Duane Nutter spent his first seven years or so in Morgan City, Louisiana, but his mother later moved the family to Seattle in search of schools that could help with his dyslexia. Their new home exposed Duane to a world of international flavors, but his mother never lost her love for Southern food, even going so far as to ship in certain spices and ingredients like andouille sausage at a time when that wasn’t easy to do. As a result, Duane developed a taste for cooking that straddled different worlds. After some stints in a few Seattle restaurants, he eventually moved to Atlanta to work with the legendary Chef Darryl Evans at the Four Seasons Hotel, and he then accepted a position as Executive Chef at One Flew South, an oasis of quality dining for travelers passing through the Atlanta Airport. His latest restaurant, Southern National, was recognized by Yelp! in 2024 as one of the best new restaurants in the South, and now he’s got a new cookbook called Cutting Up in the Kitchen. Sid talks to Duane about his double life as a comedian, what it was like serving Maya Angelou, and why it took so long to get his citrus pound cake just exactly right.

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