Sunday, February 15, 2009
News / People Ombi Sad for a Little While About This...
Posted by Carrington Fox on Sun, Feb 15, 2009 at 1:19 PM
OK, that's a terrible headline, which, for you non-rednecks, translates as "I'm gonna be sad for a little while about this," but Laura Wilson is leaving the kitchen at Ombi to go be an even more full-time mommy (because, as any parent knows, there's no such thing as a part-time mommy).
After two years of delivering consistently creative and delicious food from behind the copper chef's bar on Elliston Place (I did not know there were so many edible parts to a pig), Wilson has handed the spatula to Jason Love, who officially launched his first menu on Valentine's Day. Rumor has it that Nathan Lindley--who founded St. John's in Chattanooga, helped launch Watermark and is now in the process of opening his own Public House in Chattanooga--and Pat Embry--author of Where the Locals Eat--were both celebrating Heart Day at Ombi (not necessarily together), so Love opened to a tough audience. Here's hoping Pat or Nathan will chime in and comment about what we can expect from a post-LW Ombi.
Meanwhile, here's Ombi Mommy's farewell, after the jump:
It is with great pride that I'm leaving Ombi. I have been lucky enough to have been mentored by many chefs, with the understanding that it will be paid forward. When I left for maternity leave and then came back with lighter duties, I saw great organization and creativity in the kitchen and strong leadership in the front of the house. I realized that the guys were ready to take the restaurant in a new direction. My dear friend Jason Love (we counted last night, this is the fourth restaurant we've worked in together) will be taking the reins as Executive Chef. Mariah Hiller and Alan Horsnell are being promoted to Sous Chefs. Last night, which was my last night, Jason rolled out a new menu that was fresh and modern, full of flavor. I worked the pass and tasted everything and wished I had made that menu. With an almost five-month-old, though, I'm realizing how fast this teenyness goes, and I just can't miss it. Restaurant chefs have to work at least 50 to 60 hours a week to be effective, and that's just not where my head's at. I look forward to doing things I haven't been able to do in the last 18 years of full-time restaurant work. I want to get involved in the food world away from the stove, to volunteer for organizations I care about, and to help Porter have better food in his school. So... until next time!
Comments (7)
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Best wishes for Laura -- and I can't wait to get back to Ombi for Jason's cooking.
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Why isn't anyone here trying to recruit Nathan Lindley? We've been hearing for years that he is one of the best chefs south of Chicago.
Laura, you're doing the right thing. Believe me, it goes by in the blink of an eye. Joy and Harry were just babies a minute ago! I'm so glad for you and for Porter. He'll be the best fed toddler in town!
And Fork Club, is Nathan Lindley a chef? I thought he was strictly front of the house, which is what he did at Watermark and St. John's. Maybe he has hidden talents.
As regulars of OMBI, I was disappointed to see such a drastic menu change. All items offered are now a la carte. Portions seem smaller with a higher price tag. The tapas are ideal for pairing with a few cocktails and are reasonably priced. Personally, the original menu complimented the taste and atmosphere of the restaurant.
Overall, the food was good. We welcome change but the menu was not what we were expecting. It lacked variety in our opinion. Some of our favorite items are no longer on the menu...
Hopefully we'll see added changes in the coming weeks...best of luck to you Chef..
Hey, I know the guys would be completely open to feedback. Email at ombi@comcast.net. The menu was limited for VDay and the expanded menu came out Sunday.
I stumbled upon the new menu at dinner last night, as I hadn't been keeping up with Bites over the holiday weekend.
The short story is that much of the food is still very good, but, of course, change is hard (I too was a big fan of the old Ombi menu).
The long story is here.
