About the Chefs and the Food The team we’ve put together at Buxton is a big part of our success so far. We all spent months getting on the same page, many of us working together since long before we opened the doors. Then we all went through the trial-by-fire that is opening a new restaurant, adapting and dialing in until everything was the way we wanted it. And of course, we still continue to evolve. There are three chefs in particular who are a big part of the restaurant, and this book, behind the scenes.
Sarah Cousler: Sarah’s mom is from the Philippines and her dad is from the eastern part of North Carolina, so she has a very interesting combination of culinary backgrounds. She has so much history to pull from on both sides, and like me she loves drawing inspiration from her family and her roots. It’s funny because even though Sarah is now one of our city’s most talented chefs, her mom still barely lets her cook when she goes home! Sarah has further developed the Asian side of her culinary skills with trips to countries like Japan. She’s going to be a big part of our future and I’m so excited to see what dishes she comes up with next.
18
chapter 1
Dan Silo: Dan is from upstate New York. He fell in love with Asheville and packed his knives. In a small world moment, Dan actually came in to train at the Admiral on my last day there. I was so checked out at that point that I refused to train him! But we ended up getting to know each other socially and he eventually started working with us at the Punk Wok and Thunderbird pop-ups. Dan was a huge part of opening Buxton, and not just the menu. He literally was there doing physical labor, rehabbing the building. He and I also spent long nights cooking hogs, smoking all night and working all day. I think that’s a real bonding experience, going through a crazy 24 hours like that.
