Chef Ford Fry’s Love of Music Brings Him to Music City
Already a very successful chef and restaurateur, Ford Fry operates ten eateries in Atlanta and Houston, including local favorites like Jct. Kitchen, State of Grace, The Optimist and St. Cecelia. When Fry considered where to expand to next, he looked to one of his personal loves for inspiration: music.
“Music and food for me are one and the same,” shares Fry. “When I think about food, I want to crave it and remember it forever. If it’s too ‘of the moment,’ it rarely hits my criteria. Same with music. ‘New’ is cool for sure, but too often struggles with ‘soul.’ Give me the first four Police albums on a deserted island, and I’m good to go! I’ll listen away alongside a perfect steak and French fries.”
His mutual love of music and food led him to look north to Music City for his newest ventures, three separate establishments under one roof in a remodeled mixed-use project in Germantown, right near the Cumberland River. The showcase restaurant will be called Sea Wolf, a concept that Fry describes as “mostly seafood” with a decidedly casual dockside vibe. Upstairs from Sea Wolf will be Le Loup, a classy lounge which will serve oysters along with crafty cocktails.
Fry’s love of Nashville and its musical heritage will really shine through in the third venue of the complex, Star Rover, a listening room featuring live music from local bands. On the food and drink side, they’ll serve taqueria-style snacks and whiskey- and mezcal-based cocktails, craft beers on draft, plus a seasonal boilermaker special for the beer-and-a-shot crowd. Fry also promises an exceptional house margarita.
Guests may actually see chef Fry up on stage from time to time, since he’s more than just a lover of the Nashville Sound and Muscle Shoals Soul; he’s also a member of a band. “We started as an all-chef band, but that got pretty complex in scheduling practice times and deciding our set list (as we are all leaders and think we know best!)” explains Fry. “Currently one of our chefs, Sheldon Wolfe and I team up with some pros to throw down. This is way easier as these guys do this for a living. We typically just play a couple events a year and pick a ‘tribute’ to cover and try not to take ourselves too seriously or too ‘mid-life crisis!’ We have done anythingfrom Led Zeppelin to the Rolling Stones and even R.E.M.”
Nashville was the obvious place for Fry to open up his dream honky tonk. “Restaurants are so interesting in that they’re only two-dimensional until the people fill it up. The people dining truly make the experience complete and define the restaurant. The people of Nashville, whether born here or transplants, all have a chill, yet uber-creative (more often musically-driven) vibe to them, which I love. Music has always played an equally important role in all our restaurants as it is a part of the big picture of us creating experiences and places for people to go and enjoy their company. When this is in full swing, we try to step aside and simply serve that experience.“
Fry expects his three Nashville establishments to open sometime this fall, but until then, what would he suggest listening to in your own home kitchen while you wait to eat at his restaurants?
“My go-to dinner party playlist is on vinyl and either The Essential Willie Nelson or Willie Nelson’sMoment of Forever. Can’t go wrong with Willie!”
