After a decade operating a successful catering operation and five years entertaining diners at their cozy show kitchen in Lenox Village south of town, the folks at The Chef & I has decided to bring their act to downtown Music City. Billing themselves as “a little bit gourmet and a little bit rock n’ roll,” husband/wife ownership team Chris and Erica Rains have rebranded their new restaurant as The Chef & I on Ninth as they move to a new location at 611 Ninth Ave. S. in a building that currently as a workshop for their neighbors at King Baby, a crafter of fine jewelry.
The new space more than doubles the cooking and dining area that Rains used to offer cooking classes, team-building experiences and special dinners cooked at a chef’s bar at the Lenox location. But it’s not a total change for the operation. “We’re going back to our roots,” explains Chef Rains. “At Lenox, we were dedicated to offering a high-end culinary experience in a residential area, and we feel like the Gulch is ready for that with all the new residents and hotels moving in nearby,” he says. The show kitchen features two complete cooking stations where up to 24 diners at a time will be able to interact with the chefs as they prepare three-, five- or seven-course prix fixe menus. There will also be room for about 30 patrons at communal tables and another dozen at the bar, all of whom will be able to join in the fun of watching the food preparation via cameras in the kitchen. Rains also intends to eventually live-stream the cooks’ kitchen dance on YouTube.
Along with sous chef Peter Sturdevant, Rains will create constantly evolving menus with courses named after the main ingredient in the dish; think “Duck” or “Basil.” WIth the new facility, The Chef & I will expand to lunch, brunch and dinner with meals served seven days per week. Another fun idea that they are planning is “Farmers Market Saturday” where one of the chefs will shop at the market in the morning and create a menu that will feature those ingredients that evening.
Most of all, the Rainses want to create a rollicking, fun environment for dining, with plenty of conversation between guests and kitchen staff accompanied by a rock 'n' roll soundtrack based on Chef Rains’ personal tastes. He explains: “It’s what’s been in my head for years. I’ve wanted to knock down the walls between the kitchen and the guests. You should see your meal unfolding in front of you.”
The lunch menu will be organized in boxes where diners can pick out “an exacta” of an entree and a side dish from several choices, or choose from a list of composed salads. At dinner, tasting menus will be the focus, but there will also be some à la carte options representing the greatest hits of past tasting menus. Rains also intends to put together a late night offering of small plates and charcuterie after the show kitchen shuts down for the evening so that bar patrons can grab a snack while they enjoy cocktails, beer or wine.
Erica Rains wants to create a sense of community between the restaurant and the neighborhood. “We hope people will make connections with our staff. We want folks to start to suggest specific chefs when they make a reservation.” Chef Rains adds: “As long as it’s me!”
But they’re not really selfish that way. The couple pride themselves on the teaching that happens in their kitchen through an organized apprentice program. Several of their cooks have worked with them for 5-plus years. The staff also works with The Chef & I’s very successful catering program, and sometime soon they plan to open an event space in the back of the building behind the kitchen so that they can host more private parties.
The new version of The Chef & I officially opens on Wednesday, Jan. 10 at 10:30 a.m. with a ribbon-cutting followed by their first lunch service that will include complimentary amuse-bouche. After that, they’re planning to turn up the volume and rock out! If you get a chance to try them out before we do, please share your impressions in the comments below.
The Chef & I on Ninth
611 Ninth Ave. S.
Nashville, TN 37203
615-730-8496
