Today we’d like to introduce you to Eric Brannon.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Eric. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
As a young kid, I was forced to cook for myself at a young age. With a single mother who worked two jobs, I had to grow up younger than most. First, starting with easy recipes that I could handle ( and more importantly didn’t burn the house down), then moving into more advanced dishes that challenged my palate and technique. Hell, one can’t eat mac and cheese every night. During those adolescent and teenage years, I was also very much influenced in the culinary realm by my father. My brothers and I saw him less within the joint custody agreement, so he valued our time together and used food and the gathering around a meal as our family quality time.
But here’s the thing – my dad can cook. Trained in Chinese, Soul, Italian, and Creole cuisine, he opened up a Pandora’s box of flavors and culture for me. So the obvious choice was to be a chef, right? Actually no. I originally studied music with the dream of being a working percussionist. This drove me to music school where I ultimately realized that I would rather play in a band and be a rockstar., Who wouldn’t want that? But during the years of touring and playing professionally, I graduated from The Pennsylvania Culinary Institute and continued to hold down random cooking jobs across restaurants in Pittsburgh, PA.
Then, as an almost “behind the music” scenario unfolded with my band, I realized – damn I’m pretty good at this restaurant thing – and so did others. I was offered my first chef job in Washington DC at the age of 25 not knowing a soul and being completely by myself for the first time in my life; that move would change my professional life. Over the next ten years, I was lucky to find a growth restaurant brand that nurtured my drive and ultimately secured my executive — level positions as Area Director of Ops and Culinary Director of Ops for a national brand. The interesting thing about moving to executive levels in the restaurant is you are naturally forced to lose touch with the day to day ops. This want and desire to be surrounded by great food and happy guests led me to leave the high dollar corporate chef job and get back to what makes me happy.
Money isn’t everything. So here I am with CHIKO, able to taste almost every dish and meet almost every guest daily. Sure, we want to grow, but I know I won’t ever want to be too far removed from the feeling I had at my father’s table and in my mother’s kitchen.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Restaurants can be volatile with many ups and downs. It takes a person who can be flexible with immediate changes. This has required me to move from apartments often and even relocate to multiple cities. It’s hard to plant your roots when the future isn’t always certain, and that can be unsettling. Also, the physical and mental demands of the industry can take a toll on ones health. Relationships are tough to maintain with the long hours and demanding schedules. I’ve found success and not burned myself out because I know the importance of working on my self and finding time for love and friends. It’s easy to be consumed by your job in the restaurant industry.
Tell us more about your work.
I’m the Executive Chef and General Manager of CHIKO Encinitas. We started in DC as a “fine casual” Chinese and Korean restaurant and quickly found recognition through our food and service. We offer unique takes on both cuisines by using high quality ingredients and upscale methods and preparations while serving our guests in a casual way. We pay respect and homage to the authenticity of each culture but don’t attempt to replicate them. We now have two locations in Washington DC and one location in California. Our menu is intentionally small with aggressive attention to detail. No flavors are the same and there’s something for everyone. We are very proud that we can offer high-quality Asian food at a reasonable price. We are humbled by our community support and the success we have had. Whether it be our chef counter tasting menu, guest chef pop ups, or our daily themed specials, we are always working hard to keep it innovative and new for our guests.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I’m not a firm believer in luck but I do believe that a person must put themselves in the most opportune situation for positive growth. I feel grateful for my life and the opportunities I’ve had, but I also take ownership of the work it took to get there. If I’m lucky it’s that I have been able to surround myself with smart and talented people. I never want to be the smartest person in the room.
Contact Info:
- Address: 101 N Coast Hwy 101
- Phone: 7245166536
- Email: eric@tfrc.com
- Instagram: CHIKO_cali
- Facebook: @CHIKO.760
Image Credit:
Leading DC
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