Chef Paul Smith helps The Humble Tomato Ripen Up for 2024

On the heels of being nominated for a James Beard award the second year in a row, Chef Paul Smith sits down with Greenbrier Valley Quarterly to talk about his partnership with The Humble Tomato and how it’s an exciting time to be living in West Virginia.

GVQ: Congratulations Chef on being nominated for your second James Beard Award! You went to the finals in Chicago last year, the first West Virginian to make it that far. What was that like and how important is that recognition for the culinary arts in WV?

Chef Paul Smith: The importance of the James Beard Award is... well, I equate it to the Academy Awards for an actor. If you are just nominated or mentioned or make it to the semi-finals or the top 20 in your region, then you have arrived. And that was unexpected last year to say the least. It was probably the biggest honor of my life to go to Chicago to represent not only all of the restaurants, The Humble Tomato, The Pitch, 1010, Ellen’s, Barkadas, everywhere that I help and that I partner with, but also to represent West Virginia. Two words that had never been mentioned at that James Beard finalist reception in that auditorium were “West Virginia.” So it was a surreal experience.

And to have another nomination with Scott McGregor at Appalachian Kitchen! I just reached out to him yesterday to congratulate him. West Virginia, I mean the secret’s out. It’s a great time to be in West Virginia and I think we are on the cusp of really doing something great together. And really, that’s what I stand for—supporting the community and supporting the other restaurants and this rising tide. If I can help be the water for the rising tide and raise our boats and others’ boats, too, I’m all in.

GVQ: You stay involved in a lot of projects throughout the state. What are some of the culinary companies and programs that you are involved with right now?

PS: So obviously, 1010 Bridge, The Pitch, Helen’s Ice Cream, those I own with partners. The Humble Tomato and Barkadas are projects where I’m a chef partner. I also work with Retro Hospitality, based out of Richmond, which is a hospitality group that specializes in historic properties, mostly hotel management. And then I just announced a partnership with West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, helping get these culinary students placed in real-world environments while they’re still in school.

GVQ: So, what brought you to The Humble Tomato as a chef partner?

PS: So Emily (Isaac, owner of Humble Tomato) and I knew each other way back, growing up in the same town. I’m friends with her family, especially her brother. She was going through a transition, and I reached out to her and said, “Hey, if you need anything, I got your back.” I knew that her expertise was in the business side of it, and I knew that they had really done a good job already—just wanted a few things tweaked. So, we worked on culture, we worked on standardization of the recipes, we worked on getting people trained properly. It’s Emily’s Humble Tomato, and I just was kind of the conduit to help get that from her head, down on paper, and then implement it in the kitchen.

 Now, with the new menu, we gave a nod to her mom’s heritage with the Cajun sauce from her mom’s side of the family. We did a little bit more seasonal and a little bit more local items with the vegetable cavatappi. We took some items that maybe were not selling as well and changed those a little bit. Emily’s a heck of a cook too! That’s her lasagna recipe, that’s her sauce recipe. And so, it was just about taking those recipes and extending them out, or expanding them and making sure they were standardized and that was really it. My job was easy, I just went in and cooked!

GVQ: What kind of feedback do you feel like you’re getting?

PS: Well, her mom’s Cajun shrimp is crushing it! The vegetable cavatappi is really doing well, and the chicken and arugula is doing well. The grape and prosciutto pizza, I think, is a little out there, but that’s where I come in. I’m a little out there, so I don’t know! But again, I think outside-the-box thinking works. Emily took a chance in a town and with this business and she’s beaten all the odds being open five years. And then being runner up this year for best Italian in the state by WV Living, that’s pretty amazing.

To learn more about The Humble Tomato, visit www.thehumbletomato.net.