Knox Fanelli of Larder Foods is our guy when it comes to the rarest and hardest-to-find ingredients. Specializing in foraged edibles and truffles, Knox not only knows the food industry from a forager-supplier standpoint, but he cut his teeth in the kitchen and service side of a humble meat-and-three, then moved on to experience the world of fine dining (front of house and back) where he learned more about the chef’s creative process, topping all of that off with a boots-on-the-ground education in wine distribution. As a purveyor of rarities, he is constantly adding to that well-rounded knowledge base with in-depth research and extensive travel. In fact, Knox has been to some of the best restaurants in the world—and we take full advantage of that in this article voyeuristically extracting all the juicy details on each of his epicurean adventures. So now that we’ve got your mouth preemptively watering, meet Knox Fanelli.

*Currently, as of mid-June 2021, Larder Foods’ carries summer truffles from Spain, which are just now reaching peak maturity and aroma, as well as winter truffles from Chile and Australia.*

Tell us about Larder Foods and your offerings.

Larder Foods aims to bridge the gap between chefs and their access to quality ingredients. One question I’ve always asked myself throughout my travels is, “Why can I not get this in Birmingham?” This question is where I started and it’s where I intend to do my life’s research. My offerings change from week to week as the seasons change, but at this moment it is mainly foraged edibles and truffles.

What was your original connection to the culinary world—personally and professionally?

Personally, it started with reading cookbooks and showing an interest in cooking at a young age. Cooking was one thing, but weekly trips to the farmers market during the summer was where seasonality came into play. These underlying ideas morphed into always looking forward to birthday dinners or any reason to eat at a nice restaurant in town.

Professionally, it started after college at Tracy’s Restaurant in Crestline Village. My fiance’s family had an intimate meat-and-three that focused on locally sourced ingredients. It is here that I fell in love with the work of serving, cooking, and the careful intention put into a meal. The sounds, the smells, the hustle and bustle of that hallowed ground amidst everything that goes into service is something that I still enjoy today. The camaraderie felt amidst a busy shift is something everyone should experience. Jimmy Tracy passed on that love, and for some reason I still have that bug.

After Tracy’s, I worked at Hot & Hot Fish Club and this is where I gained an understanding of the time, detail, and level of service that goes into a fine dining restaurant. I had the opportunity to work both front of house and back of house, which gave me a glimpse into the mind of a chef. Here I honed my knowledge for more obscure and expensive ingredients from wine to the farms across Alabama that supplied the restaurant.

Following Hot & Hot I worked for International Wine & Craft Beer, which is a locally owned distributor and one of the original companies to bring fine wine to Alabama. I was a part of the on-premise team for Birmingham, which focused mainly on restaurants and independent wine shops around town. Here I learned distribution, the power of a story, and the vast network of logistics to get wine from a small village in northern Italy all the way to Central Alabama. It also exposed me to the qualitative function of discerning what makes something great.

After early mornings and late nights of the hospitality industry from restaurants to wine distribution, I went back to school for a master’s degree, but really to give me enough time to come up with a plan for what I wanted to do. Larder is in essence a culmination of these experiences and my passion for this industry.

*The beautiful cross-section of a black truffle*

Do you aim to focus on truffles and other rarities?

Yes, I aim to focus on truffles and rarities. I will always enjoy the seasonality of ingredients, especially wild ones. The lack of control over supply is invigorating and elucidates the difficulty of the task. At one moment you have a mountain of supply; the next week bad weather destroys your ability to forage in certain areas. I only envision it getting more difficult as weather patterns change.

How do you source these hard-to-find products?

Hard-to-find products are just as they are named: difficult. And there is not a science to it. It all begins with lots of reading and research, and in many cases, you figure out that maybe the reason that you cannot access certain ingredients is out of your control.

*This week’s morels from Larder Foods are called Morchella Conica, or Conicas, from high elevation in Montana.*

What is the most impressive ingredient you’ve ever had in your possession?

This is long before Larder was even a thing, but in college I had the opportunity to go to the Bahamas rather often. Many of the fisherman would dive for spiny lobsters and stone crab, but because the Bahamas is a chain of islands, beer costs a lot of money. So, we would barter terribly cheap beer for stone crab and lobster. I remember returning with a lot at one point to share with family and ended up with 50 to 60 pounds for myself. It is safe to say that a well-stocked freezer full of stone crab is my favorite on-hand ingredient, and especially when you are in college.

How do you hope to see Larder Foods grow as a business? Give us your ideal vision for its future.

I want it to grow, but all the while keeping chefs involved in the process. An ideal future is growing a business that places the stakeholder first and creating an environment that allows for others to enjoy this process as much as I do.

*“Sea beans are foraged on the Washington coast and something really lovely for adding texture and a touch of salinity to a dish,” says Knox.*

You’re quite the epicure, having travelled to and eaten at some of the world’s most lauded restaurants. I’m going to throw out some categories, aspects of the overall dining experience, and of these celebrated global restaurants, please tell us who did it best plus a description, so that we can live vicariously.

