Kentucky Native, Indie Rocker Patrick Hallahan Takes Pandemic Pivot to Share Passion for Food

David Boone

The coronavirus pandemic has changed so much of our daily lives, and for several industries, halted life all together. One such industry has been live music. While there have been virtual concerts, and a few socially distanced parking lot shows, for the most part, musicians who've spent their careers on the road have found their tour buses indefinitely parked. Louisville, Kentucky native, Patrick Hallahan of indie rock band My Morning Jacket, is one of those musicians who suddenly found himself with a lot of unwanted free time.

"I'm lucky I still get to record every once and a while to scratch that itch. But there's nothing quite like the give and take, the reciprocity of a live performance with the crowd and the band bringing their collective energy together. Doesn't get much better," Hallahan told Southern Living in a recent phone call. After months and months of being disconnected from that collective energy, Hallahan, with the nudging of his management team, decided to tap into another of his passions, cooking. "I'm not only a musician but I'm a performer. I like human connections. … I like being around people. I like creating and giving to people. So, I was trying to figure out how to do that from my house," He explained. The Kentucky native said the idea of drum lessons came up, but he didn't think that was a fit for him as he himself has never taken a drum lesson. So, then it was suggested he try a virtual cooking show. Hallahan has always loved to cook and in fact, he already owns the popular Louisville restaurant Butchertown Grocery. And now through Seated.com, the drummer turned amateur chef is offering three episodes of In the Kitchen with Patrick Hallahan, with the hopes that more will follow. While the first episode ran last Sunday, you can still get tickets for the next two weeks here. Hallahan shares his love of food and practical tips for home cooks, but that's not all. This is not your everyday cooking show. Along with demonstrations and easy to follow explanations, Hallahan provides a full experience for ticket holders. Along with access to the show, you will receive a detailed packet of ingredients, recipes, and step-by-step instructions for each dish, and a curated playlist on Spotify themed to each episode.

"Honestly, it's just something I've always wanted to do but the thought hadn't crossed my mind in this application. And gosh, when they said that I was like now's the time. I have all this down time. I watch cooking shows religiously. I have my entire life. The chefs I used to watch were like family members. I mean my family would sit around and watch cooking shows more than a sitcom," he said.

In addition to being delicious the recipes Hallahan shares celebrate Southern ingredients. "The South is very bountiful… I mean a lot of produce, a lot of vegetables, a lot of grains. I love all these heritage grains that are coming back. And you know, for good reason. They're nutritious and they taste delicious. In fact, in the first episode Hallahan made roast chicken and brown butter grits (yum!) and spotlighted grits milled just 30 miles up the road from where he lives, Weisenberger Grits. "When I went out and started eating in restaurants on tour, I would see that branding and be like oh my gosh, it's a little piece of home. I would gravitate towards those restaurants because I needed to be reminded of home."

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As for what's next? Hallahan hopes to be able to return to touring with My Morning Jacket, but just stay tuned as he hopes to also take the cooking show on the road with him. We feel pretty good that more helpings are to come.