Chef Tom Makowski Shares Journey of New Restaurant Ownership in Western North Carolina

After being furloughed from his job as Corporate Executive Chef at the Charleston International Airport last year, Chef Tom Makowski and his wife took a trip to Hendersonville, NC to get away for a few days. They certainly did not realize their getaway trip would be the start of an exciting new adventure, one that would change their lives for good. “I met the family that owned The Echo Mountain Inn, and I felt that it was God’s calling that I needed to open a restaurant here,” Makowski says. So, Makowski quit his job, and the family uprooted their lives in Charleston and moved to Hendersonville in the middle of the pandemic to begin their new life of restaurant ownership. 

Two weeks before opening their new restaurant, Makowski called his former sous chef Drew Greenblatt from the airport and asked him to come work for him. Now, Greenblatt is Makowski’s Corporate Executive Chef for his company. They opened The View at Echo Mountain Inn in August of 2020, and it has been an incredible success since. “We have been insanely busy ever since,” Makowski says. In September 2021, Makowski transferred from being a partner to full ownership of the restaurant, and he didn’t stop there. He purchased a food truck called “The Taste Buds Food Truck,” a spinoff of The View, providing southern/Italian-inspired cuisine. The Taste Buds opened just in time for the Apple Festival and was the very first food truck to debut at the event. “That was the first weekend we had the food truck, and it was the most insane weekend of our entire lives,” he says of the experience. The Taste Buds is available for bookings, and is a great option for weddings, parties, employee events and festivals. After launching The Taste Buds, Makowski took over The Pavillion Banquet Center at The Lodge Hotel in Flat Rock, NC. The Banquet Center at The Lodge is a venue available to host many different events from weddings and parties, to corporate events and gatherings. 

The restaurants exist under the ownership of Makowski’s company Blue Ridge Hospitality Group. Altogether, the company is a one-stop shop for weddings, providing everything from event planning and catering, to the wedding cake, music, and the venue. “We have the catering, the venue, the DJ, the photographer, the cake, so you are only contacting one person for all of your wedding needs,” Makowski says. 

Makowski and his family love living in Western North Carolina, and they are excited to be able to serve their community as a premiere wedding and food destination. 

For more information on Blue Ridge Hospitality Group, visit their website at www.blueridgehospitalitygroup.com 

Cooking tips: 

Chop Herbs With Salt : To prevent herbs from flying all over the place when chopping, sprinkle a bit of salt onto the board. This will keep them in place.

Sear Meat and Vegetables in A Cast Iron Pan

A cast iron gives meat and vegetables a perfect sear. The cast iron distributes heat evenly and the food cooks and browns uniformly. The non-stick coat prevents damage caused by wear and tear. To avoid damaging the pan while cleaning, use salt and oil as opposed to dishwashing soap.

The Knife Technique

Professional chefs advise this when using a knife. Hold the knife using your dominant hand by placing your thumb beside the blade where it meets the handle. Rest your thumb on the blade nearest to the handle. Curl the fingers on your nondominant hand and use your middle finger lower knuckles to guide the cutting. Roll the knife on the board as you cut ensuring your wrist is relaxed.

Simple Recipes:

Parmesan Risotto 

Ingredients: 

6 cups chicken broth

2 tablespoons butter,

1 tablespoons olive oil

6 garlic cloves, minced 

2 medium shallots, minced 

2 cups arborio rice 

1 cup dry white wine 

1 lemon zest 

1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish 

1  teaspoons salt 

1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper chopped parsley (to garnish)  

Heat chicken broth in a medium saucepan. Keep hot during preparation. Heat the butter and oil in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and shallots, and saute, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, 3-4 minutes. Do not brown. Add the rice, and stir to coat. Cook rice, stirring frequently, until well coated and grains start to appear translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the white wine, and stir constantly until it has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of the hot stock, and cook, stirring constantly, until almost all of the liquid has evaporated. Then add hot stock, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each addition is absorbed before adding the next (reserve about 1/2 cup for serving). Cook until rice is tender but still firm in the center (a total of 20-25 minutes). Remove pan from heat, and stir in 2 t lemon zest, 1/4 c Parmesan cheese, salt & pepper. Add some of the remaining stock a little at a time to reach the desired consistency. Serve immediately, garnished with Parmesan cheese and parsley . 

Pan Seared Salmon:

Ingredients: 

4 (6 ounce) fillets salmon 

2 tablespoons olive oil 

2 tablespoons capers 

⅛ teaspoon salt 

⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper 

4 slices lemon   

Preheat a large heavy skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes. Step 1: Coat salmon with olive oil. Place in skillet, and increase heat to high. Cook for 3 minutes. Sprinkle , and salt and pepper. Turn salmon over, and cook for 5 minutes, or until browned. Salmon is done when it flakes easily with a fork. 

These two are best paired together: creamy risotto topped with seared salmon!

Blue Ridge Hospitality Group

info@blueridgehospitalitygroup.com

Written by Rosa Linda Fallon