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The Hearty Boys was born
in our eight-by-eight-foot Chicago kitchen. You could stand in the
middle and touch the stove, the fridge, and the collapsible countertop
that we had rigged to the wall behind the back door. Every time the
business line rang, we'd run to the bedroom and pick it up,
trying to sound professional and not out of breath.
You see, neither of us went to culinary school or studied the hospitality
industry in college. We started out in New York as actors trying to
pay our bills, which meant, quite simply, rolling up our sleeves and
working in all aspects of the food business. We learned how to set
up outdoor bars and buffets at the U.S. Open; at the French Embassy,
we trained how to set an exquisite formal table; and when we worked
luncheons at the United Nations, we became versed in treating guests
royally . . . literally.
We each soaked up all sorts of knowledge along the way and these experiences
earned us the title of "accidental experts."
We had a vision when we moved to Chicago; we wanted to take all the
knowledge we had accumulated and bring an East Coast sensibility to
the Windy City. And Chicagoans were ready to listen. They started
to look to us for hip, urban parties, and reporters called for tips
on their upcoming entertainment articles.
Our success quickly enabled us to move out of the apartment kitchen
and open a gourmet shop in the "Boystown" neighborhood on Chicago's
north side. We served an ever-changing array of foods—all of
which we created on the spot each morning. The Hearty Boys continued
to grow happily and steadily…and then we hit the summer of 2005.
True to form we squeezed everything into one eight week period that
summer. We sent a tape into Food Network and beat out 10,000 entrants
to become The Next Food Network Star;
we launched our own show, Party Line with
The Hearty Boys and opened our first restaurant, HB. Then we
topped it off with the birth of our son, Nate.
In October of 2007, The Hearty Boys Cookbook "Talk
with Your Mouth Full" will further the opportunity to use our
"accidental expertise." In it, we share our irreverent views of food
and entertaining along with recipes, anecdotes from our journey and,
of course, how-to tips we've culled from our time in the trenches.
We're often asked what the secret to The Hearty Boys success
is. It's one word and it's also our "business plan"…Accessibility.
Now "accessibility" is probably not a well rounded and
complete business plan but I think we already came clean about the
culinary institute history. We want our food to be unexpected, intriguing
and accessible. We want the staff to be knowledgeable, attentive and
accessible. We want the whole catering shebang (which can seem daunting
and verge on frightening) to be an accessible experience.
It works for us…now lets see how we can work for you. |
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