Table Talk: Rendezvous launches new S&P blend
Nick’s Salt & Pepper Blend was developed by the late Nick Vergos and is the newest product to be launched by Charlie Vergos Rendezvous. The perfect ratio of salt to pepper, the seasoning blend is used on several of The Rendezvous’ signature items. (Courtesy Charlie Vergos Rendezvous)
Jennifer Chandler
A cookbook author and former restaurateur, Jennifer Chandler has been writing about food and dining for more than 25 years. In her role as the food and restaurant writer for The Daily Memphian, she covers food news, provides readers an inside look into their favorite restaurants and offers suggestions for what to order at eateries across the Memphis area.
Chandler’s stories and recipes have been featured in national publications such as Real Simple, HGTV Magazine and Woman’s World. She’s also appeared on a number of national broadcast cooking segments including Food Network’s “Dinner: Impossible” and Ducks Unlimited TV. She also hosts a radio show “The Weekly Dish” on Memphis’s NPR station WKNO-FM.
She is the author of four cookbooks: “The Southern Pantry Cookbook,” “Simply Salads,” “Simply Suppers,” and “Simply Grilling.” While she boasts a degree from Le Cordon Bleu, this Memphis native is about making real food accessible for real families.
I can still vividly remember the night Nick Vergos arrived at a friend’s dinner party and handed each of us a Ziploc bag full of his salt and pepper blend.
At the time, I think we all giggled at the gift. Little did I know that it would become an integral part of my kitchen for decades to come.
Vergos explained that night that he handmade the blend, grinding the peppercorns and salt in a special machine he had at the shipping offices of The Rendezvous, his family’s restaurant.
His salt and pepper blend was just like he described: the perfect ratio of salt to pepper.
The blend was created to season many of the world-famous barbecue restaurant’s signature dishes.
“We coat all of our shoulders and briskets with this blend of salt and pepper before they go on the smoker. So, the meat on any pork sandwich, pork nacho and brisket plate has been seasoned with this blend,” said Anna Vergos Blair, the third generation to work in this family-owned restaurant.
Vergos also used the blend for everything he cooked — and since that day I received that one-of-a-kind party gift, so have I.
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