At Chow Fun, chefs are encouraged to create

PBN Staff

05/24/2009

CHOW DOWN: Chow Fun Food Group Executive Chef Nick Rabar said food groups offer chefs great opportunities to build their resumes. /

“Rhode Island breeds successful restaurant groups because we have so many proud diners,” said chef Nick Rabar. The corporate executive chef since 2004 of the Chow Fun Food Group, Rabar is responsible for developing menus and oversees the culinary team at John Elkhay’s restaurant group, which includes Café Noir, Citron (undergoing a makeover), Rick’s Roadhouse, 10 Prime Steak and Sushi and Chinese Laundry. Rabar acknowledges the success of competitive groups in the state, particularly the Pinelli Marra Restaurant Group and Newport Restaurant Group. Like Elkhay, Rabar relishes the team effort that is an ongoing process in the Chow Fun group. “Groups offer more of an individual feel and offer more creativity and flexibility in hospitality. … We offer an opportunity for a chef to build his or her resume working within the group. Our chefs have tremendous input on menus and specials,” Rabar said recently. “Everyone’s voice is heard.”
The Chow Fun philosophy is to build longevity in the company’s chefs by encouraging them to realize their own creativity. By allowing their chefs to be part of the creative process, they are afforded an opportunity to work with a diverse portfolio of menus and approaches from the classical French of Café Noir, the steakhouse/big city lounge and sushi bar of 10 Prime, the Asian noodle bar concept of Chinese Laundry or the barbecue and whiskey-bar concept of Rick’s Roadhouse. Chefs are able to work from concept to concept within the company so they are able to flex their creative chops, realize considerable personal growth and achieve a feeling of accomplishment that is rarely available to a chef who does not own his own restaurant. At the same time, the chef learns to work within a corporate structure, with its attention to bottom line and image but not be stifled by the regimented operating procedures of the chains.
A look at the resumes of the Chow Fun chefs tells the story. No chef on staff at any of the group’s restaurants has been on the job for less than three years. Ten of the company’s line cooks have 10 years of service. Rabar cites the example of chef David Jackson, who started eight years ago at XO, the company’s original eatery. Jackson’s next stop was at 10 Prime, then he ran Big Fish, which became Rick’s Roadhouse in the Jewelry District. Jackson is now a sushi chef at 10 Prime. “[Jackson] could have built his resume traveling around the state or around the country, but he gets to be a major influence on our restaurant group,” Rabar said. “He is a big resource for our company.”
A unique aspect of the Chow Fun group is its ability to change restaurant concepts to reflect market conditions. Just last December, XO Steakhouse was transformed into Café Noir, a Parisian brasserie reflecting a contemporary French experience. As I wrote at the time, Elkhay began his cooking career in the early ’70s with French cuisine and local foodies remember with fondness his days in the kitchen at Café In The Barn. One of the other concepts Elkhay had considered for the XO space was a burger bar. Its time has come. As I first reported two weeks ago, Citron, Chow Fun’s downtown bistro at Waterplace Park, is undergoing a conversion this week. Citron is about to reopen as Luxe Burger Bar. Rabar notes how the market has changed in the last six months. “Comfort food is in vogue right now. This year, value for the dollar is key,” said Rabar. Luxe will feature large burgers with fresh toppings. There will be a menu of accompanying sides, shakes and martinis. The spirit of Citron will live on at Luxe, with natural hormone-and-antibiotic-free meats, free-range poultry and organic, locally grown produce and grains available whenever possible.
Elkhay and Rabar study the chains and both respect the business aspect of taking a single concept and replicating it with consistency across a larger geographic area. But they have an overriding philosophy which has served Chow Fun Food Group well in its 12-year history in Rhode Island. Like thousands of independent restaurateurs in the state, they never want their restaurants to lose their individuality. &#8226

Bruce Newbury’s Dining Out radio show can be heard Saturdays at noon on stations throughout New England. He can be reached by e-mail at Bruce@BruceNewbury.com.

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