Kevin Wauligman
I interview a lot of chefs, and there is always a common
thread: They don’t have time to dine out. This is especially true for
Jimmy Gibson, chef at FB’s in downtown Cincinnati (126 W. Sixth St.).
While most chefs toil in a well-equipped, professional-grade kitchen,
Gibson is making Whole-Hog Waffles and chicken wings using a two-burner
electric hotplate, a Panini press and a smoker. Seriously. No Wolf stove
or even a deep fryer. But he’s not complaining; he likes the challenge.
CityBeat: What’s the last great meal you ate and where did you eat it?
Jimmy Gibson: When I am off work, so are the rest
of the chefs, so I don’t eat out much.
But, aside from Kevin Chang’s
(chef at the Celestial in Mt. Adams) mom’s fresh, homemade pork and
scallion dumplings, I have to say Lucy Blue’s Pizza downtown. I stop by
there a couple times a week, late night, and get a fully loaded pizza.
It’s good, it’s fast and they’re open late.
CB: You don’t get out much, so what informs your menu?
JG: Twenty-five years of cooking, for one.
The other is just thinking about what Cincinnatians are willing to eat,
what they want to eat in a funky, laid-back environment and, of course,
intuition.
