At Innovative Eateries, Purple Is the New Black

In the summer of 1958, singer-actor Sheb Wooley’s song about a Purple People-Eater popped to the top of the charts. Now, it’s purple-eating people who are having their moment, as menus across town pop with purple-colored delicacies that, to riff on Wooley, “sure look good to me.” If your Halloween table calls for something purple, check out these vibrant violet victuals.

Ube Banana Pudding, Chen Chen’s Nashville Hot Chicken

Hume-Fogg alumnus Chen Chen returned home from Canada to launch his eponymous Szechuan-spiced hot chicken brand in Midtown this summer. To accompany Chen’s spectacular spin on Southern-fried bird, his wife Hannah whips up a violet variation on banana pudding, brilliant purple from the pulp of ube, a yam native to the Philippines.

Mascarpone cheese, sweetened condensed milk and a dusting of Biscoff cookie crumbles — in lieu of vanilla wafers — create a signature gem-toned confection, less sweet than the original but no less decadent. 

Ube Colada, Noko

At their Asian-inspired and wood-fired East Nashville landmark, owners Jon Murray, Wilson Brannock and chef Dung “Junior” Vo deploy the sweet purple ube yam with bright citrus in a tropical rum-based sipper. Rich with notes of vanilla and coconut and charged with color akin to blueberries and blackberries, Noko’s Ube Colada updates the classic coastal confection for a cocktail that can double as a dessert. 

Taro Swiss Cake Roll, Babychan

Head of pastry Brooke Lindsay conjures a taste memory of childhood at Leina Horii and Brian Lea’s cozy bakery in Neuhoff District. Inspired by Leina’s favorite treat from an Asian bakery, the jewel-toned spiral of sponge and cream draws its amethyst color from taro, a root native to Asia and Africa and popular in Japanese confections.

Leina, who grew up in her family’s sushi restaurant in Southern California, says, “To me, the closest flavor comparison is, strangely enough, Western-style birthday cake, because of the subtle notes of vanilla and nuts."