**Update: Chef John May is now working at a restaurant in Raleigh and The Boot has closed.
I’d say there’s a new chef in town, but he’s not actually new at all. John May was born and raised in Durham. His family roots run far and deep in our city – they owned the Imperial Building downtown over 100 year ago. Like many of us do, May moved on from his hometown to spread his wings and eventually landed as sous chef in Vivian Howard’s kitchen at Chef and the Farmer. Many of you know this Kinston, NC restaurant from the hit PBS documentary-style show, A Chef’s Life. Several years later, May and his wife found their way back to the Bull City and he recently began working as the executive chef at The Boot, an Italian restaurant located in the Rockwood Center off University Ave.
The Boot, created by the chef and owner of Geer Street Garden, opened doors in November 2014 and presents itself as a casual, family-friendly Italian eatery. While that’s still the case in many ways, the new chef is already making some exciting changes and taking a more farm-to-fork approach.
Chef May is using more local and seasonal ingredients and talks excitedly about the bounty of produce he brings back and cooks with from the Durham Farmers Market (which is so much larger than the one in the small town of Kinston).
Seasonally-inspired specials and new menu items are being introduced slowly, so as not to appear to appear too shocking, but we can expect The Boot’s menu to become more seasonal, local and refined over time, and that’s something we’re excited about.
Classic Italian dishes are known for their heavy use of sauces and filling carbs, but what we like about some of the changes Chef May is bringing to the table at The Boot, is the use of light and fresh sauces and dressings, like carrot and cauliflower puree, local Boxcar cheese feta foam, and Piedmont Biofarm greens.
The special they ran on the night we dined: asparagus, pickled celery, and lamb bacon, was one of our favorites – a perfect blend of flavors. All the salads we tried were inspired by the fresh and colorful bounty of spring and a perfect light compliment to some of the naturally “heavier” Italian entrees and pastas.
Chef’s are creatives, and when done well, what they create resonates from the plate to your palate. On this night, Chef May was using up the last bit of a whole lamb they had and presented us with local procuitto-wrapped lamb sausage rounds. He also found a creative use for jars of pickled peppers that owner Andy Magowan had canned last year, adding them to the whole wheat broccoli alfredo pasta dish and giving it a flavorful spicy end note.
Even the plates and bowls themselves are local, from a potter who only makes them for Chef May and Chef Gettles from Piedmont restaurant. May jokes about the bond between chefs who share a potter. And it certainly helps with the beautiful, rustic yet refined presentation of the food.
A lot of people make the trek to Kinston to dine at Chef and the Farmer and now we’re lucky to have some of that experience right here in our own backyard. For those who tried The Boot before, we recommend trying it again and asking about the specials or about what’s new on the menu. We look forward to seeing more from Chef May and welcome his talent back to the Bull City.
Photos: Tommie Watson Photography
Treat Harvey says
John took such great care of us at Chef & the Farmer — can’t wait to eat at the Boot now that he’s back in Durham!