Q&A: Steven Satterfield of Miller Union
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Photo by Andrew Thomas LEe
Many people know of Steven Satterfield as the executive chef of Miller Union and an accomplished cookbook author (grab a copy of his newest, Vegetable Revelations!). Fewer people know him as guitarist of 90s indie band Seely—but this role was a pivotal piece of his journey to cooking.
After graduating from Georgia Tech’s architecture program, Steven entered the field only to learn that it was migrating more into computer-aided design. Wanting to work with his hands, he picked up guitar and had a friend show him the ropes, and they eventually connected with a drummer and bass player to form Seely. Between 1995 and 2000, they got signed by a record label in London, cut 3 full length albums, toured around the US, and charted on college radio.
“It was during this time that I started working in restaurants, mostly more casual spots like EATS, Flatiron, and U Joint, all of which were filled with musicians.”
Between records, Steven started paying more attention to food as a respected career and turned to chefs like Anne Quatrano and Scott Peacock to learn from them in their kitchens. After 9 years working under Chef Scott Peacock, he ventured out on his own with now-business partner Neal McCarthy, who had been running Sotto Sotto for a decade.
Now, Miller Union is working its way through its teenage years, with more James Beard nods than you can count on one hand under its belt (among Steven, Neal, and pastry chef Claudia Martinez)—and now a Snail of Approval award.
Here, we heard from Steven about his history with Slow Food, Miller Union’s practices, and supporting organizations that are promoting good, clean, and fair food for all.
Why do you support Slow Food?
Slow Food’s mantra of good, clean and fair food aligns greatly with Miller Union’s mission. I've been a supporter of Slow Food for over a decade, serving on the board locally, helping to organize food events, and also nationally and internationally. I organized a food waste event at Slow Food Nations in Denver, CO for several years, and I was a Georgia delegate at Slow Food's international gathering Terra Madre, in Torino Italy, in 2014.
What aspects of your business' practices align with Slow Food’s mission and values?
We pride ourselves in our sourcing, selecting as much local and seasonal produce weekly as we can fit into the menu to be paired with local and regional dairy, grains, pastured pork and poultry, grass-fed beef, and sustainable seafood and regenerative farming options. We select wines from small producers, many of which have biodynamic or organic farms, and we cross utilize kitchen castoffs for the bar program to make tinctures and syrups.
We also separate all of our waste. Food scraps that cannot be turned into menu items or served for family meal are diverted from landfill and composted, along with consumer dining scraps and any paper products. We also recycle glass bottles and save all of our oyster and clam shells for Shell to Shore, a nonprofit that collects spent shells to start help develop new oyster reefs on the Georgia coast.
What are other businesses you admire that are practicing good, clean, and fair values?
Check out the other recipients of the Snail of Approval awards and the Farmer Champion program!
What are some organizations you support that are promoting good, clean, and fair food for all?
We work with Compost Now, Haulin' Glass, and Shell to Shore to divert trash to proper outlets and away from landfills, and with Georgia Organics to verify, amplify, and celebrate local purchases through their Farmer Champion program.
What does it mean to you to have won the Snail of Approval award?
It is an honor to be recognized by Slow Food Atlanta and Slow Food USA for our sourcing and practices! I love that we have a growing list of Slow Food-approved restaurants in the Atlanta area. Locals and visitors alike can use this as a guide for good, clean, and fair food and make their way through the ''snail trail" of our diverse area!