Issue link: http://www.wacmagazine.com/i/1134535
12 WAC Magazine | wac.net Taste By Eric Floyd Executive Chef For me, memo- ries come with specific flavors. e tangy taste of homemade barbecue sauce, for example, reminds me of summer parties, beach trips, and campouts. In fact, barbecue has a way of rekindling my memories more than any other cuisine. I think barbecue touches a lot of people this way, bringing back memories of lazy summer days commit- O L I V I A B R E N T Cooking up memories Styles vary, but the joy of grilling remains ted to the lost art of relaxation. Here at the WAC, we keep this in mind every summer as we roll out two months of barbecue specials. Perhaps more than any other Amer- ican cuisine, barbecue is regionally defined and rabidly defended. I consider myself lucky to be a chef who has spent significant time in various parts of the country. is comes in handy when trying to meet (or is it "meat") assorted tastes. In Alabama, I learned to "baptize" chicken in mayonnaise and vinegar. In Georgia, tomato-based sauces vary in sweetness and heat and are common- ly found sizzling over fires of oak and hickory. And in South Carolina, where I spent eight months stationed in the Army, they love mustard-based sauces. Here at home in Washington state, we don't have a particular barbecue style to call our own. On the upside, that means we get to pick and choose from the rest. Here's a closer look at three of the sauces you'll find on our menus this July and August. Swing by and give them a try. —Reach WAC Executive Chef Eric Floyd at efloyd@wac.net. Barbecue specials: Look for them in July and August in Torchy's and Hagerty's. Highlights include our caramel-honey ribs, New Orleans–style shrimp, and a sausage and roasted corn platter (above). You'll also find member-favorite sides, such as house-made cornbread and smoky house-baked beans. u Barbecue specials Sauce trio The WAC rib sandwich