“WORKING AT BLACKBERRY FARM KIND OF TOLD ME HOW TO TELL A STORY ABOUT FOOD,” MR. FABER SAID. “BUT WE WANTED TO TELL A MORE PERSONAL STORY. THAT’S WHAT TOOK US TO UKRAINE.”
- Chef Laurence Faber
for The New York Times
TALKING FOOD AT 1900 is a series at 1900 aimed to engage, challenge, and educate on a variety of topics in the food world, hosted by the 1900 Building and food writer and photographer, Bonjwing Lee.
For our latest installment of this series, we are excited to welcome Laurence Faber, owner and chef of Potchke Deli, and Emily Williams of Lesser Babka. Laurence and Emily make comfort food - specifically Eastern European Jewish comfort food. These Talking Food weekends are always interesting and fun, with multiple events to take advantage of:
SAT. 3/9 - Talking Shtetl Food with Potchke Deli’s Laurence Faber
4:30pm - 5:30pm
Our goal with every Talking Food is to educate; the talks are always interesting, insightful, entertaining - and there will be laughs. It’s the perfect thing to do on a Saturday!
SAT. 3/9 - A Very Potchke Deli Dinner Party with Chef Laurence Faber and Chef Linda Duerr
6:00pm - 9:00pm
If the idea of a fabulous evening of elevated Jewish food sounds good to you, then this is for you. Expect multiple courses and a lot of fun. Your ticket for the dinner includes the ticket for the talk.
SUN. 3/10 - Sunday Morning BlintzeDemo
10:30am - 12:00pm
There are only 25-seats total for this intimate and interactive event with Laurence. This will take place in Modern Culinary, our cool new demonstration space located on the first floor of 1900 Building.
ABOUT LAURENCE FABER AND EMILY WILLILAMS
Born in Memphis, Laurence began his cooking career at Dancing Bear Lodge and then at Blackberry Farm, where he worked as a savory Sous Chef and then as the Executive Pastry Chef of The Barn at Blackberry Farm. With his fiancé Emily Williams, the two currently run one of the few Jewish Delis in the state of Tennessee.
After eight years with the Blackberry family, Laurence joined Emily with her home bakery business, Lesser Babka, which gained a cult following in Knoxville. Following a series of popups, Laurence and Emily traveled to Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia in 2021 on a research trip to understand the culinary traditions of the region and connect with the Jewish heritage of his family. After returning stateside, Laurence and Emily began working on their forthcoming project to be announced this year. Meanwhile, Potchke, which opened as a 1-year culinary residency in the historic Regas Building of Knoxville has experienced growth from a residency to a permanent fixture in downtown Knoxville’s culinary scene.
Currently, Laurence and Emily are finalizing their dinner concept and plan to begin construction soon.
ABOUT BONJWING LEE
Bonjwing Lee is a photographer, writer, and editor based in Kansas City, Missouri.Known for his distinct photojournalistic and storytelling approach to food and travel in particular, Bonjwing primarily works as a commercial photographer focused on the hospitality industry. His clients have included restaurants and luxury resorts and properties, both foreign and domestic, as well international products and service brands. Bonjwing's work has appeared in numerous publications, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Architectural Digest, GQ, Food + Wine Magazine, Bon Appetit Magazine, and two cookbooks.
Bonjwing holds a Bachelor of Science from Northwestern University and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Michigan Law School.
Far From the Fighting, A Tennessee Deli Nurtures Its Ties to Ukraine - The New York Times
*****
”POTCHKE means to fuss around in the kitchen, to dwaddle, to waste time. and that’s precisely what we’re here to do. Think of Potchke as Lesser Babka’s older brother with a bingo addiction and a taste for egg creams, currently schmoozing with your Bubbe on Del Boca Vista’s racquetball court.”
