A chef without a restaurant 

How about a chef without a restaurant?

Regardless of life’s circumstances, to know a rancher is to know there’s no shaking that title. I’d say the same is true of the apron wearers.

I met Chef Eric Zizka in Nashville this year when he was “restaurantless.” Technically, The Indigo Road Restaurant Group’s latest addition, Oak Steakhouse Nashville, where Zizka is set as executive chef was delayed. But in a chef’s life, 11 months can feel like an eternity.

Chefs need to create. They need to work. Sound familiar?

“It happens,” Eric says. His calm demeanor on display, he points out the silver lining in the Nashville construction woes.

“Typically a chef will go into a new restaurant two or three weeks before it opens. The building team hands you the keys and says, ‘let us know what needs to be fixed.’ Sometimes it’s too late and you just have to deal with it.”

My mind immediately turns to what I know. How would a rancher manage a herd built by another? Use pens designed by someone else?

But that’s where the interruption turned out just right.

“I’m at the construction site every day,” Eric says. He’s climbing over piles of cement, dodging scaffolding, explaining his restaurant blessing in disguise.

To him, the mess means opportunity, a chance to build from the inside out and be proactive.

Now you know that sounds familiar.

“I’m here so I can say, ‘Hey, would you mind putting a hole in the wall here, more outlets over there,’ so it’s been good from the standpoint that I know this restaurant will open correctly.”

Not just correctly, but soon. June 15^th to be exact.

I’ve found there’s a story in everything – something to learn from every person out there. Dare I say there’s always a way to bring it back to cattle?

Chef Eric’s just one of many chefs serving the product you’ve built from the inside out.

“We’ve tried and tested consistently,” he says of comparing to other brands. “The best thing about CAB is that, as a chef, the only thing I need to do is cook it properly. The beef speaks for itself.”

“It’s more than a brand,” he continues. “The final outcome, the reason it tastes good, it all goes back to the ranchers and how they’re raising their cattle. The love and care they put in is the same love and care we want to show our guests.”

Seems you’ve left an impression on a chef with a message. One with a restaurant to boot.

Thanks for allowing me to tell your story,

Laura

PS – To hear more about Chef Eric’s journey to Nashville and why he loves CAB, look out for a full story in the Angus Journal.

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