Thursday, November 19, 2009
News / Restaurants Provence Owners Going Back to Cali
Posted by Dana Kopp Franklin on Thu, Nov 19, 2009 at 8:29 PM
The owners of Provence Breads & Cafe are headed not for the south of France, but for Southern California. Happily, this doesn't spell the end of Provence in Nashville. Not only will the current business continue, Provence may open a sister cafe in Los Angeles.
Provence is owned by restaurateur Terry Carr-Hall and his life partner Brent Polk, a physician and researcher at Vanderbilt University Medical School. Polk has accepted a prestigious job as top physician and vice president at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, which is affiliated with the University of Southern California. He'll also be chair of pediatrics at USC and a vice dean, and will serve as director of the Saban Research Institute.
Carr-Hall soon will start commuting, splitting his time between Nashville and Los Angeles (20 days a month here, 10 there), constantly keeping up with Provence via software and cyberspace. Carr-Hall says Provence has been doing well lately despite the recession.
"Last month was the best October we've ever had," he says. "It's really been energizing."
He adds that business has even picked up at the store in the Hill Center at Green Hills, which has seen some slow days since it opened. "It really took a year for it to gel," Carr-Hall says.
Meanwhile, Polk has been thriving in his field, pediatric gastroenterology. He recently served as interim chair of pediatrics and interim medical director at Vanderbilt's highly ranked children's hospital. "I had to be a supportive guy and say, 'You have this wonderful career. You might have to step out and leave Nashville,'" Carr-Hall says.
The ultimate outcome was tailored for both partners. "Brent was recruited by more than one children's hospital, but L.A. Children's made a concerted effort to recognize me and recognize our relationship. And they were very food-savvy," Carr-Hall says.
The hospital execs are pushing for a future Provence location in their neighborhood, Carr-Hall says, and they arranged for him to meet with knowledgeable sources in the L.A. bakery and restaurant scene.
While keeping their foothold in Music City, the couple will actually be making a return trip to California. They met at Stanford University in Palo Alto in 1989 before moving to Nashville in 1993. Three years later, they started the first Provence location in Hillsboro Village. Their new dual California-Tennessee citizenship starts in April.
Comments (3)
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Aww... Sounds like a great opportunity. Terry is always the NICEST guy, and so enthused about the food his business creates. He will be missed!
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