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108 l Macon Magazine october/noveMber 2013 MEN WHO COOK For the love oF Food | by susannah maddux Keith Fitzgerald loves to eat, and he loves to eat well. It's part of his family background. "My mother is Italian," he said. "I grew up eating Italian. We were always eating. ere was always food!" An attorney with Macon's Hogue and Hogue law firm, Fitzgerald has continued his love of food in a very hands-on way. Luckily for his wife, Betsy, and the many friends they love to host in their Shirley Hills home, he definitely knows his way around the kitchen. And, while he's remained continental in his tastes, he's moved from Italy to France, dedicating himself to learning the art of French cooking. In his opinion, French cuisine and techniques form the foundation of many other foods. And he finds great enjoyment in the process of teaching himself a new kitchen technique. So, why French cooking? He admitted turning 40 played a part in it. But it was more than that. He wanted to cook in a different style and wanted to figure out how to do it. He so appreciates that Julia Child brought French cooking to America. She expanded our palate. "Jacques Pepin [cooking] with Julia Child … that's the coolest thing I have ever seen," he said. Fitzgerald's specialty is Chicken Ballotine. It is a dish made famous by Pepin. It is a whole chicken that has been de-boned and stuffed. Google the name and you'll find videos of Pepin demonstrating the art of de- boning a chicken. While it may be art, it's also not for the squeamish who don't enjoy a hands-on kitchen project. But for any skeptics who think deboning is much too difficult to try: «It turns out to be not that hard," Fitzgerald said. "It just gets to be kind of a natural thing." And, now, "I like to think I cook better than my mom." Keith Fitzgerald THE bIRD Is THE wORD The art of preparing chicken ballotine CHICKEN BALLOTINE STUFFED WITH MUSHROOMS AND SPINACH One whole chicken, deboned Salt/pepper Thyme Butter Olive oil Keith Fitzgerald and a de-boned chicken ready for stuffing