Allison Vines-Rushing Heads South

By JULIETTE ROSSANT As soon as I heard Allison Vines-Rushing and Slade Rushing had bought Artesia in Abita Springs, Louisiana, and renamed it "Longbranch," I started planning a trip down south. I called Allison to check on when the restaurant would be ready to receive guests. "I think September, maybe August -- I need to asses what needs to be done." Having two chefs in one restaurant is a feat in itself. One usually heads for the front of the house to give the other room, as Olivia English did for ex-husband Todd English at Olives. Mark Peel took over the kitchen of Campanile, while Nancy Silverton focused on baking -- and started the nationally retailed LaBrea Bakery (though Mark and Nancy are now divorced as well). Perhaps the marriage lasts longer if one is not a chef: for Wolfgang Puck, long-time (but now former) wife and (still) business partner Barbara Lazaroff designed and ran the front of the house for a great number of their restaurants. One of the few instances of two chefs in a single kitchen that has worked for years on end is the case of Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken. With such discouraging statistics, what would be the roles of Slade and Allison in the new restaurant, especially after having already been co-chefs at Jack's Luxury Oyster House since February 2005, six months after the restaurant opened? The case of the Rushings is also quite unusual, in that Slade has the pastry background, most notably at Rubicon, rather than Allison. "We are going to be co-chefs and co-owners. We are pretty even-steven. One cooks, one does dishes -- we share roles. He is a meat man for sure: his meats and sauces are incredible. I have more garde mange experience. As far as our knowledge goes, there are strengths and weakeness... Two heads are better than one, no matter what -- as long as you work together. Sometimes one hangs out in pastry one day... -- you change things up. We like that: it keeps things new. There is no egos in the role. We are a team: it's not for one or the other person." Why did they want this particular restaurant so much? "It's every chefs dream place: a few acres of land, a greenhouse, a big, old, beautiful house. You feel like you are in someone's home. It's a special environment." According to Allison, the town of Abita is preserved and full of historic buildings, but it is surrounded by a fast growing area north of New Orleans. How big is the restaurant? Jack's has only 28 seats, and Long Branch will have 80 seats. "I am going to miss the intimacy of Jack's. It is so special and small. Growing is hard thing to do, but this place has a homey quality. I hope it translates." What will be the cuisine of the new restaurant? "It is what we are doing now -- that is our cuisine, but for a new audience. We have had tons of Southerners come to eat at Jack's, and they love it. I think they will love it there, too. We will have to consider portion size. New Yorkers love small portion sizes, but in the South large portions are perceive value on the plate. It will be nice to work with local products – Creole tomatoes, Ruston peaches, Ponchachula strawberries, ingredients from our childhood so special to us. It will be a blast to work with them." Allison and Slade bought the restaurant with family investors, though Allison notes that they may bring in outside investors at a later date. Are they thinking of multiple restaurants? "Right now we are focused on this one. We have had offers to go to Vegas. But to run multiple restaurants you have to be a seasoned chef, who has trained people. We don't want to jump into that too quickly. We have seen people grow too quickly and lose what it is all about. We don't want to do that, especially with this restaurant at home. Of course, we would love to have a reason to be back in New York. We have to figure that out. Perhaps a very casual place." In addition to the new restaurant, Allison and Slade are working on a cookbook. Previous articles: Profile: Allison Vines-Rushing for White House Chef Technorati Tags: chefs food restaurants cooking branding --> back to superchefblog