We recently connected with Rebecca Barron and have shared our conversation below.

Rebecca, appreciate you joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I have been cooking professionally for 25 years, which somehow seems like a very long time but also a very short time! I’ve had a few mentors over the years who sort of took me under their wing. That’s 1 thing that I think is really special about the food industry; if you show interest there’s likely someone who will want to share their knowledge with you. One of my mentors was a sushi master named Hiroshi. He is Japanese but raised in the south. His restaurant did a very fun mix of food that incorporated both cultures. It was from him that I learned that there is no rush to your learning process. It takes years and years of practice to become good at something. He taught me that to become a master, you must master the art of teaching yourself. He taught me to own my learning. It was very Mr. Miyagi from Karate Kid.

My current boss Daniel Lindley has also been a great mentor. He pushes me to strive for excellence. He has an amazing artistic vision and has been nominated for 6 James Beard Awards. I was also nominated for 1 which I credit to him sharing his creativity and knowledge with me. I worked under him at Saint John’s Restaurant and took over as Exec Chef when he sold his portion. After some stints at some other places related to having a baby & covid times, I then came back to work for him at his 3 restaurants. Alleia and 2nd American which are both in Chattanooga, and 5th & Taylor located in Nashville. I love all 3 of these restaurants dearly. I get to come up with dishes at all 3 places and I’ve learned a great deal about the business side of things.

My most essential skills that I possess are a willingness to show up and teach myself the hard stuff. And good knife skills are of the utmost importance. (PRACTICE!!)

Obstacles that have stood in my way of learning more: Not having enough time in the day (I have a 6 year old daughter), and needing to get more emergency type things done at work, (such as a dishwasher going out). But I try not to let that hold me back!

Rebecca, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I got into this business because of my love of all things food. I grew up watching Julia Child and Jacques Pepin and I knew I wanted to be a chef since I was 5 years old. I grew up cooking and eating and always wanting to try new foods and restaurants.

Our restaurants provide comfort, ease, and hospitality. In addition to our open dining spaces, we also offer private dining rooms/spaces in all 3 of our restaurants that guests can book in advance for weddings, holiday dinners or birthdays.

I think one thing that sets us apart at our restaurants is that we source as many local ingredients as we can and we try to keep our menus seasonal and comforting. I’m also very proud of the fact that we’ve kept our kitchen manager turnover rate to a minimum at all 3 restaurants, that has helped us to maintain consistency and attentiveness in our organization.

For any additional information you can find us on resy.com, instagram, or email us at [email protected], [email protected], or [email protected]

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson that I’ve had to unlearn has been that sort of ego driven chef life that gets sort of passed down to young chefs. I’ve had to learn about peace and surround myself with kindness, generosity, and calm. I was involved with a lot of chaos in my young adult life that I’ve had to relearn how to be calm and quiet and kind. I spent some time in India some years back and went to a meditation retreat high in the mountains in Jihbi India and it was one of the best things I’ve ever done for my mental health as a Chef.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Some things that have influenced me over the years: Karate Kid, The 7 habits of highly effective people, The Power of Now, Leaders Eat Last, Life on the Line (Chef Grant Achatz memoir), and Chef Eric Ripert’s memoir 32 yolks.

Contact Info:

• Website: 2ndamerican.com, alleiarestaurant.com, 5thandtaylor.com
• Instagram: 2nd american restaurant, alleia restaurant, 5th and taylor restaurant
• Other: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Image Credits

Some are my own photos and some of the food photos are Kristina Armstrong. The headshot is from Graham Yelton.