Chef Eddie Hernandez and I really thought it was a good idea. We really liked the idea of chatting on a warm spring day on the enclosed, empty patio at the Howell Mill Road location of Taqueria Del Sol in Atlanta. The birds were so peaceful, we said, and it’s quiet out here, we said. But there is nothing quiet in the world of Eddie Hernandez. This energetic man has been going full tilt since the age of 16 when he started a music career, and so, sitting in his world for a mere 30 minutes, we heard traffic, the sound of increasing guests lining up waiting for him to unlock the restaurant doors, restaurant staff discussing mopping, a train, and well, that’s all the stuff I couldn’t cut out, except for the birds. Oh, the damn birds. But … for some of you out there, Eddie’s story might be one of the most important ones you ever hear on The Southern Fork. He’s not just a man who used to play music; he’s a man who believes food, and cooking, saved his life. Around the 10 minute mark we get into some heavy talk about a decision he made to change his life, and how he’s opened a new world because of it. And yes, there’s talk of tortillas and collard greens too. You’re invited to the patio to join us; just take mind of the birds.