Summerhill restaurant Little Bear just got a bit closer to your home with the launch of a subscription-based digital cookbook called Foodin’ with Fernando, featuring recipes from its Michelin-acclaimed chef and owner, Jarrett Stieber.
Stieber said the inspiration for Foodin’ with Fernando came about due to inquiries on writing a cookbook and his desire to do so in a format that reflects his approach to seasonality.
Before opening Little Bear, Stieber worked for some of Atlanta’s most notable restaurants, including Restaurant Eugene, Holeman & Finch, and Empire State South. In 2013, he founded Eat Me Speak Me, a pop-up restaurant he ran out of Gato in Candler Park, now home to Gigi’s Italian Kitchen & Restaurant.
With Eat Me Speak Me, Stieber honed what would become his signature cooking style, combining traditional Jewish dishes and flavors with those of other cultures using hyper-seasonal ingredients. Despite his fine-dining background, Stieber’s food is down-to-earth and accessible, and almost always includes a humorous touch. (Think garnishes of “pretentious flowers” or serving blondies with “whiskey milk for dippin’.”)
Stieber opened Little Bear in 2020. Three weeks later, he closed the dining room and transitioned the restaurant to takeout at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Little Bear reopened for dine-in service two years later, and in 2023, Stieber won Michelin’s Young Chef award as part of the inaugural Atlanta dining guide.
Now Stieber’s taking up a new challenge and adapting his recipes for the home cook.
“Traditional cookbooks are wonderful but they’re immediately locked in time at the moment of publication,” Stieber said in a press release. “Little Bear operates hyper seasonally, with a focus on the fleeting and ephemeral nature of seasonality, so why not create a cookbook on our terms to match that ethos?”
Subscribers to Foodin’ with Fernando will learn how to run their kitchens as Stieber does at Little Bear, keeping seasonality at the fore.
Stieber will publish a new “chapter” each month containing six recipes, including three cocktail recipes by Little Bear bar manager Charles Howk, and featuring photography by Gabriella Valladares. All of a new chapter’s recipes will also be dishes served on the Little Bear menu at the time of publication.
For February 2024, recipes include a gefilte Caesar salad, trout lox and creamed collard knish, and chocolate torte with prickly pear coulis. As for cocktails, Howk offers recipes for the Salty Dog, Resposado Amaretto, and Cactus Flower.
Don’t expect a beginner’s walkthrough, however, but rather a guide for more proficient home cooks who like to experiment and take a more cerebral approach to kitchen work. Stieber will offer tips on menu planning, plating, drinks pairings, and minimizing food waste.
Each chapter will also include what Stieber calls a “State of the Union,” a revolving guide to seasonal produce, musings on the restaurant industry, spotlights on particular ingredients, and more.
“In a state to be more transparent with our guests, the State of the Union section will offer an honest assessment of how we’re doing month to month, upcoming events and more,” he said. “Kind of a way to peek behind the curtain at what life is really like for Little Bear and our crew.”
Subscribers will have access to all existing recipes in the digital cookbook via a search feature to help locate previous chapters.
As for future projects, Stieber won’t rule out the possibility of releasing a more traditional cookbook or even a memoir on his life as a chef. For now, people can find his recipes through the digital cookbook.
Subscriptions for Foodin’ with Fernando available for $10 a month or $100 annually.