Most exquisite ambience/ decor:

Lima, Peru — Statera’s (now closed) minimalist interior with its open kitchen and a hanging garden above your head. It’s something truly crazy to walk into.

Best dish featuring caviar:

New York City, New York — Eleven Madison Park’s Corn Souffle with a dollop of Gold Osetra caviar. Sweetness of the corn and the warmth of the souffle intensify the caviar—it was one of those perfect dishes.

Copenhagen, Denmark — Barr’s Lumpfish caviar over crème fraîche and fermented greens. Much simpler than EMP’s but it has that time-and-place effect because I proposed before the meal.

Best canapé, a one-bite morsel you wish you could experience again:

Copenhagen, Denmark — Noma’s charred ramps brushed with virgin butter and whipped with a ferment. Simple and absolutely fucking delicious.

Most memorable plate presentation:

Lima, Peru — Central’s fried Piranha Skin, hands down. Two pieces of fried fish skin sitting atop frozen heads of piranhas takes it. Six to eight heads with their jaws open and facing the diner sets the tone for the experience.

Strangest ingredient yet surprisingly most delicious:

Lima, Peru — Central’s use of Cushuro. It’s an algae that naturally does its own spherification found in small bodies of water high up in the Andes. Imagine caviar but with an almost earthy seaweed flavor profile, but it was rather good.

Best service:

New York City, New York — Eleven Madison Park’s team has perfect attention to detail from the start to finish. Everything was executed flawlessly from timing to sommeliers to having the chance to stand in the kitchen. It is an experience and something truly baffling that even though there is all this attention placed on a table, they are able to make you feel extremely comfortable.

Most interesting chef:

Lima, Peru — Pia Leon from Kjolle. After running Central for many years, she opened a restaurant above Central and it’s like getting the chance to experience the cuisine of a mastermind—food with incredible amounts of soul while still pushing you to explore new ingredients. If I could travel somewhere tomorrow to experience the work of a master chef, she’s the person I’d like to revisit. Pia was often described as the wife of Virgilio or the chef behind Central, but in reality she ran the kitchen, and I am glad to see her start her own restaurant and showcase her own creations as her own.

Best use of truffles:

Nashville, Tennessee — The Catbird Seat: Paul Liebrandt’s Uni-Truffle Bananas. Weird. Unique. Delicious.

Prettiest and most delicious dessert:

Lima, Peru — Statera’s Cacao de Oliva, which was pretty bonkers because it has eight to 10 different elements of Peruvian chocolate, then drizzled with olive oil. It was one of those singular, eye-opening desserts. It has a wild presentation and only a picture does it justice.

Given all of these elevated dining experiences you’ve had around the world, what humble eateries or hole-in-the-wall-type joints rank among your favorites?

It’s essential to know that the Greeks created the food scene in Birmingham. Interestingly enough, most of them started with a hot-dog stand, and my favorite Birmingham hole-in-the-wall that is now closed is Pete’s Famous Hot Dogs. Constantine “Gus” Koutroulakis was a man committed to his craft and his no-bullshit approach was something to witness. If not a hot dog in Birmingham, then it’s one of the city’s meat-and-three’s or Falafel Café near UAB Hospital.

So, how did you come to know about Tyler & Jennifer and Tasting TBL?

At 12:30 a.m., two to three days before New Years Eve, I was doing some market research or just scrolling through restaurants that might need truffles for NYE. So, I sent him a DM on Instagram, and boom: Two seconds later, he got in touch with me and eight hours later, I am at his house selling him Périgord truffles, or French black truffles. We’ve been friends ever since and usually converse about all things food.

How would you describe your first Tasting TBL dinner experience and the Lynes’ culinary style?

Our first Tasting TBL experience was perfect, from the food and the ambiance to the table of industry people who were with us. I was and still am shocked at the things they are able to achieve. Tyler and Jen are chefs you might not have heard of yet, but get ready because it won’t be long before your addicted to their cooking.

Tasting TBL is a refreshing experience that gently pushes you out of your comfort zone to expose you to tastes and techniques you’ve likely never experienced. Tyler’s ability to showcase his vast breadth of culinary skills and combine them with the highest quality ingredients is something you cannot miss. Jen’s culinary style is showcasing incredibly balanced and thoughtful desserts that are extremely labor-intensive. Both Tyler and Jen combine their love for technique, quality ingredients, and presentation to create an unforgettable experience that redefines your conception of a perfectly executed meal. Tasting TBL is something you must experience.

What is your favorite thing about your partnership with the Lynes and Tasting TBL?

Walking in with some extremely niche ingredients and watching them run with it. I really enjoy the conversations around what they are doing and how they’re going to pull it off. Overall, it’s the friendship that has grown between us and their faith in me to bring them something to make the Tasting TBL experience even more unique.

Meet Knox Fanelli of Larder Foods