John Caulfield, the owner and chef at Knotty Pine on the
Bayou (1802 Licking Pike, Cold Spring, 859-781-2200), has been serving
up Cajun-influenced classics for 16 years. John and his wife have just
come back from New Orleans where their son will begin his freshman year
at Tulane. After a visit to such a dining mecca, I expected his last
great meal to involve some sort of delicious NOLA offering, but this
family man covets local food cooked on the family grill.
CityBeat: Where did you have your last great meal and what was it?
John Caulfield: A family gig at my
brother-in-law’s was the last great family meal I’ve had.
We went to a
market in Taylor Mill and got some homegrown vegetables, steak and
lobster. We grilled up the meat and vegetables and topped it with a
red, yellow and green pepper sauce. When we go out, we like Longnecks
in Wilder, Ky., for a snack, and City View in Mount Adams for burgers.
CB: The 16th anniversary for the Knotty Pine is this week. What’s new on the horizon?
JC: I have some new specials in mind, but my
customers come to expect things like fried alligator, grouper and
gumbo. They’d kill me if I took them off the menu!
I sat in front of JOHN CAULFIELD in HS and he bullied me mercilessly. I had to move from my seat in front of the class to the back and my grades and self-esteem suffered. I would throw his food in his face.