WORDS Anna Lowder
Remember the first time you realized “That Guy” existed? Maybe you were in the grips of teenage awkwardness, covered in braces and spots and trying like hell to just remember your locker combination, when you looked up and there he was: That Guy. The one that never looked worried and never felt nervous, who always smiled and was sincere and friendly to everyone. That guy that could ace the test, score the winning run, and get the cute girl - all in a day. And no matter how much you didn’t want to, you liked him just like everyone else did. He was just That Guy.
You’re all grown up now - maybe you are a designer or a lawyer or you sell things or you buy things. Truth is it doesn’t matter because, factoring in the unfavorable chances of probability, you still know a That Guy. This one’s just grown-up, successful at all of his many chosen fields, and is still annoyingly happy.
David Bancroft is That Guy. If he were a superhero, of which I can find no proof to the contrary, David would inevitably be SuperMan (I honestly tried the “Superhero Name Generator” but Mega Bat didn’t quite do it). There is simply nothing Chef David Bancroft cannot do. Sound hyperbolic? Perhaps, but when one human combines professional dominance, sharp intellect, gracious demeanor, wicked sense of humor, stunning good looks and is devoid of drama, I’m not sure what else to call him.
Let’s start by calling him “Bancroft” as his friends do, most of whom are culinary professionals or creatives, which says a lot considering the snarky, often cut-throat business of the modern US food scene. Ask any acclaimed regional chef (Chris Hastings or Alon Shaya) or serious up-and-comer (Rob McDaniel or Leo Maurelli III) who has worked with Bancroft and the adjectives are always the same: talented, driven, hard-working, together. Being a chef is often about possessing one of these traits, or two. But finding one that marries them all with a business mindset and communication skills to rival Anderson Cooper and you’re starting to see the picture.
This April, Bancroft and The Front Porch Revival (a prolific group of Alabama chefs, artisans and brewers) rolled into Florence, Alabama to join forces with The Alabama Slammers (a rag-tag baseball team made up of Billy Reid / Alabama Chanin folk) and battle The Texas Playboys (similar group from Austin). Baseball was possibly the sideshow but a great excuse for chefs, designers, artists and musicians to gather for four days. Watching Bancroft operate in a new town with a new cast of characters was a lesson in calm. Prepared with every ingredient and tool he needed, his menus were planned entirely in advance and his dishes complete before others had even shown up. We’re not talking over-played “this is the South: we love Bacon!” food. David hand-rolled xxx home-made merguez sausage & local collard green tamalés for one dinner, and still had time for seasonal tabletop displays, signage, hand-made pickles, hand-packed jams - he even stole the show playing in the baseball game. And when he finished his tasks, he helped out anyone that needed an extra hand. Same story, different city. Working events with David from the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival to Southern Makers and the Farm To Fork Food Invasion in Montgomery and getting to truly know him, I knew that guy was bound for something big. I was right.
That Guy is unveiling his new restaurant, Acre, this August in Auburn. His own restaurant as executive chef, partner and creator - entirely from the ground up on one acre of land. Not just any new restaurant, but a space that incorporates years of planning, layout design, pro-formas, menu edits, an in-fill building site, a renowned culinary team - and oh yes, an on-site garden - headed by Chef David Bancroft. Because when he’s not dazzling the national press (Food & Wine, Southern Living, Garden & Gun to name a few), David taught himself to cultivate everything from Southern staples to heirloom produce, herbs, and fruit trees. Now he’s bringing it all to the table for his guests to enjoy.
“Acre highlights new Alabama cuisine inspired by our Southern heritage,” says Bancroft. “The food is responsibly grown, harvested, sourced, and prepared by a staff that enjoys the extra dedication and labor required in our type of food. The menu moves with the rhythms of the seasons and the unpredictability of the harvest.”
As much as I detest national restaurant chains and the mediocrity they serve as food, they have enough money and marketing power to convince much of the US that they are “chef-driven” and train their culinary teams in “the kitchens of Italy” with only the “freshest ingredients” (Olive Garden and Applebees, I’m aiming at you). So how does an authentic chef and restaurant communicate real hands-in-the-dirt growing and support for local purveyors to the consumer? Bancroft believes the proof is in the locally-grown arugula. “I garden onsite so customers really believe what we are doing. It’s not out of pretense, but responsibility for the consumer. I enjoy knowing I can point outside to my customers’ food source and not at a box in the freezer. Actually, at the moment Acre doesn’t even have a freezer.”
