7 minute read
Last Call
Terrell Wilson corporate executive chef at Grid Hospitality Group
Terrell Wilson is proud to introduce The Grid’s latest concept, Franklin Street Fare.
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How did you end up in Worcester?
I’m from Roselle, New Jersey. I went to school in Rhode Island, that’s how I became familiar with the New England area.
Johnson & Wales?
Yes. When I said back in 2006 that I wanted to go to culinary school, I had a guidance counselor actually laugh at me. And when I told him what school I wanted to go to, the laugh got even louder. He told me, because of where I grew up, I would never go to a school like Johnson & Wales. From then on, I felt like I had a point to prove. After I graduated, I ran my own restaurant in New Jersey for two years. We got to the point where there were a lot of things going on structurally with a building that I didn’t own. I decided to cut my losses.
That sounds familiar. I think the pandemic illuminated a lot of the unrealistic margins restaurant owners had been navigating for too long. Is there a chef or restaurateur you look to as a role model?
Angie Armenise is the chef who changed me. I worked underneath her in college and she kept pushing me to grow.
The James Beard Awards have come up against a lot of recent criticism for their failure to recognize BIPOC chefs. Have you experienced marginalization in the industry?
I grew up fast. I got my first executive spot when I was 21. Not only is it hard being an African American in this industry because a lot of the higher-ups are people who do not come from my culture or my background, but it’s also tough being viewed as young or inexperienced. I felt like I had to work a lot harder. I had to push myself a lot harder. I had to have the mentality of being the first one to arrive and the last one to leave. I had to make sure that I was on top of my game. And, you know, sometimes we’re put in a box. One of my friends recently wrote an article about how just because I’m African American doesn’t mean I only cook soul food. A lot of times when I tell people I’m a chef, that’s the first thing out of their mouth. It’s like, “Oh, you cook soul food.” For many of us, that’s the opposite, because soul food is something we grew up eating. It’s not really a genre of food; it’s just dinner. Being a young African American chef and bringing my culture into my food is definitely a part of what I do, but it’s not a hundred percent of what I do. At the same time, I’m fighting for the next generation of chefs. What I do today is not for me. When I saw chefs like chef Marcus Samuelsson taking over the industry and doing amazing things, it gave me courage. Back when I was a real little kid, I used to turn on Food Network and never see a black chef. Because of that, every February during black history month, I always do a project.
Like, a personal project?
Yes, and this past year was about finding chefs throughout history who represented my African American culture. I can’t tell you how important it was for me to discover a slew of culinary professionals who look just like me.
Do you have any advice for young chefs with big dreams?
Organization is key. I take a lot of notes. In the culinary world, we call it, “mise en place.” It basically means, “everything in its place,” and that carries over to more than just cooking in a kitchen. I always tell people as chefs, we have to wear three hats. A chef’s hat, the hat of a lifelong student and the hat of a teacher. The industry changes every single day. I can’t afford to not pick up a book or stay on top of new information.
I have to be honest with you, the number of concepts I’ve seen come in and out of The Grid has always confused me. Why do the restaurants change with such frequency?
I got here when the company was restructuring and redesigning; in that process, they closed a couple of restaurants. They listened to my insight when I said, “We have to be wise in our decisions — we can’t just open restaurants to open restaurants.” We took the time to focus on a smaller scale, refining the restaurants we already had open rather than trying to franchise them. I hate to say it this way, but COVID provided a muchneeded opportunity for us to shut
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down and look at each property individually. Early on, I felt as if none of our places had an identity. That’s what I’m working to change. The Brew, for instance, is all about local sourcing. It resonates warmth. The Beer Garden has a German influence that lends itself to craft beer and a menu that can rotate like a gastropub. Our newest location, Franklin Street Fare, is all about the exciting world of international street food. In America, we’re just now starting to appreciate street food as more than boiled hot dogs.
lunch spots. Are there specific dishes you want to highlight at Franklin Street Fare?
I think the gochujang chicken is amazing, it’s inspired by Korean barbecue. We marinate the chicken thighs for 24 hours so they are super tender and juicy on the grill. My other favorite protein is the al pastor, a traditional Mexican dish with Middle Eastern influence. It’s slow-cooked and served with pineapple that has been dyed red with annatto seed, which also adds a really nutty and earthy flavor to the dish.
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