Katie Coss
Ever since Husk Nashville opening night, a large portrait of Willie Nelson — the patron saint of outlaw country and all things smoke-related — hung over the infernal ember grill, which cranks out amazing roasted meats and vegetables, and which has been regarded as one of the most taxing work stations in any kitchen in town. Katie Coss took more than her fair number of turns feeding that fire while she was executive sous chef. But when she was officially named the restaurant’s executive chef, general manager Rory O’Connell reverently took down the photo of Willie and replaced it with Coss’ all-time fave, Dolly Parton. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen Dolly perform live,” says Coss. “She’s such a wonderful person, so that was an incredible honor.”
Husk partner Sean Brock’s shrine to the Southern vegetable opened in Nashville in 2013, and the national culinary spotlight immediately shined a little more brightly on Music City. It’s not like Brock invented the farm-to-table concept, and a few local restaurants — City House, Etch and Rolf and Daughters among them — had already introduced the idea of Nashville as a city for destination dining. But no Nashville chef had the national prominence Brock did at the time, and no one was quite as fanatical about ensuring that every single ingredient coming through the kitchen was sourced from a Southern farmer or purveyor.
Though Brock also oversaw kitchens in Atlanta and Charleston, S.C., for his partners at the Neighborhood Dining Group, it became immediately apparent that Music City was occupying a growing spot in his heart and his culinary-genius brain. (And don’t forget that Brock’s arrival in Charleston in 2006 came after an impressive stint in Nashville at the Capitol Grille.)
So despite the fact that Brock held postings in multiple kitchens in the restaurant group, he always kept an eagle eye on the kitchen at Husk Nashville. Thus the job of being Brock’s chef de cuisine at Husk has been a very tough gig, thanks to the responsibility of maintaining his extremely elevated standards when he was away and sharing the kitchen with a mastermind when he was in town.
Through the years, the taxing position of chef de cuisine has been filled by chefs who already had experience working within the structure. Opening chef de cuisine Morgan McGlone came to Nashville from Husk Charleston. At the time, Brock explained how he chose McGlone: “He is incredibly talented and in love with Southern food,” Brock told the Scene. “He has worked in some of the best kitchens all over the world, where quality becomes a real part of you.”
When McGlone moved to Australia to start his own hot chicken venture (no, really), Brock reached out to a longtime employee at his other Charleston restaurant, McCrady’s, to take over the kitchen in Nashville. Chef Tim Moody got a crash course in Nashville right away. “Sean took me to Arnold’s on my first day,” Moody told us in 2014, “and it was just like my grandma’s cooking.”
Moody was followed in the progression by two other Husk stalwarts, Brian Baxter and Nate Leonard. Even with the revolving door of top toques, the quality and service at Husk remained excellent, and the militant insistence on sourcing seasonal and local ingredients continued to be paramount. But Brock recently announced that he was stepping back from the executive chef position at Husk and out of his involvement with other Neighborhood Dining Group restaurant projects. His new title is “Husk founding chef and culinary advisor,” but his day-to-day involvement in the kitchen is essentially over while he pursues other Nashville ventures.
So the selection of the next person to lead the kitchen at this culturally important restaurant became even more fraught with significance. Without Brock to maintain the vigorous adherence to Husk’s standards, would the kitchen fail to maintain the level of quality? Would the focus of the menu change from strictly regional to something new? Would the cheeseburger recipe change? Would some other restaurant in town finally be able to get its hands on those remarkable ribeyes that Bear Creek Farm saves strictly for Husk?
Early indications are that the answer to all those questions is a hopeful no. Again Husk hired from within and chose to elevate Oklahoma native Coss — not just to the chef de cuisine position, but instead actually succeeding Brock as executive chef. Having previously served as executive sous chef under Baxter and Leonard, Coss feels she is ready for the job.
“When I was younger I always knew that I wanted to be a chef de cuisine or executive chef somewhere, but eventually I knew I wanted this job,” says Coss. “I’ve essentially been running it for quite some time. I’ve worked every station and know them like the back of my hand. The guys knew I’d always be the one to step in if they went down or got in the weeds. I wouldn’t have taken this position without the amazing support from my team. I trained each and every one of them on the line.”
Coss has worked in the Charleston and Nashville outposts of Husk for six-and-a-half years, beginning almost immediately after she graduated from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. She says she has no intention of changing the focus of the menu. “Right now I’m most excited about getting to work more closely with the farmers,” she says. “Sean always said that they were the real rock stars around here. If our farmers don’t have it, it doesn’t go on the menu.”
To keep that promise through the long, cold winter months of nothing but root vegetables and greens, Coss has been planning far ahead. “We’ve been preserving and pickling like crazy around here getting ready for winter. I want the menu to say, ‘Remember summer? Here it is. We pickled it!’ I want there to always be a lot of variety on the menu and stay true to the ingredients. I don’t want to overcomplicate dishes, because these ingredients don’t need that.”
You also don’t have to worry about wholesale changes to your favorite Husk staples like the deviled eggs, fried chicken, pimento cheese or that cheeseburger (“I’m not touching that masterpiece!” she says). And to all the other chefs hoping to finally secure Bear Creek ribeye for their menus? Think again. Coss is married to an employee of Bear Creek, and the couple lives on the farm property. Even if you tried to sneak one out, Coss would catch you. “We can go out on our front porch and look at the beef that will be on the plate,” she says.
Stepping into Brock’s leadership position at Husk, Coss says she’s pleased to have his total support in the adventure. “Sean has been a role model for me for so long, and I know he wants to be there for me,” she says. Brock continues to serve as a culinary consultant for all the Husk locations in Charleston; Nashville; Savannah, Ga.; and Greenville, S.C. “He’s just a phone call away,” says Coss. “He told me, ‘I’m a walking cookbook — just call me,’ so I text him all the time. Sometimes he’ll tell me a recipe is crazy, but I need that.” Brock shared his excitement online when the announcement first went public, tweeting: “So proud I could burst!!!!!!!!! Pay attention, young chefs. This is how it’s done. Care more than the person beside you, and it will always pay off. Congratulations Katie!”
As restaurants across the country strive to create new standards for workplace culture after allegations of rampant sexual harassment and abuse in various kitchens, many observers are glad to see a prominent company like Neighborhood Dining Group promote a female chef to the level of executive.
“My guys are too terrified to act up,” Coss says. “They know I won’t allow that. All we want to concentrate on is what do we need to do to make this a success. It’s not even about the fact that I’m a woman executive chef. That’s cool, but I’m more excited that I got this job because I worked hard, and I know I can do this. Then they said, ‘She’s ready for this job.’ ”
