Chef Shahin Afsharian, currently living, working and exploring the restaurant scene in Savannah, Georgia. Shahin is the Cooking School Executive Chef at the Mansion on Forsyth Park.

What’s it like to be a chef in a new city, getting to know the culinary scene like any new resident? Whether we’re traveling somewhere new, or putting down roots, it’s exciting to explore the different restaurants in a new place. As home cooks, we judge a place on the atmosphere, the menu selection and the food itself. But when you’re a chef traveling or moving somewhere new, you walk through the door with a completely different perspective. You know what it takes to create a menu, what the costs are, what the challenges are in the kitchen and what went into creating every plate of food that gets delivered to a table. Does that change the way you look at the restaurants and the staff?

When my friend, chef Shahin Afsharian left Colorado, where I enjoyed many wonderful meals made by him, to move to Savannah, Georgia for a new job, I grew curious. What’s it like to get to know your new home’s culinary scene when you have insider understanding. What can we all learn about exploring restaurants when we’re new in town? And what is Chef Shahin doing with some of the ingredients, like grits, that are brand new to him?

Click here for our podcast conversation and get to know Chef Shahin Afsharian. 

Remember, you can subscribe to all of our podcasts on iTunes, Spotify, Player FM and other podcast streaming services. 

Hungry for more? Learn about a place to camp that feels like wilderness but is just a short drive away from Savannah. Find out where to find one of the most distinctive distilleries in the country, in Savannah. And figure out the best ways to explore Savannah when you and your traveling companion have very different interests.