The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

That's the first thought that came to mind when I learned that Gabe Barker, son of James Beard Award-winning chefs Ben and Karen Barker, was opening a restaurant. Then it occurred to me that this particular apple rolled all the way to the West Coast, where he spent five years honing his culinary skills, before returning home to open Pizzeria Mercato in Carrboro in February.

Barker credits his stint at San Francisco's esteemed Pizzeria Delfina as the inspiration for his decision to focus on pizza. I couldn't help but wonder how well he would succeed at grafting that concept onto the contemporary Southern rootstock of Magnolia Grill, the restaurant his parents owned during his formative years.

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Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/