Meet Chef Darrell!

MEET  CHEF  DARRELL  MILLER

It’s not every day that you meet a chef who not only cranks out delicious meals on a daily basis, but can also install your fire sprinklers, fix your plumbing or drive a big rig.

But those are just a few of the trades that Darrell Miller has learned over the span of his professional career before landing his current position as Chef of The DICKENS Café in The CURIOSITY Shop in downtown Aiken.

In fact, the Washington, D.C. native originally went to school to become a truck driver, but soon discovered that wasn’t what he wanted to do.

“I still had money left on my grant so I went back to school and culinary arts was one of the fields that was covered,” Miller said of his transition into the culinary field in the mid-1980s. And even though he always enjoyed cooking, he never dreamt that the winding road ahead of him would ultimately lead to a successful  career as a chef. “It was just something to do.”

After graduating from National Training Systems he soon found himself back in the truck-driving business, driving a truck for a maintenance company for nearly 15 years. In fact his first official job working in a kitchen wouldn’t come until the late 90s when he worked in an outside kitchen at The Warf in D.C. And it wasn’t until he moved to South Carolina that he really embraced the joy of cooking.

With such esteemed establishments as The Green Boundary Club, The Reserve Club at Woodside and Sage Valley under his belt, Miller brings over a decade of kitchen experience and an eye for food styling.

“Seeing the finished product is my favorite thing about cooking,” said Miller, who takes great pride in the presentation of his dishes.

When preparing the plates to be photographed for The CURIOSITY Shop’s daily café posts on the various social media sites, he is meticulous in his garnishing. It is only after the pepper is perfectly cracked, the parsley is sufficiently scattered and the lemon wedge is strategically placed that he is ready for the world to see his creations. And the fact that The DICKENS Café infuses British Isle-inspired recipes and ingredients from around the world into its cuisine makes the food preparation even more of a challenge.

“This job has me constantly thinking about how to bring different cultures to the food,” said Miller, who has prepared the traditional English dish, Bangers n’ Mash, and the Scottish roast beef sandwich, Inky Pinky, just to name a few of the UK-inspired entrees . “It keeps me from getting bored, and I accept it 100 percent.”

Miller says the best part about working at The DICKENS Café and The CURIOSITY Shop is the friendly and charming atmosphere.

“It does make me feel like I am at home,” said Miller. “You walk around downstairs and you feel like you are in a grocery store, then you go upstairs and it’s like a department store. And the café makes me feel like I am back at home in the kitchen.”

The most rewarding aspect of the job, he says, is the patronage.

“I have to give it up for the customers,” said Miller. “They are so sweet and they let us know we are doing a good job. When I see that café fill up, that’s what it’s all about.”

Miller also owns a seasonal restaurant in Salley called D’s that usually opens in November.

“We have things like burgers, sandwiches and wings but we also have daily blue plate specials,” said Miller.

When he’s not cooking , he is spending time with his wife, his 17-year-old son, his 9-year-old daughter, his Rottweiler, Tech, and his two Shih-Poos, Lacey & Champ.  He also has a 22-year-old daughter and a 19-year-old son who live in D.C.

“I’m like a soccer mom,” laughs Miller. “One minute I am at a football game with my son and the next minute I am riding around in a go-cart with my daughter.”

 For more information about The DICKENS Café and the daily specials, visit The CURIOSITY Shop’s website at www.curiosityshoptea.com or the shop’s  Facebook page.  For to-go orders and downtown deliveries, or to make reservations for large parties, call 803-644-1400.