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Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Three-Course Spiel An interview with kitchen manager Pete Tolles
Posted By Christian Yoder on Tue, May 19, 2009 at 12:07 PM
Mixing traditional bar food with higher-end dining can be tricky. This is one of the challenges that Pete Tolles has encountered after becoming the kitchen manager for 1300 Southend Tavern almost three months ago. After living in Florida, Tolles has been in Charlotte for the past two years and is mastering the art of mixing tavern cuisine with a slightly more sophisticated edge, all the while incorporating a touch of traditional Southern taste into the Tavern's menu.
Creative Loafing: How long have you been in the industry?
Pete Tolles: I’ve been in the industry for about 16 years now, as far as after school goes. I started when I was a young kid, back when I was 11 before we even had to have work papers. I started off as a dishwasher, worked my way up to a busser, then a server and finally a chef.
How does working in a tavern or bar setting affect your creativity?
Well it’s actually very new to me. Coming in, I was very used to working in country clubs, where I basically started my career. I worked at about nine different country clubs. As far as working in a tavern setting, I’ve never worked in a setting like this before; it’s a little challenging for me. Of course you have to provide regular bar food for people who come in and watch the games. At the same time you still have to be creative so that you can appeal to people who are just coming in to dine.
Does cooking ever make you hungry?
Actually, no, it doesn’t anymore. I like to taste and everything, but I see food so much that I don’t eat much anymore. As you can see, I’m not very big.
1300 Southend Tavern is located at 1300 South Blvd.
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