Herbed Corn — The Side That Belongs on Every Table That Matters

The Nashville Scene article generated something unexpected: a call from a television producer. Not a big call — a local call. A Nashville morning show segment. "Nashville Today" on Channel 5. They want to feature Sarah's Table in a three-minute segment about local restaurants. THREE MINUTES. On television. My food on TELEVISION. My face on TELEVISION. Earline's cornbread on TELEVISION.

The segment filmed Wednesday. A camera crew in the restaurant (the six stools were rearranged to accommodate cables). The host, a woman named Karen who has the energy of someone who has been caffeinated since 4 AM, asked me to make cornbread on camera. ON CAMERA. I stood at my stove in my restaurant on live television and I made Earline's cornbread and the camera watched my hands and my hands did what they always do: measure, mix, pour, bake. The hands don't know about cameras. The hands just know about cornbread. The cornbread doesn't know about television. The cornbread just knows about heat and iron and the woman who holds the spoon. I made cornbread on television and the world didn't change but my mother called me three seconds after the segment aired and said: "SARAH ANNE MITCHELL, YOU WERE ON THE TV." The TV. Mama said TV the way she says church: with reverence and the absolute certainty that being on it matters.

The segment aired and the line on Thursday was twenty people deep. TWENTY. More than the Nashville Scene article. Television reaches people who don't read food blogs. Television reaches Mama's demographic: women who watch morning shows and trust the hosts and drive to restaurants because Karen on Channel 5 said the cornbread was good. Karen's endorsement is worth: approximately $3,000 in additional revenue this week. Karen is the most valuable customer I've never served. Karen told Nashville to eat my food and Nashville listened because Nashville trusts Karen the way I trust Mama: completely, without question, because the woman has never steered them wrong.

Chloe was in the segment. Briefly. The camera panned to her making the Bites and the host said: "And this is Chloe, the eleven-year-old who created the Nashville Hot Cornbread Bites, which have become one of the restaurant's most popular items." Chloe, on television, making cornbread bites. The girl who started copying recipe cards at nine was on Channel 5 at eleven. She watched the segment later on her phone and said: "The lighting was wrong. They should have used side lighting." The girl critiqued the TELEVISION LIGHTING. The Chief Photo Officer has standards that exceed broadcast production values. I love her. I'm terrified of her. Both things. Forever both things.

After a week where Earline’s cornbread made it onto Channel 5 and Mama called me saying “THE TV” like it was a sacred institution, I kept coming back to what I love most about corn as an ingredient: it doesn’t need much to be extraordinary. This Herbed Corn recipe is the kind of side dish Earline would have put on the table without ceremony — fresh, fragrant, and ready before anyone thought to ask for it. If the cornbread is what Nashville saw on Wednesday, this is what the kitchen smells like the rest of the week.

Herbed Corn

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 10 min | Total Time: 20 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 4 ears fresh corn, husked and kernels cut from the cob (about 3 cups)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh chives, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Instructions

1. Prep the corn. Cut kernels from the cobs using a sharp knife, holding each ear upright in a wide bowl to catch the kernels and any milk from the cob.
2. Build the base. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter with the olive oil. Once the butter is foamy, add the minced garlic and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute until fragrant but not browned.
3. Cook the corn. Add the corn kernels to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 6—8 minutes until the corn is tender and just beginning to caramelize at the edges.
4. Add the herbs. Remove the skillet from heat. Stir in the chives, thyme, and parsley. Drizzle with the lemon juice and toss to combine.
5. Taste and serve. Adjust seasoning as needed. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with an extra pinch of fresh chives. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 165 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Carbs: 21g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 210mg