JAMES

What activities/art-form did you pick up as a kid that shaped you into the artist you are today ? In what way do YOU think it shaped you ?

“I Never had any skills or talents I was ever good at as a kid. At least not until I was about 14 when I got my first real job, washing dishes and peeling shrimp for a little restaurant on Tybee called Coco‘s. The owner was a friend of the family and she was kind enough to give me my first gig. I peeled about 100 pounds of shrimp a day along with washing dishes five days a week during the summer in high school. I was just a teenager working with a group of guys much older than me. They were the closest thing to pirates I’ve ever seen. But damn could they cook. I learned I enjoyed being around food and it gave me some sense of purpose. To this day I can still peel shrimp faster than anybody I know.”

Were you picked on as a child? If so how? How do you think that affected your life today as an artist?

“I was pretty viciously bullied and harassed when I was young. I’ve always had a speech impediment as far back as I can remember. It ostracized me pretty hard from other kids in a very cliquish small school. It definitely made me one of the outcast. I always held chefs in such high regard, mixed with a little bit of fear as well. Getting my chance to work with these guys and talk with him when I was young, was one of the most exhilarating things and gave me some of that drive as I got older through all my difficulties as a kid. It’s built me into a pretty decent chef today.”

What daily activity makes you feel most connected to your hands within your Art-form?

“75% of my job is working with my hands the other 20% is communication which is something I am still to this day not the best at. But I’ve sense had many years of practice.  a chef or even a cook must be able to turn something into something else, a sort of alchemy. You do that through use of your hands and other tools and even sometimes heat and cold, but it’s all with the use of your hands. As far as daily activities go I’ve always felt that this profession makes me a sort of craftsman, and I still envy others that are proficient in carpentry and other skills that require extensive use of your hands. They are my everything and God forbid I lose one or chop off another finger…”

What do you appreciate most about how YOUR art makes you feel?

“In a world where indulgence and satisfaction is everything the pleasure you get from a good meal and a great drink either shared with someone you love, or even just close friends brings people closer together. It gives you the opportunity to spend more time together and even serves as a meeting point for a lot of events in life. It’s real hard to get people to gather these days. we all live such busy lives, but if you put in a group chat, “hey we’re all gonna go get a bite to eat at this new place”, nine times out of 10 everybody will try and show up. The joy you can get from eating with others is unparalleled. I love being semi responsible for something like that. Getting the chance to spend time with others and people you love over a hot meal has been a prevalent event for most of history. Having a hand in that brings me a lot of joy.”

What pushes you to be a better artist today?

“Honestly it used to be the need for constant improvement. The driving force behind doing what we do is that we get paid for it and if you’re good at it, you get paid more. at some point the desires of the heart outweigh the need for more things, for more money. A healthy balance is necessary in order to not burn out or become too complacent with mediocrity. What pushes me to be a better artist every day ultimately is the people you surround yourself with. Your friends, your family, your loved ones your coworkers. If you tend to keep good company, you tend to do right by others and they tend to reciprocate that back. You push each other forward. I’ve been lucky enough to be surrounded by extremely talented individuals for most of my career. essentially they are what drive me to be better. You can only find so much motivation from within.”

BONUS QUESTIONS.

Do you have any tattoos ? If so, which is your favorite and why?

“Definitely, my favorite tattoo is my forearm. I’ve always been obsessed with imagery of the Grim Reaper and one of my favorite artists. Micah Ulrich has a pretty cool depiction of a guy at a bar, smoking a cigarette and drinking a martini. I can really relate to that.”

Do you have any scars? What is the story on them?

“I have more scars than I’d like to count, from hot oil burns to hot pans to knives and mandolins, to boiling water in your shoes. Used to think scars make you cool but now I realize scars just keep track of all of your mistakes. I don’t think they’re as cool as they used to be to me, but boy have I made plenty of mistakes.”

What grounds you?

“The unavoidable fact that I will die someday and I’ll never know when that will be.”

If you have any advice to the world, what would you say?

“Be kind to one another. That’s it. Keep it nice and simple.”

What would your death row last meal be?

“It would have to be at least a 2 Lb Italian grass fed Steak Frittes prepared by an Italian grandmother and a whole bottle of red wine. And a bunch of unpopped popcorn.”