Chef Deb Paquette and etch: The art is on the plate
By Jennifer Thompson
Located in bustling downtown Nashville, etch is minimal in design and materials, utilizing steel, wood, and concrete. There are two private dining rooms and a large bar. This is deliberate. Here, the focus is entirely on the food and drink. As Paquette says, “The art is on the plate.”
etch’s centerpiece is the chef’s bar and open kitchen where patrons can watch Paquette’s culinary prowess and the magic of food preparation. Paquette is known for bringing fresh, layered, and bold flavors to create what she describes as elevated Southern dining.
Seasonally inspired and internationally influenced, dishes from the current menu include Moroccan bastilla with saffron eggplant and halloumi-stuffed pastry, harissa carrot ribbons, almond fennel orange pesto, pomegranate walnut purée, mushroom jus, and sugar dust; as well as pan-seared scallops with shiitake edamame risotto, chili honey carrots, pickled sprout slaw, truffle pea purée, miso hollandaise, and tempura nori. The roasted cauliflower with truffled pea purée, salted almonds, feta crema, and red bell essence is so popular that it is a menu fixture. A wine list with over 80 choices is available, along with high-gravity local beers and hand-crafted signature cocktails.
Paquette’s partners brought her in to open etch in 2012, where she was given the equipment and freedom to build her vision. Bringing in global flavors was a gamble at the time and Paquette was eager to see what she could get away with.
“People who travel were attracted to it. The challenge was winning over the rest.” Nashville knew her from Zola, where she was chef/owner for 13 years (she closed it in 2010 to travel with her husband). Zola had been named one of the 60 best restaurants in the country by Gourmet, so she rolled the dice that people would come in. At etch, her careful balance of familiar with the unexpected worked and she is now considered by many the best chef in Nashville.
While she uses spices and influences from around the world, she does not try to recreate a country’s dish, but instead fuse the flavors into a new spin on local cuisine.
“I don’t want customers to go home saying ‘Oh I had the best Mexican dish ever at etch,’” Paquette explained. But they can and do go home saying they never thought of combining a spice from across the globe with a local flavor and it was fabulous.
Paquette speaks often of creating surprises, her ongoing challenge and highest reward. She reads lots of books, talks to other chefs, eats at many restaurants. Detail-oriented and a bit analytical, she considers the food and its effects, such as how food can warm or cool the body. A new dish is eaten as a family meal by the team and dissected (and enjoyed). Unlike many chefs, Paquette acts as a mentor and teacher, guiding her “kids” to find balance and consider every aspect of a plate.
“My gift is my palate,” Paquette said. “Does a flavor work with each item on the plate; and then does it taste good on its own?”
When building the menu, she then asks if that dish is cohesive with the others? Like an editor, the last test is ensuring that cohesiveness between dishes is not reiteration.
“I have to be careful not to put ginger in everything,” she laughed.
Paquette sees beyond the norms in other ways. When asked what in her career she is most proud of, she had to think a while. She does not look back often, but finally said it is her influence on bringing women into the hallowed field of chefs. Throughout her career she has experienced the brunt of and pushed back against the male-dominated kitchen culture.
“In school, I was one girl to 17 guys,” she said. Recognizing her headwinds, she worked extra hard and longer hours to succeed in her chosen career. She didn’t think of it as a choice but a requirement. Along the way were hard choices and some losses, but with this also came women now receiving recognition in the industry.
Describing her journey, Paquette said she survived, but by any measure it is more accurate to say she thrived. She and etch have received numerous awards. Her staff is women-run. Her work culture prioritizes work-life balance. Finally, in a city becoming as renowned for its cuisine as its music, Paquette and etch helped promote and grow the Nashville scene with a globally inspired menu and unique dishes you won’t find anywhere else.
etch is located at 303 Demonbreun St. in Nashville. Lunch is served Monday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dinner service runs Monday to Thursday 4:30 to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 4:30 to 10:30 p.m. The Bar opens at 4 p.m. daily. Visit etch online at etchrestaurant.com; call 615-522-0685 or for private dining: 615-626-6446.