Born in Mobile with farming and growing in his blood, his earliest food memories were formed around his grandmother’s table. “My grandfather farmed catfish, tilapia, pine trees, cotton, peanuts, cattle, chickens, and vegetables. But my biggest influence was definitely Mama Jean’s long farm table. An average lunch included: country ham, fried pork chops, cornbread dressing, zipper peas, butter beans, squash casserole, mashed potatoes & giblet gravy, fried cornbread, pecan pie, jello molds, and always a tub of Cool Whip!”
David is well aware it’s not always about vegetables in the South. Growing up in San Antonio, Texas, “I was surrounded by beef and awed by the art of slow smoking beef brisket.” He recalls his earliest experiments with cooking. “I used to toss a dry-rubbed brisket on the smoker early in the morning, leave for a double header baseball game (I was the catcher) return to feed the fire, invite the team over, and by mid-afternoon, we were crushing the perfect brisket.”
He since moved on to pig, rabbit, lamb, Gulf seafood, and game, to glowing reviews of his rabbit brunswick stew and self-cured chorizo from both journalists and his dedicated clientele. Yet he still weaves his Texas childhood influences into many of his progressive Southern dishes. Ghost chili salt, ruby-red beet hot sauce, crispy fish tacos, charred Mexican street corn: this is the adventurous side of Chef Bancroft that is setting him apart in his field. “I love Tex-Mex and true Mexican cuisine. Mexican tradition always leads to someones abuela in the kitchen. She is the epitome of scratch cooking,” he said. “I love the intensity of Latin spices and flavors, but mainly how Mexican cuisine uses fresh produce like we do in Alabama. The only difference between southern and Tex-Mex is more chilies and add tortillas,” he laughs.
His creativity is balanced with a behind-the-scenes understanding of all aspects of restaurant operations. From book keeping and cost controls to working salad and grill stations, from waiting tables in front of house to a savvy grasp of marketing and ease of communication skills, David combines technical expertise with time spent learning and improving until he masters a task, then moves on to the next challenge. After working in New Orleans learning “all things Creole,” he grasped the restaurant business and the local market at Auburn’s local Amsterdam Cafe, becoming head chef in just one year and stepping onto the Southern culinary stage. After five years at Amsterdam, Bancroft moved to his next chapter in the Fall of 2012: he began work on his dream restaurant - concept to bricks and mortar in just a few short months.
“My design started with the correct selection of land. I wanted to be able to grow on my land and plant an edible surrounding. Inside, the layout has many features from my favorite restaurants: I chose design elements from the most inspiring places I’ve visited across the South. Then, we tried to find ways to incorporate materials gathered from important parts of our family history. We wrapped the walls in solid oak from my grandfather’s farm where I hunt deer. We salvaged wood from a 100 year-old general store from my friend’s land where he and his family spent winters together.”
Acre has smart features. Not too large, not too small. A beautiful open bar, a private (but not isolated) dining room, a central room engaging the open kitchen and chef’s station, and outdoor dining area with a working hearth. It’s confident yet approachable, like the menu itself. Offering options for every type of guest - from the most conventional eater (The Family) to the most adventurous (The Foodie)- Bancroft knows his locale.
“Acre is two blocks from the famous Toomer’s Corner in downtown Auburn. We are in the central part of a college town that has a very specific restaurant market. We are trying to sneak adventurous foods that redefine the normal standards into a culture that is very used to college fare.” The components of Acre help him do that. “My favorite feature is definitely the outdoor fireplace / grill. It provides us an interactive and open kitchen concept and rewards us by getting to play with fire. Everybody likes that, right?”
“I think locals are excited about taking the journey with us. The community enjoys getting ‘fresh’ back on the plate. I think my friends know that my food philosophy is in their best interest. As soon as people see their neighbor’s name called out as a source on our menu, it really clicks.”
The chef-farmer experiment has produced another perk - this time for his family. “Being able to cook our backyard gives a reassurance that I can provide for our family without relying on fast-food restaurants. I can’t describe the feelings I experienced when my 1 1/2 year-old son waddled into my strawberry patch and started devouring berries with juices running down his chin!”
Father, husband, farmer, chef, entrepreneur, photographer, media darling. Check, check, check. So what’s next for Bancroft? Acre will open, critics will rave, diners will swoon, and he will grow an empire - mark my words. Bancroft is destined for television and magazine covers, and let’s be honest, he deserves it. Hard work and commitment sometimes do pay off. So let’s enjoy all that’s to come from, your guessed it, That Guy.
Acre opens August 29th.
Acre is located at 210 East Glenn Avenue, Auburn, AL 36830 • www.acreauburn.com