downtown on a Sunday morning. That's what's made the success of The Wild Mushroom on Richards Street so astounding. Live jazz fills the Spanish colonial courtyard of the YWCA at 1040 Richards St. as a faithful clientele down cream biscuits, pan-fried catfish and grits with their scrambled eggs.

But this Sunday, after a two-year run, chef/owner Sean Priester will close down the restaurant, which operates during the week as the Y's Cafe Laniakea. The popular spot has been open in partnership with the YWCA as a working business model to support promising entrepreneurs — Priester in particular, who now plans to seek a new location.

Although his roots are Southern, Priester traveled with his Army family. But his culinary tastes and spirit were inspired by his grandfather during visits to his home in South Carolina. As simple as it was, everything on his grandfather's table just tasted so darn good.

He began working in Hawai'i kitchens at places like Sunset Grill and the Honolulu Club before he was given the opportunity to try his business idea at the Y. There, he begins with classic dishes, then tries to find a way to give them a twist and make it his own.

Catfish was a tough sell, though, until he got people to try it, then they would came back again and again. With some dishes, the simplest preparation works best, he says: "I tried to do all kinds of things with the catfish, but cornmeal, flour and Old Bay seasoning is still the best." Catfish is available here at Garden & Valley Isle Seafood, and sometimes at Tamashiro Market, or in Chinatown. When he can't find it, he substitutes trout, or any firm, white fish, such as papio.

He also likes to work with the attributes of a specific food. Blackeyed peas, for example, cook into a rich, thick broth, so he makes them into a gravy for biscuits. His gumbo can easily stand on its own, but he also uses it as a foundation, adding duck one time, ham hocks another, sometimes chicken or seafood.

As we await Priester's new location, here are recipes.

Pan-fried Catfish

• Vegetable oil
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 cup flour
• 4 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
• 4 catfish fillets or papio

Cover the bottom of a skillet with vegetable oil; heat to medium-high. In a mixing bowl or shallow pan, combine cornmeal, flour and Old Bay seasoning. Coat each fillet on each side and shake off the excess. Fry the catfish until golden brown and crispy — 4-5 minutes on each side, turning once. Serves 2 to 4.

Spicy Gourmet Sausage Gumbo

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 green bell peppers, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 round onions, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-1/2 pounds gourmet sausage, turkey, chicken or andouille*
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 teaspoons thyme
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1-2 tablespoons creole seasoning
• 1-1/2 cups flour
• 4 quarts chicken stock
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Place chicken stock in a pot and heat over medium heat until warm.

Meanwhile, In a large saucepan, heat oil and add peppers, celery and onions. Saute, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, bay leaves, thyme, chili powder and creole seasoning and continue cooking and stirring for 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle flour over seasoned vegetables and stir until it begins to brown, forming a roux as it mixes with the oil and vegetables. Slowly add warm chicken stock. Simmer about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. If the sauce is too thick, add water. If too thin, make more roux on the side using 2 parts flour to 1 part butter.

Add the sausage, duck or chicken. Heat through. Garnish with fresh parsley. Serve on a biscuit with scrambled. Serves 6-8.

*Note: Gourmet packaged sausages such as Gerhard's and Aidells already are cooked.

Ham Hocks and Blackeyed Peas

• 2 pounds ham hocks
• 1 cup dried blackeyed peas, rinsed
• 8 cups water
• 3/4 cup onion
• 3/4 cup celery
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/8 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and pepper to taste

Remove meat from ham hocks. Boil bones with the blackeyed peas until tender (see package instructions for timing). Remove the bones; reserve the stock.

In a saucepan, saute onion, celery, garlic and meat from the hocks in the oil for about 10 minutes. Add butter and flour, stirring and cooking to make a blond roux. Add the spices and herbs and the cooked peas with 3-4 cups of the liquid in which the ham hocks and peas were cooked (more if needed) until the gravy is the consistency you want. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with the catfish. Serves 4.