31 Jul Inside the Fridge Welcomes Chris Barry

Chris Barry, PA-C, MMSc is a certified physician assistant, who demonstrates his passion for child health working in general pediatrics at Jeffers, Mann, and Artman Pediatrics in Raleigh, North Carolina.  Chris is also a Health Professional Advisor to the Egg Nutrition Center. He is an outspoken advocate and volunteer for childhood immunizations, and has spoken nationally and published articles on immunization hesitancy. Chris and his wife, Ashley, have two wonderful daughters, Jessica, 8 and Leah, 4 with whom he shares his love for fresh food, getting great deals, and barbecuing.  Follow Chris on Twitter. 

 ITF: Where do you shop for food?
CB: I usually shop at Harris Teeter, they excel at customer service, product selection, store cleanliness, weekly deals, meat & seafood, and coupon policies. I also shop at Trader Joes for fresh fruits and vegetables, along with some delicious frozen foods.  Warehouse clubs like Sam’s and BJ’s account for some of our food shopping also.

ITF: Do you love food shopping or dread it?
CB: I love food shopping.  I use online sites to make a grocery list that combines the weekly specials on items we need with available coupons.Keeping my coupons in a file, organized by date helps to  saved tons of money on groceries.   

ITF: What is the single most important thing on your mind when you are shopping for food?
CB: Time.  I need to be able to find the food quickly.  I have memorized the layout of the store I shop at most often, and I organize my shopping list/coupons accordingly.

ITF:  How many times a week do you eat out? 
CB: About 2-3 times per week, on average.  The expense of eating out is amazingly high when compared to home-cooked meals, not to mention the high sodium, fat, and calorie content of many restaurant meals.

ITF: How do you plan your weekly meals? Create a spreadsheet or fly by the seat of your pants? 
CB: My wife and I try to come up with some meal ideas for the week ahead. We have a collection of recipes that we use most often.  We try to make sure we have all of the ingredients we need to avoid extra small trips to the grocery store.  But there are some days when we just throw something together. 

ITF: What is the most coveted food in the fridge right now for each member of the household? Why?
CB: Fruit!  I love fresh watermelon and pineapples the most.  Fruit is delicious, healthy, and refreshing.  What’s not to love?  During citrus season, I order bushels of oranges and grapefruits from a family owned grove, Schacht Groves, in Florida. Wife: Yogurt because she will mix vanilla yogurt with fresh berries and granola for breakfast.   Kids: Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese- they love using the rotary cheese grater for our Italian meals!

ITF: If one person could cook for you tonight, who would it be?
CB: Chef Walter Royal, Executive Chef at the Angus Barn in Raleigh, NC.  My wife and I have had the pleasure of enjoying Walter’s meals at the Chef’s Table at the Angus Barn for our anniversary.  Walter is a fine chef and an even better person.  He is a super nice guy, who is very modest.  He actually won Iron Chef America a few years ago, soundly defeating Cat Cora, but he’ll never tell you that!  I have attended his Father’s Day Grilling Kitchen 3 years in a row now, and it is a true culinary delight!

ITF: What cooking utensil/piece of equipment/appliance do you live for?
CB: My grills, especially my Weber Smokey Mountain smokers!  I love barbecuing, grilling, and smoking.  I cook barbecued chicken, turkey, baby back ribs, and North Carolina pork barbecue on my smokers.  I also enjoy grilling fish, steak, burgers, and vegetables, including corn on the cob- in the husk, of course!

ITF: What food/s are important when recalling food memories?
CB: My mother’s and her mother’s homemade Chinese food, especially pork dumplings, chicken with black bean sauce, and beef with snow peas.  And of course, Congo bars.

Thanks Chris! If you would like to be featured on Inside the Fridge, please email Robinsbite intern Destini Borchardt- destini@robinplotkin.com