It’s been seven years since chef Ron Hsu, alongside his siblings and business partner, opened Lazy Betty in Atlanta’s Candler Park neighborhood:
The restaurant quickly rose to fame, eventually moving to Midtown and being awarded a Michelin star. But the story starts much earlier, with Ron’s mother inspiring not only the name of the restaurant but also its atmosphere.
“Everything she did for me growing up really informed what we ended up doing at Lazy Betty,” Hsu said.
In his debut cookbook “Down South + East,” Hsu describes his upbringing as the child of “a legendary matriarch of a Chinese restaurant empire in Georgia.” As Hsu developed his career, a mix of Chinese and Southern cultures emerged in his recipes: think watercress pot likker, pimento cheese with scallion pancakes and soy-braised chicken.
Chef Hsu joined Wednesday’s “Closer Look” to recommend some recipes ahead of the book’s March 17 release.
