The Year of Magical Thinking for Chefs and Restaurants

Necessity is not only the mother of invention, but also the favorite aunt of reinvention, invention’s first cousin. And that is why in 2020, the year of you-know-what, necessity and reinvention have hung out with Nashville chefs as they rethink their menus and their venues in order to continue their kitchens. It has definitely proved a year of magical thinking and novel partnerships, one in which the fare is fused and chefs collaborate creatively. One chef has dubbed it the “new restaurant hustle,” a time in which chefs are thinking outside the box in order to do what they love most: cook.

Consider Red Perch, the Australian fish and chips joint (that also offers poke bowls), celebrating the fact that Chef Cameron is himself from the Great Down Under and Nicole, his wife, is Hawaiian. While the couple’s brick and mortar location in the Arcade downtown is well established, well established doesn’t bring in foot traffic if the downtown offices are empty and the tourists have dwindled. Hence the pair’s paella pop-ups at East Nashville Farmers Market and their fish & chips turning up at Harding House Brewing Co. Nicole’s mom, Lola even got into the act with a pop-up of her own, featuring her chicken adobo, pancit, bistek, and leche flan.

COVID closed the doors to Peninsula, the East Nashville restaurant specializing in Iberian cooking, but dumplings proved the key to open them once more.  Manju, who had previously prepared frozen dumplings strictly for take-out, started whipping up a menu of bao buns, wontons, and gyoza at Peninsula every Thursday.

The Nashville Jam Co, a cafe in Berry Hill that slings a mean biscuit and gravy, hosted Maiz De La Vida, a Mexican street food truck making tortillas according to old traditions, along with salsas and mole, at a pop-up in the fall. Chef Julio Hernandez, previously of Nectar: Urban Cantina in Donelson, decided he needed more stability than the uncertain restaurant could provide, and set off on his own to do what he does best: make tortillas and traditional Mexican food. This time, out of a truck. Maiz De La Vida has collaborated with Bastion, Arnold’s, and Embers by Sean Brock. You can find them regularly at the Richland Park Farmer’s Market on Saturdays.

Hathorne on Charlotte Pike is another place hosting necessity and reinvention. Closed off and on due to COVID, the upscale eatery partnered with Chef Bryan Weaver of Butcher & Bee and Red Headed Stranger for a one-night-only burger mashup in December.

Sloco Sammies, a 12 South sandwich shop run by Nantucket born Chef Jeremy Barlow that sources local ingredients for dishes such as lobster rolls, Cubans, and duck confit, renamed themselves "Insert Chef Here,” playing host to chef du jours of all types to pop-up for single evenings or short residencies to showcase their talents and experiment with something new.

El Leon Dorado launched in August of this year and is manned by Josh Cook and Ana Anguilar. They met at Husk where Josh worked his way up from prep cook to executive sous chef and Ana worked front of house. Josh started doing pop-ups a couple of years ago, but during quarantine they decided to focus on building something of their own. Enter El Leon Dorado, which is known for their Taco Bell Tributes. Ana also realized that most of the pop-ups lacked dessert. So, she started Tantito Pastelito, where she makes cakes and a variety of traditional Mexican desserts for El Leon Dorado pop-ups. At the heart of everything they do, big or small, is supporting local farms, establishments, and artists. 

Nicky's Coal Fired -- artisan bagel shop by day, handcrafted pizzeria by night -- has always played well with others, but now they’ve taken it to the next level with a pop-up named Zika, featuring a fusion of Indian and Senegalese Cuisine. Zika is run by Dhanashri Salkar and Trushari Arekar, both cooks at Nicky’s.  

Some pop-ups are no longer so secret. Chef Rooney’s Black Dynasty Secret Ramen House, for example, has found a happy habitat at Bar Sovereign in SoBro. 

“We doubled our Instagram following from 2,000 to 4,000 in the first months of COVID,” Chef Rooney says. “We consistently have a full house.” And no wonder. Chef Rooney and his ramen team (his band of broth-ers, if you will) are crafting extraordinary bowls complete with homemade Chinese wheat noodles in creamy, brothy stocks that take up to two days to prepare. “We’re about 50/50 dine-in and take-out,” Chef Rooney says, but highly recommends the former. “It’s Japanese fast food meant to be eaten hot and fresh.” And for that, a seat at Bar Sovereign is definitely the place to be.      

Nashville’s food scene was always creative and now we know it’s resilient as well, continuing to provide adventurous food and unique eating opportunities, even in the face of unprecedented challenges. For this, we’re grateful.

The best way to follow pop-ups and of the minute restaurant happenings is to follow them on Instagram. For more information and a schedule of pop-ups, head here.