Chef Will Brady shares his wild zig zag of a career around the United States with us

Improper bostonian

If you’ve spent any time in the Chico food scene over the past decade, you’ve undoubtedly heard of the irreverent and eccentric Chef Will Brady, and if you’ve ever stopped into one of his bars, you’ve likely heard him audibly over its speakers. Owner of the list of “B” Downtown Chico staples The Banshee, B Street Public House, and semi-eponymous Bill’s Towne Lounge, his restaurants are anything but B-list. Over the years, each has garnered a reputation for delicious food made with quality ingredients, and he has earned a reputation for— amongst other things—being a perfectionist. Indeed, that reputation is derived from his dedication to details both inside the kitchen and in designing each of his restaurants—a trait which has often resulted in longer-thanexpected anticipation for their openings. The case is no different with his newest “B”, Bodega, set to open on the corner of 2nd and Main Streets within the next few months. For him, it’s just another location opening when it should.

An improper Bostonian through and through, Will dropped out of the University of Massachusetts after realizing school was not for him. At the age of 19 he traveled to Los Angeles to pursue his dreams of being a bassist in a rock band. “I needed a job to support my dreams of being a musician, so I took up a position at Caioti in Laurel Canyon,” Will laughed. “They told me I didn’t look good enough for the front of house, so they put me in the kitchen. My male modeling dreams were dashed, but it gave me the opportunity to work next to Chef Ed LaDou, the inventor of the California Pizza for Wolfgang Puck at Spago and the designer of California Pizza Kitchen’s entire concept. I worked there for a year, but as most L.A. dreams go, becoming a star bassist didn’t work out. I did find my calling as a cook under Ed’s tutelage though.”

Will returned to Boston in 1993 and set out on a journey through the New England culinary scene, taking up positions working with a list of James Beard winners including Chef Chris Schlessinger and industry giant, Chef Patrick Lyons. After being chosen for an opening chef position at age 23, he left

Sonsie Restaurant to help flip a Charlestown bar whose owners dreamed of turning it into a gastropub. It turned out, he got himself into more than he bargained for, as the owner was a bit of a well-known gangster. An inopportune run-in with the owner’s son resulted in a clear message he was no longer welcome at the establishment. Will hitched a bus to Chicago and did his best to disappear.

Not looking to stand out, Will began working for various top line chefs throughout the Windy City. Eventually, he earned a reputation as a floater who possessed a unique talent for opening restaurants. The reputation earned him access to celebrity chefs and restaurateurs like Charlie Trotter and Keith Corn. Though things seemed to be looking up, a disagreement with his brother ended his free stay in Chicago, and he continued west to L.A. once again.

The following years took Will through Los Angeles, and after the death of the Charlestown owner, he went back to Boston, where he helped open The Thirsty Scholar, the bar from the first scene of the movie Social Network. People in the Irish community began asking for his help in opening their bars, and he obliged, opening several Irish bars in New England and North Carolina. In an effort to help Irish friends who had been deported, he even traveled to Ireland to open a restaurant abroad.

Eventually, he was called to the beauty of Martha’s Vineyard and spent two years at Farm Neck Golf Club cooking and meeting members like Bill Clinton, Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, and Vernon Jordan. He also developed a mean golf game. “I managed to squeeze in just over 150 rounds of golf while I worked at Farm Neck,” Will said. “I was actually pretty good. Just like with the bass guitar, I thought I might make a career out of it, but then I looked in the mirror and realized I was probably too old for that. A family member of mine passed away, and I inherited some money, which afforded me the opportunity to open my own bar, the Mad Raven, in Waltham, on the outskirts of Boston.”

It was there Will met Sebastien Tamarelle, a Chico man who had been going to Brandeis University and who had become a customer of Brady’s at The Raven. Sebastien was saving money to open his own bar in his California hometown. “I told Sebastien, ‘I’m leaving this place and won’t make it on the PGA Tour. Gimme a shout if you need any help with that bar you’re thinking about opening.’” Will remembered, “We exchanged numbers and after five years of four-to-five bar fights a week, I sold the bar to my partner and called it quits.” Will retired in Austin for 10 months before receiving the fateful call from Sebastien that brought him out to Chico. The rest, as they say, is history.

Since arriving in Chico 16 years ago, Will has partnered with a number of locals to open his three restaurants and provide job opportunities to countless more. Many of these individuals have gone on to attain chef positions at other restaurants and continue to regard his training as some of the most influential they received. For Will, it’s nothing more than training the attention to detail needed to provide delicious food consistently. “I saw that effort and respect for food was missing for cooks in a lot of locations.” Will said, “I made it a point to set a standard for how they should be paid and trained, and it’s been uplifting to see it echoed throughout town. The food scene has changed a lot over the past 16 years too. Watching tasty food become the norm rather than the exception has been great to see with the advent of lots of places like ours, and if I had anything to do with that, that’s pretty gratifying.”

If you’re a fan of any of Will's restaurants, you have his dog Steve to thank for them. After the success of the Banshee, Will planned to duplicate the pub throughout California, starting with Folsom and Sacramento, on his way to the Bay Area. He made a scouting trip to Folsom, intent on moving, and took Steve with him, only to find that he had become a Chico dog through and through. “He just didn’t like it there.” Will said, “When I saw how much he loved Chico and how little he loved Folsom, I knew I had a responsibility to make sure he was happy.” Thanks to Steve, Will stuck around town, leading him to open his two subsequent restaurants and begin working on his next project. Steve passed away in 2021, but left behind a legacy of influence numerous residents continue to enjoy every day. Will’s fourth restaurant, Bodega, will be a bit of a hybrid, selling espresso, baked goods, and pizza to the public while providing his restaurants, along with Crush and Konas, their daily bread. It will also be a hub for his restaurants’ food prep, guaranteeing an even greater level of consistency amongst the Bs.

With significant success over the past three restaurants, and surely the upcoming fourth, one would think Will’s future will likely echo the past—perhaps using the same recipe to build another four. That will not be the case. “It was never my dream to die on the line,” Will laughed, “I’m planning to ride off into a sunset made out of pizza crust! I bought myself a little place in Maine, and I’m turning 50 in September. I’m exhausted, but this journey has been incredible. Chico’s great, and I hope to see everyone start smiling again as we come out of the pandemic. Where the restaurants are concerned, I plan to hand them off to my staff when I decide to leave, and hold onto a little equity in each for my own retirement. It’s the right thing to do, and I’m excited to do it.”

Bill’s Towne Lounge is set to reopen this month, after being closed throughout the pandemic, with a brand new stage for live entertainment. Bodega will follow shortly thereafter. Drop by Downtown Chico and make some time to try something at each of Will’s four locations for yourself. You won’t be disappointed.