ABOUT ME

Whats up? I’m Demorris Russell, better known as Pug. A name given to me as a baby by my Grandma Butch because she said that I looked like I had a little pug head when I was born. Though I’ve been residing in LA for well over a decade, I continue to be bound by my deep southern roots- especially when it comes to my passion for cooking and my love for food. 

Grandma Butch didn’t just give me the name Pug, she is also responsible for my profound connection with food. My early years were spent in Mississippi, my birthplace, in my grandma’s home being fed delicious soulful meals day after day- food that ‘til this day I can still remember  exactly how heavenly it was. From the age of 4, I was eager to learn the ins and outs of cooking and so began my relationship with food.

After leaving Mississippi, I spent my formative years living in both Memphis and Atlanta where I learned to range my culinary specialities from broad categories like Soul Food to more specific dishes such as BBQ and hot wings, both Memphis and Atlanta staples. 

Over the years, I’ve learned to have a very extensive palette. There really is not much that I don’t enjoy eating and nearly anything that I won’t try. More often than not, I tend to incorporate different styles and cultures of food into what I know best which brings me to where I am today as I would consider my cooking style “southern fusion.” 

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Nowadays you can find me experimenting with Southern Fried chicken wings tossed in an exotic Asian flavored sauce and fried rice, or Ramen full of traditional southern home cooked ingredients. Now that I am a dad, I am carrying on the traditions that Grandma Butch taught me with my son. I am so excited to pass down the knowledge and confidence that I am so lucky to have learned from her because there is truly no language that brings people together more than food.