Wednesday, January 28, 2009

about the chef (and his wife too)


my wife jennifer and i are transplants to atlanta, like most in this city, or so it seems. originally from indianapolis, we have found our new home in the south. atlanta has provided us the perfect platform from which to start this journey. a wonderful balance of food, arts, entertainment, nature and culture (and the mild winters don't hurt) makes it a wonderful city to live and work in.

the path to the present!

after high school i attended the art institute of atlanta's culinary program, receiving my degree in culinary arts. after graduation i headed back to indianapolis where the true education began. working several different jobs over the course of a few years i felt lost in this business until a friend was kind enough to shoot me in the direction of chef greg hardesty. at the time greg was running his first restaurant h2o sushi, and had received a lot of acclaim as the best sushi bar in town. a part time job making salads for greg was the beginning for me.

i spent a lot of time there watching, learning and finally enjoying myself in this business. after two and a half years of working for chef hardesty he opened his second restaurant elements. a restaurant that specialized in modern american cuisine with french and asian technique. elements is considered to this day to be indy's top dining destination.

at the time my wife was attending indiana university and upon her graduation we both decided it was time for a change of pace. my brother and his wife had been living in atlanta for several years, so it seemed like a natural step to head back to the south. i knew right away that the only place i wanted to work was in the kitchen of bacchanalia. chefs anne quatrano, and clifford harrison provided the perfect education on the importance of the ingredient and the care that it should receive. i worked the line at bacchanalia for just over a year before i transferred to their sister restaurant float away cafe as the sous chef. some of the best food i have had the privilege of cooking, float away cafe provided the same quality that i had grown accustomed to with the addition of a high paced atmosphere. towards the end of my time there i had an epiphany regarding my future that caused me to jump tracks from the world of fine dining to casual dining. i realized that while the food i had been preforming was very much me, the attitude was not.

i had caught word of a new place on the north side that was doing something that sounded a lot like what i envisioned owning for myself one day, it was muss and turners. i went up one afternoon and met with ryan turner and todd mussman and it was a perfect match. the same principles applied to the food as they did at bacchanalia, but without the pretense. a calm comfortable place that seemed to make me smile every time i arrived through the doors. it is here that i have been able to grow relationships with the local farmers, meet and talk to patrons, and learn a tremendous amount about small business. i have been with ryan and todd for three years now as the chef de cuisine, and have loved it every step of the way.

so that brings us to the present. i couldn't have asked for better friends and mentors, as they have provided me with an amazing journey and an exciting future. these prelude dinners are the beginning of what's to come. a casual dining experience in an intimate setting. a venue that allows me to talk with the guests and hear their thoughts on the food, the city and all the possibilities. along with my wonderful wife, i hope to sit back one day and see all of the smiling faces that have brought me to this point, enjoying food and drink through the doors of staplehouse!

cheers - ryan hidinger

...in the books

we cannot thank everyone enough for the support you have shown us! the first dinner was a huge success. we enjoyed the company and thank you all for your input on the evening.

here are a few snapshots from the night. (future pictures will improve)
rolling ravioli

smoked steel head trout, local beets and horseradish cream gum creek farms chicken ravioli, house made bacon and leeks
thank you to steve, peggy, adam, suzanne, joe, janet, tobias and rachel for allowing us the opportunity!

be on the look out for an invitation to our next dinner!

Thursday, January 22, 2009

dinner one - february 8th 2009

our first invitation.

menu (subject to change upon availibility)

amuse
course one
'love is love farm' baby beets, smoked trout, horseradish cream and arugula
course two
duck confit waffle, poached farm egg
junkfood
house made truffle-parmesan potato chips, meyer lemon dip
course three
‘gum creek farms’ roasted chicken ravioli, green garlic, home made bacon gremolata
course four
‘vosges chocolate’ covered bacon, crème fraiche ice cream, hazelnut tort

Thursday, January 15, 2009

what are we doing?

my husband, the love of my life, wants to do his own thing. he's ready to create an environment that celebrates food and the company we share it with. we are starting an underground dinner experience at our home - a prelude to staple house.

let's see how it goes.