The impact of a person doing what God created them specifically to do is a powerful thing. I got to be on the receiving end of that recently, so I thought I would share it with you. This past weekend I had a great little road trip/getaway with 2 good friends, Alison and Blackwell. One of Blackwell’s old roommates is a chef who now owns 2 restaurants in the mountains of Georgia, and he invited Blackwell to bring a couple of friends up to visit. So Saturday we took him up on the offer and made the 3 1/2 hour drive to Clarkesville. We arrived at lunchtime and met Jeremy at the first of the restaurants, Hawg Wild BBQ. Jeremy welcomed us, sat us down, and proceeded to have us brought out what must have been almost every item on the menu! Ribs, pulled pork, catfish, slaw, beans, sweet potato casserole, hushpuppies, and more. He was like a kid showing off a new toy… telling us about each item and how they make it, including the 5 sauces they make from scratch. We ate till we were more than full, and it was all great! And to top it all off when it was time to go, Jeremy wouldn’t accept a dime from us for any of it. Too generous.
After lunch we rode up to Lake Burton where the 2nd restaurant, a fine dining establishment called Water’s Edge is located. Jeremy went in to prep for dinner and we got a pontoon tour of the lake from Shanna his wife. The lake and the houses on it are beautiful, and we even had the laugh of getting caught in a little rain. After taking our stuff up to the cabin we were sleeping in, showering and changing into nice clothes, we headed down to Water’s Edge for another amazing meal.
To get an idea of what it was like, imagine the best tasting food that you have ever put into your mouth and imagine that every single item at the table tasted that good. Shrimp and grits, fried green tomatoes, spinach and chicken flatbread, gumbo, salads, filet mignon, grilled trout, shrimp fettucini, butterfinger cheesecake, crepes, and key lime pie. Everything was literally perfect. Alison became the plate envy of everyone at the table with the Filet, which was the best I have ever tasted. Jeremy was busy in the kitchen, but Shanna and the servers took awesome care of us the whole time. I could hardly even imagine a better meal. After the restaurant slowed down, Jeremy got to come out and sit down with us while we drowned him in compliments. And again… he wouldnt let us pay for a thing.
I know this has been a long story and it might even be starting to sound like a commercial for Jeremy’s restaurants. But its not. The point of all this is, this weekend I got to experience the results of someone who is passionate about what they do. Jeremy has been to culinary school, and is obviously a great chef. But what takes the experience to a whole new level is the passion and gusto that he puts into it. You can see in his eyes the enjoyment he gets from wowing people with his amazing food creations. John Eldridge says in “Wild at Heart” to find the thing that makes you come alive and go do that, because what the world needs is people who are alive. People like Jeremy inspire me, and I look forward to the day when I discover what makes me “come alive” like that.
