How do you open a restaurant, of all businesses in this wretched economy, at age 27 and turn it into such an instant success that hunters, boaters and businessmen travel more than a hundred miles to spend their money there?
You start as a lowly Midwestern busboy, then pick up and leave everything behind to head to the East Coast in hopes of attending a top culinary school. Then a few years later, you move across the country to Minnesota and, upon noticing a two-hour wait one night at a fancy restaurant, you decide to open one across the river.
At least, that’s what Greg Jaworski did.
Now, how do you come up with a name like “Nosh” for your restaurant? You humor your mother, help her with a crossword puzzle and stumble across the Yiddish word, which means “to eat something.” Or, more exactly, “to eat something, especially a snack between meals.” Then you model your restaurant after the concept, creating an order-as-you-wish, course-by-course menu, granting patrons free range of whatever delectable dish they wish.
At least, that’s what Greg Jaworski did.
So then, how do you create the scrumptious dishes that make customer after customer declare, “That was, by far, the best fill-in-the-blank I’ve ever eaten?” You take what you gathered at the world-renowned Le Cordon Bleu at Atlantic Culinary Academy in New Hampshire, the knowledge you gained in the prestigious role of Chef de Cuisine at Lindbergh, about what freshness really means and how seafood is supposed to taste, and the lessons learned of Latin American cuisine under the tutelage of Washington D.C.’s premiere Hispanic chef, and you apply it on the banks of the Missisippi River, on southern Minnesota’s lovely Lake Pepin impoundment.
At least, that’s what Greg Jaworski did.
Despite his flair, passion and undeniably extraordinary talent, Jaworski speaks simply and modestly about what it takes to make amazing food.
“The biggest thing is starting with the best ingredients possible,” he explains after popping out of the kitchen for a quick moment on a busy Friday evening. “A lot of chiefs try to do really fancy things, and add a lot of fusion and taste to the food, but they’re not using good ingredients. When I went out east, I learned the importance of using the best ingredients. That’s why I’m so big into all the organic food and getting all these super fresh ingredients.”
For more information on the Nosh, call 651.345.2425 or e-mail noshrestaurant@aol.com. Visit itsWeb site at www.noshrestaurant.com.