When rumors began to fly about who the next top toque would be at The Catbird Seat, local foodies (er … dining enthusiasts) began excitedly whispering to each other, “I heard it’s going to be Baxter!” By Baxter, of course, they meant Brian Baxter, the Florida-born chef who has been a spectacular and dependable right hand in the kitchen to Sean Brock, first at McCrady’s Restaurant in Charleston, S.C., and then on the opening team at Husk here in Nashville, before being elevated to the chef de cuisine position. Baxter moved on to work with Josh Habiger, another Catbird alumnus, at Bastion before leaving for Atlanta to run the kitchen at Kevin Gillespie’s latest venture, Cold Beer.
The Catbird Seat has always intentionally been a kitchen with a revolving door of talented chefs, who serve a stint preparing their own brand of innovative cuisine arranged around multicourse tasting menus. But Baxter is the first chef with extensive Nashville experience to run the show, and we couldn’t be happier.
Baxter brings with him elements of each of the former establishments where he’s worked, and he’s combined them to take Catbird in an exciting new direction. From Brock, he learned the sort of gastronomical tricks featured at McCrady’s and the puritanical dedication to seasonality and local ingredients whenever possible. Habiger contributed an astounding work ethic and focus, but still with a sense that food is supposed to be fun and delicious. Gillespie is known for his small-plate offerings of inventive dishes, which helped hone Baxter’s sense of pacing and urgency in the kitchen. All these factors combine to create the perfect robochef for The Catbird Seat experience.
For the first time, the tasting menu exhibits an overtly Southern focus, but not exclusively. Showing his roots in the form of flavors and preparations, Baxter lets you know where he’s coming from while still surprising you with bold flavors and ingenious cooking techniques. He intends for his menus to change frequently based on the seasonality of ingredients, and we’re looking forward to eating through the entire calendar with him. CHRIS CHAMBERLAIN
