“About twelve years ago I got really interested in the health benefits of cooking in clay, “ explains Joe Polotzola, who after a long career in healthcare has found a way to integrate some of what he’s learned from that profession with two of his other passions, cooking and pottery. And the outcome of this unexpected fusion of interests is a shop in downtown Amite where Joe not only sells the beautiful pottery he throws on a wheel in his front window, but teaches folks how to cook holistically in the functional culinary ware he makes.
In addition to all manner of juicers, pitchers, and mixing bowls, there is a fired clay vessel designed specifically to bake apples and another for garlic. There’s one to assist with stuffing a turkey. Another he calls the “Drunken Chicken Cooker,” that is a vastly more attractive way to create the same results as roasting a chicken over a beer can. But he’s most noted for his steamers, which have earned him the nickname, “The Steaming Gourmet.”
He explains that his steamers are based on one found buried three thousand years ago in an Chinese emperor’s tomb. He learned to make them from a 76-year old potter who had studied the art in China. And every time you buy one, it comes with a cooking lesson to help you learn how to maximize the health benefits that Polotzola attributes to cooking with steam. His cooking is as tasty as it is healthy as evidenced by the steady stream of friends, relatives, workmen, and downtown shopkeepers dropping by for a taste of what he had in the steamer on the day I visited—and for each he happily served up a plate (a hand-hewn pottery plate to boot) of whatever was in the steamer at the moment.
So the next time you’re in downtown Amite, drop by for a look at his broad selection of beautifully crafted pottery (that also includes vases, mirrors, and plant hangers). And if you’re lucky Joe may give you a taste of what’s in the pot.
Details. Details. Details.
Joe Polotzola
121 West Oak Street
Amite, La
(985) 748-5854
