MORE THAN A COUPLE OF CHEFS

More Than a Couple Chefs of

Married in May, Hunter and Mikki begin every morning and end every evening on their deck overlooking Twin Lakes.

Hunter Wills and Mikki Hudson Wills begin every morning and end every evening on their beautiful new deck overlooking Twin Lakes. A haven from their hectic work schedules, these two live year-round on the lake. With the schedules these two chefs keep, peace before and after work has become essential. Hunter is a Culinary Arts Instructor at Wiregrass by day and a chef at Friends by night. Mikki is the owner of Jessie’s Restaurant and Catering downtown. These two food lovers came together after working alongside each other in the downtown Valdosta food scene. Married last May, they prize their days off and evenings together.

During the pandemic, they had all of March and April evenings together. Mikki only closed Jessie's for a few days then immediately set to work doing to-go meals and party

For Mikki and Hunter Wills, Their Love of Food Isn’t The Only Tie That Binds Them

STORY BY MATTIA GODDARD PHOTOS BY WES SEWELL PHOTOGRAPHY

packs. Her quick transition from dine-in to curbside service allowed her to avoid the drastic downturn most restaurants felt.

Their nights cooking together are spent outside on the deck, southern rock on the speaker, drinking hometown beer from the Georgia Beer Company, and playing cards. The couple's meal of choice is homemade pizza on the grill. Mikki gave Hunter a special pizza stone for the grill

for his birthday, and they use it often. The stone mimics a wood-fired oven and will cook the pizza in two and a half minutes. The temperature reaches about 900 degrees and the stone aids in absorbing moisture out of the crust making it extra crispy.

Neither of them chooses convenience products in their food preparation. Mikki easily whips up a batch of homemade marinara for their pizzas and Hunter makes the dough with his own special recipe. He prefers to use a low percentage of yeast to make a thin crust- New York style. Toppings on their personal pan pizzas vary depending on their mood and the season. Hunter chooses his produce by seasonality. Mikki enjoys pepperoni and a mix of veggies on her pizza.

Their partnership has been good for their palettes. Mikki was an avowed no vegetable eater, but she married a vegetarian. Hunter began slipping new and different vegetables into the dishes he made her. All he asked was that she try everything. He has increased her palette tenfold with his creativity.

Without question, the pandemic has changed Hunter's teaching. These days he has to have far fewer students oneon-one. He finds working in small groups to be particularly rewarding. The students get more hands-on attention and they learn more in-depth with the closer interaction. The Culinary Arts program at Wiregrass boasts a 100% job placement rate. The program is thriving, so much so that Hunter has over 35 jobs waiting unfilled for students like his, once they graduate with their associate’s degrees.

Hunter loves to find the counterpoint to different flavors that he puts together. In his salad, he adds bitter cruciferous vegetables to sweet roasted peppers. Then he pulls it all together with a lemon vinaigrette that has a touch of honey.

Hunter enjoys unconventional pairings that take advantage of the season. As the peach season winds down he likes to pair peaches with crepes in a non-traditional Peach Fosters, served with rum, cinnamon, ginger, and a creme anglaise sauce.

When making pizza dough at home, Hunter advises not to stretch the middle out too much. The key is to stretch the edges which prevents air bubbles. A pizza stone on the grill is their preferred cooking method.

Mikki went to school at VSU and worked at Jessie’s while she was in school. She followed up her Marketing degree with an Associate’s Degree in Culinary Arts from the Art Institute of Atlanta. While she was working at Disney, she got a call from Kim Newman, the owner of Jessie’s, asking her if she wanted to come back and buy the restaurant. That was in 2009 and Mikki has been a fixture in downtown Valdosta ever since. Jessie’s has moved locations and is now on Ashley St., serving Sunday brunch and breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday. She also just opened a new event space attached to the restaurant.

Hunter graduated with a Culinary Arts degree from Wiregrass Technical College in 2011. While earning his degree, he helped open Steel Magnolias restaurant in downtown Valdosta where he eventually became executive chef.

The two of them have very different perspectives on food. Mikki graduated with culinary arts degree from wiregrass in 2011 and calls herself a chef for the masses while Hunter helped open Steel Magnolias while in culinary school and worked his way up to executive chef. He a chef for small groups. He prefers intimate settings with no more than 16 guests, a planned 7 to 9-course menu, with wine and coffee pairings. Mikki is a caterer and restaurateur who can feed ten to three hundred in one catering job.

Regardless of their differences in the kitchen, they complement each other remarkably well with their love of the experience. To them, it’s not just eating, it’s the bonding that comes from taking time to enjoy each other, family, and friends.

Marinara Sauce

1 yellow onion, diced 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 tsp fresh thyme, picked 2 Tbsp olive oil Salt and black pepper, to taste 12 – 14 plum tomatoes, diced 6 oz tomato paste

Heat oil over medium in a sauce pot; add onion and sweat until translucent. Add the garlic and thyme and cook 1 more minute. Add the fresh tomatoes and the paste, season to taste with salt and black pepper, stir to combine, reduce heat to medium low and simmer until thickened