Bistro Newsletter

I’d like to introduce you to Travis. Travis has been one of the chefs in our kitchen for over 9 years. He’s the guy with the black rimmed glasses and tattoos on his arms … he’s also the guy in the tap dance costume behind the bar in the little frame. Travis loves to tell tales, many of which I wouldn’t believe until he “always” comes up with the proof. That’s part of the story of how his picture ended up behind the bar… the other part is a love story. It’s his story so I’ll just leave that there.

Travis is one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. I can say that I have peed my pants twice laughing with him. I’m not proud. But he’s ridiculously hilarious. He comes up with these wild imaginative moments in his head and the ways he expresses himself and the ideas he comes up with… well, they just make me bust out laughing. I can say everyone here agrees that he is our adorable class clown. But he is not only funny, Travis is also a talented artist and musician.

And he is a fabulous cook. Travis is the kind of cook that I can give a general idea of what I want, and he can execute it without having exact recipes. Not all cooks can do that; understand how something should taste and then how to get there. I think being a musical artist helps him figure it out. It’s like jamming, playing off a riff, synchronizing with someone else’s idea. He’s got a great palette and he understands good food. With no formal culinary education, I would say he has learned a ton here, but he had a great start working at Lepanto in Royal Oak and for Chef Steve Allen (Steve & Rocky’s) where he was shown the basics. Travis blossomed here where he can express himself as an individual, be his unique self and to truly be loved. I hope Travis knows how much he is appreciated.​

I’d say you should say hello to Travis next time you’re in the Bistro, but he’s shy and will already be mad at me for writing about him. Hopefully he won’t make me laugh too hard while he scolds me… at 51, I can’t handle it. Literally.

Cheers,
Sharon