have sliced raw onions and raw jalapeno,” he says. “Food was the center, because it was something we did ourselves through hard work, and it cost nothing but the sweat.” Hutton landed his first job when he was 16 as a line cook at Sonic; naturally, he loved it. A mentor gave him a copy of Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential, and after reading it, Hutton decided culinary school was his path. He worked odd kitchen jobs around OKC until he met his now-wife, Kayla Shenod, when he was nearly out of culinary school; Shenod bartended downtown. Their immediate connection deepened when they began working together less than a year later. Hutton describes the experience and their shared work ethic as “a pushing match to be better every day.” After completing an offer to spend a year in Arkansas restructuring two restaurants, the couple returned to Oklahoma and opened a brand new concept for the company. What happened next shifted the course of their lives for good: Hutton suffered from a severe case of pancreatitis and spent a month in the ICU. After three weeks in a medically-induced coma, he shocked the doctors with his recovery. Following two and a half months of rehabilitation, Hutton knew he needed to get back to work ... he just didn’t know where to look. Call it coincidence, fate or just dumb luck, but while driving around Oklahoma City searching for opportunities, he stopped at Scratch Kitchen and Cocktails on Paseo on the very day that they were holding their soft opening. Shorthand: they hired him on the spot. Over time, Hutton’s responsibilities
grew to the point where he became a salaried employee and eventually the head chef. Shenod runs the front of the house and bar program. When COVID-19 became a threat to the industry, the couple devoted all their energy to keeping the business alive. Scratch is now truly a family affair. As well as being joined by Hutton’s twin brother Ben as Scratch’s sous chef, the couple took original partner Brady Sexton’s offer to buy a majority share in the Paseo location of the restaurant in 2021. In the wake of all of these changes, one thing remains the same: Hutton’s connection to Oklahoma and the food that grows here. The menu reflects that in seasonal shifts and in every step towards taking his menu from 85% locally sourced to 100% by the end of 2022. “We are proud of our work and proud of where we are from; my food has a link to most Oklahomans,” says Hutton. “It has southern and native roots and can exist outside of the usual infrastructure.” AMANDA JANE SIMCOE
Above: A popular family meal at Scratch is the bacon-wrapped meatloaf, smashed red potatoes and cheesy broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts. Left: Another family meal contains braised shortrib, smoked tomato marinara, cavatappi pasta, fresh basil and grilled sourdough. Photos courtesy Scratch
TA S T E | L O C A L F L AV O R
Photo courtesy Chippers
TA S T E | F I R S T BI T E
CHIPPERS SEAFOOD AND SOUTHERN “I opened my own restaurant in Cleveland when I was nineteen,” says pastor Ken Johnson. “I was just a kid – didn’t know what I was doing. I’d taste food in my mind and then I’d go back and create the recipe.” Then life caught up with him. A car crash took his leg, and almost his life. He turned to religion, studied at Rhema Bible College, and for twelve years had his own church in a hardscrabble Cleveland neighborhood. He still has a traveling ministry, preaching just this year in California and Florida, but he and his five children have settled in Tulsa now. Through it all, he never stopped cooking. “My dad used to cook us a lot of delicious things,” says his daughter and the restaurant manager, Christa Johnson. “We always told him to open his own restaurant.” And now he has. First as a food truck, then as pop-ups at Mother Road Market, and finally in its own place as Chippers Seafood and Southern, a rather elegant south Tulsa space with Pompeiian red walls that used to house Michael V’s. Though the restaurant is billed as casual seafood and southern, the food lives up to its fine-dining setting. The one pound seafood stuffed potato features a lavish portion of tasty shrimp, covered with a rich yet delicate sauce that, though called “Cajun Alfredo” on the menu, is more like a classic French sauce mornay. The menu features lots of pastas, fish dishes, steaks and burgers, with tempting sides like candied yam soufflé and collard greens with smoked turkey. Johnson also does a fine job with fried chicken and catfish. “I created everything on the menu,” he says. “I perfected the flavors, and I do my best to guarantee excellence, consistency and quality.” BRIAN SCHWARTZ
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