Today we’d like to introduce you to Travis Hendricks.
Hi Travis, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’ve been working in the food/beverage industry for a long time, nearly 20 years, but I was mostly on the beverage side of things. As much as I do love working a good bar, food is always where I wanted to end up. I grew up around food. My mother (as every good chef states) was the start of it all. Growing up, she worked in a single-person kitchen and I remember everyone liking her food. People preferred her food to anyone else that worked there. So needless to say, I learned a lot from her.
I liked to cook, but I thought nothing of it. Food was just food. What really got me excited was when I moved to New York City. I was almost getting to taste everything as it was the first time. Things tasted different. Different food cultures, different spices, food was actually seasoned! It was glorious. Each new restaurant bar job I would start, I got to study the menu. I got to learn more and more. I befriended chefs, learned a bit from them until I started to put everything together. Then it was trial by fire! My husband was my guinea pig for most of it. He got to taste my progress. I started developing recipes of my own, then started to do private dining gigs, cooking for holiday parties, etc… My husband and I then had the long discussion to move to Dallas to be near his family. With no hesitation, I said yes. This could be the city that I open my first restaurant in! And so, here we are.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There are always struggles with any career choice. One of mine was getting out the shadow of being a bartender and getting recognition for my food. It took some very hard work, but I got it done and here I am.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I love to cook! I love to watch people eat their first bites of a dish. I love to listen to the weird sounds that people make when they are eating good food. I love to watch people’s emotions from eating a specific food that strikes a memory. I want everyone to have an experience like that when eating and that is what I strive to do.
My food is considered New American but I like to focus on flavors around the Mediterranean Sea whether it’s spices from North Africa or different pastas from Italy. I like their take on food. The quality of ingredients make the dish memorable. Technique takes you the rest of the way.
I am most proud of how much I have grown as a person and a chef and I have to thank my husband for that.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Trusting myself and the product I put out. This is usually a roller coaster ride for me. Sometimes I get in my head and think I am not talented enough and start comparing myself to other chefs. I then have to force myself to trust me and what I do. I know I am good, but sometimes I have to remind myself.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @chefhendricks
Image Credits
Travis Hendricks
