Chef Zachary Shine aims to break down the wall between chefs and customers in his “Shine’s Chef Table” event.
At Shine’s Chef Table, at the Times Collaborative off the kitchen will be a room that is attached to the kitchen door. There will be a pop up window so customers can see inside and talk with the chefs as the meal is being prepared.
“This is more of a personal experience type deal. We’ll talk about the farms because I do a farm-to-table type cooking,” Shine said.
There will only be 16 seats available at the event, with two tables of eight. Shine in the future hopes to continue to host intimate dinners, and thus, putt the focus on the customer.
“Kind of leaning towards the more personable aspect of dining. You know, engaging with the customer, hopefully not too much so they're annoyed. But you know just giving them the run-down where the food comes from, just so you know what you are putting in your body,” Shine said.
Shine has been a chef for 12 years. His journey as a chef begins at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York. He is trained in Italian cooking and draws inspiration from his American heritage as well.
“A lot of my cooking derives from Italian things, and into a little American style cooking. So basically, Italian cooking with a little bit of fine dining,” Shine said.
For the event that will be held on June 25 at the Times Collaborative, tickets will be $70 per person. Shine is continually trying to find the correct price point in order to make a profit, but also entice the customers.
“You know this makes it a little more easy and accessible for me, and I also get to grow in the town that I live in. The community factor is always a huge thing for me,” Shine said.
