Owner and Head Chef Chris Doebler began his journey in the food world over 20 years ago. Both before and after attending Culinary School, he cut his teeth making pizzas in Chicago. Getting his start in Chicago at Lou Malnati’s, he worked every part of the restaurant and quickly found himself running the front of house, managing a large team of employees and focusing on customer experience.
Soon he wanted to head back into the kitchen. And he did so with fine dining on his mind, working for renowned chefs such as James Beard Award Winner Chef Mindy Segal (Hot Chocolate, Chicago), multiple James Beard Award Winner (among many other accolades) Chef Suzanne Goin (Tavern, LA), James Beard Nominated Chef Eric Skokan (Black Cat, Boulder, CO), among others.
When he moved to West Michigan, he began working at Salt of the Earth, loving the farm to table unique dishes they served. Soon, he was on to open as Head Chef at both Bowdies Chophouse (where he was awarded 1 of the Top Ten Chefs to Watch in West Michigan as well as Best Steakhouse) and the Barge.
As Chef Chris began planning his own restaurant, he wanted to bring together all those experiences of his career, the connection through food, the comfort of a pizza place, the unique combinations found in fine dining, the fresh flavors of good ingredients, the intimate feel of smaller restaurants, and the atmosphere of a local favorite spot.
