Memphis restaurant Loaf serves up big flavor to Guy Fieri on 'Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives'

Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” featured another Memphis restaurant on Friday night.

Guy Fieri showcased Loaf, a Midtown restaurant that features chef and owner Kale Carmon’s popular international-inspired fare, on its “Great Taste, Surprising Place” episode.

"Today this is a first. I'm at a museum," said Fieri as he pulled up to the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art at the beginning of the show. "There is a couple in here that I hear are doing sandwiches to a new level."

Carmon launched Loaf from an Airstream trailer located at First Congo Church in Cooper-Young in 2021. In January 2023, Carmon and Loaf made the move from a food truck to a brick-and-mortar home inside the Brooks Museum. He has operated Loaf with his partner Sara Shivani from the museum's café for the past year and is in the process of finding a new home for his concept.

This is the fourth Memphis restaurant to be featured after Fieri visited several restaurants in Memphis in September.

What did Guy Fieri try at Loaf?

Fieri tried Loaf's signature Sichuan Pepperjelly Fried Chicken Sandwich, the Chickpea Salad Sandwich and the Black Eyed Pea Falafel.

“Guy told us we were the first people to make our own chili crisp so far on ‘Diners, Drive-ins and Dives,’” said Carmon, adding that’s why he thinks he chose the Sichuan Pepperjelly Fried Chicken Sandwich.

A buttermilk-brined halal chicken thigh is fried until crispy, and then tossed in an apricot jelly spiced with Sichuan peppercorns, tien tsin chiles, three-year aged soy sauce and six-year aged Zhenjiang vinegar. It’s topped with a house-made chili crisp.

"Bro. This has what I want chili crisp to have — great heat," said Fieri. "That's lights out!"

Carmon said Fieri called it, “the best chicken sandwich I have had in years.”

“Guy said he chose the chickpea salad and falafel because he's been eating a lot more vegetarian food lately,” Carmon said.

For this unique salad, chickpeas are tossed with salted lemon, shallots, cucumber, ras el hanout (a Moroccan spice), tahini, vegenaise and arugula. The vegan dish is ordered as a sandwich or a salad.

"There are flavor explosions happening," said Fieri as he took his first bite of the chickpea sandwich. "This is a mind-blowing chickpea sandwich."

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Carmon's unique spin on falafel uses Southern ingredients like black eyed peas and collard greens in Middle Eastern recipes. The black eyed pea falafel is served with a collard green zhug (a pesto-like hot sauce ).

"There's is a lot of flavor in that falafel," said Fieri as he tasted a bite.

Where to find these dishes from Loaf

Carmon is currently looking for a new home for Loaf.

“For the time being, we'll be offering some grab-and-go options at Otherlands (Coffee Bar) and a few other spots around town,” he said. “We are also planning on expanding our catering options and spending more time working with First Congo's Food Justice program.”

In December, the Brooks Museum cut ties with Loaf after a disagreement about the museum's policy against nonprofit fundraisers on its campus. The restaurant had announced on Dec. 1 that proceeds from a dinner scheduled on Dec. 20 would be sent to a charity providing humanitarian aid for children affected by the ongoing violence in Gaza.

Jan. 27 was Loaf’s last day to serve food at the museum.

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How to watch 'Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives'

The episode titled “Great Taste, Surprising Place” is described by Food Network as: “This trip, Guy Fieri's grabbing big flavor in some unexpected spots. There are south-of-the-border classics cooked up north-of-the-border in Calgary and culinary masterpieces nestled in a Memphis art museum. Then, Guy escapes to an authentic British pub tucked away at a tiny Colorado airport.”

The episode will re-air on Food Network at 11 p.m. Jan. 27 and 6 p.m. Feb. 3.

It is also available on streaming services.

Jennifer Chandler is the Food & Dining reporter at The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at jennifer.chandler@commercialappeal.com and you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @cookwjennifer. 

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