Dram Yard Welcomes New Chef

Dram Yard’s new chef, Nick Chavez, got his first job in the kitchen as a means of adolescent punishment. Chavez’s mom insisted he get a job in the dish pit of a local restaurant to keep him out of trouble when he was in high school.

“Little did they know that I’d eventually take it seriously and find what I love,” Chavez said. “I got very lucky.”

Chavez, originally from Miami, Florida, grew up eating a lot of Cuban cooking, especially his grandma’s. “Growing up in my grandma’s kitchen was what made me really love food,” he said, adding that she always sends him home with Tupperware full of leftovers. “I’ve never been a picky eater and always ate whatever she put in front of me because I knew it was gonna be good.”

The Chavez family moved to the Greensboro area when Nick was 10 years old, and he remained there until he was about 23. “I just really missed the coast,” he said. “And I had reached a point in my culinary career where I wanted to learn more, and I had always loved working with fishermen.”

Chavez adds that he also wanted to live and work in a city where he could grow his name and stand out. He had always appreciated the food scene and culture in Wilmington, so it was a natural choice.

Once here, Chavez started at Cape Fear Country Club as a line cook, working with Antoine Murray and Justin Mooney. Chavez said the two took him under their collective wing, elevating his culinary knowledge.

In the intervening years, he has worked at Wrightsville Beach Brewery, back at Cape Fear Country Club, Porters Neck Country Club, Salt Fish Restaurant and Tiki Bar, King Neptunes and N. Sea Oyster Co.

When asked about the different experiences and chefs he’s worked closely with in town, Chavez speaks of the importance of maintaining relationships in the industry. “This town is very small,” he said. “People get to know you not only as a chef but as a person. I have found so much camaraderie and friendships because we all lean on each other.”

Most recently, Chavez helped his longtime friend Joe Aperfine open Dough House Pizza Co., a downtown pizza and sandwich concept. “It was cool to help him out and help him chase his dream,” Chavez said. “I love everything that he’s doing there, but I was just finding myself like, ‘man I really don’t think I’m a pizza chef.’”

After helping Aperfine open his dream, Chavez started reflecting more on his own: a James Beard Awards nomination. “That’s the top of my list and so I was like, ‘What am I doing? I need to chase my dream,’” he said.

Around the same time, the owners of Dram Yard started interviewing for a new chef and met with Chavez. He explains that he was vocal about his own individual aspirations and that the team was aligned on the trajectory they envisioned for the menu and the restaurant.

Some of Chavez’s plans include focusing on using local fishermen and upping the activity in the courtyard at Dram Yard. “It’s a cool space out there,” he said. “I think we can really make something happen here because this town loves a good hangout spot. We have the right setting for it, and now we just got to work on the food aspect.”

One of the first areas of the menu guests can expect to see Chavez’s touch is the nightly, five-to-six-course chef’s tasting. “In the coming weeks, guests will start to see some of mine and my team’s touches on that menu before we do any big menu changes,” Chavez said.

As for what kind of touches can be expected, Chavez mentions his love of southern comfort food but with a little Hispanic flair. “I like to take a North Carolina ingredient and kind of make it a little Hispanic,” he said. “That’s my culture, and I have such a passion and love for it.”

Another focus Chavez has his eye on is incorporating more seasonal flavors and local food vendors. He said most successful restaurants in town are already doing that. “We are kind of a smaller town, and we need to support our local markets, fishermen and our coastline,” he said. “It’s easy to take the cheaper route and buy seafood or produce that comes from all over the world, but I think it’s important for us as chefs to showcase supporting our own community and being as sustainable as possible.”

Chavez’s emphasis on building and maintaining local relationships has the added benefit of not only being sustainability-minded but also practical.

“If we run out of something, I know I can run down the road to my buddy’s restaurant and be like, ‘Hey I need an ounce of cumin’ and trust that they’re going to lend it to me,” he said. “It’s important to have those relationships because we’re not in it alone. I really love this town and the people in it have a great way of supporting you if you support them.”