Behind the plate: Nashville's Drusie & Darr, The Pink Hermit become dining destinations

It was a coup for Nashville when internationally renowned chef and restaurateur Jean-Georges Vongerichten announced he was bringing his brand of fine dining to the historic Hermitage Hotel.

However, the vision of Jean-Georges (as he is best known) is only as viable as the team supporting it. That is, chefs who can execute it with finesse. That’s where his appointments of Kelsi Armijo as executive chef and Stacy Day as executive pastry chef come into play.

Under the guidance of the two women, the food and drink that distinguish a Jean-Georges restaurant come to life. They recently shared stories about their background and work in making Drusie & Darr and The Pink Hermit dining destinations for locals and visitors alike.

What sparked your passion for the cooking life?

KA: I came to it in a roundabout way. I grew up in Las Vegas and was a super-picky eater with a huge sweet tooth. I credit my stepmom, who would have me cook with her. She taught me basic kitchen skills, and along the way, I would try some different foods.

As much as I liked the process, it never occurred to me that this could be a career. It clicked later when I was in nursing school. I was able to take an elective class, and when I saw that plated desserts was being offered, I got excited. My teacher, Chef Matt Fleisher, saw talent that I didn’t realize and gave me great encouragement to pursue cooking as my career. Six months later, I went to work under him and Chef Julian Serrano at Picasso in the Bellagio Hotel.

SD: For me, it started early on, during the holidays, baking with mom, scooping cookie dough, licking the beaters. Mom insisted that we all learn, and I always enjoyed it. But it was the cake competitions on the Food Network that captured my imagination. I became fascinated by the artistry, and I wondered if I could do this for a career.

Mom told me to go to work first, get a job to see if it was really what I wanted before she’d send me to culinary school. I started out in a grocery store and gradually moved up to cake decorator. “I’m ready now!” And I enrolled in the Cordon Bleu Pasadena California in 2007–that was pre-lawsuit time!

How did you come to work under Jean-Georges?

KA: Chef Matt was best friends with Chef Rob Moore at Prime, a Jean-Georges restaurant in the Bellagio. That connection was my entry, first as line cook, and Chef Rob mentored me as I moved up the ranks. Over the past 17 years, that has added up to four different times that I’ve worked for J-G.

SD: I was working in Nevada at the time when I saw the job posting for the Jean-Georges concepts at the Hermitage Hotel. I submitted my resume, interviewed and, wow, Chef Kelsi and I are now two years working together!

How much creative freedom do you have in designing the menus for Drusie & Darr and The Pink Hermit?

KA: Everything for Drusie & Darr is 100% J-G. But we understand what it is that defines him and we can submit recipes for his consideration. Lately we’ve been working to reconceptualize The Pink Hermit — make it more of a casual Italian-style cafe.  And, we are in the process of designing the fall cocktail menu — 100% of all bases, syrups and juices are made fresh in our kitchen.

SD: Seasonality is where I look to make changes and challenge our team to be creative. So we’ll make macarons with seasonally-driven flavors, like our apple pie-chai. We have a pumpkin muffin right now that has a cream cheese-buttercream filling that is so delicious. We are making a great Basque cheesecake and our tiramisu is light and airy — not custardy — I think it’s the best you’ll ever have.

What ingredient in your culinary arsenal would you feel lost without?

KA: Black pepper is a highly underrated seasoning that adds so much. I rely on it to punch up flavors. I love fennel and am happy when I get to incorporate it in a dish. At home, I have chilis of all kinds on hand — for moles, sauces, even salsa on the fly!

SD: Vanilla. It enhances everything. Citrus. Chocolate. Even vanilla needs more vanilla! I believe in it so much, I have a vanilla orchid tattooed on my shoulder!

Do you have a favorite kitchen tool?

KA: My Gray Kunz spoon. I can do anything with it — flip, baste, sauce, taste.

SD: An offset spatula. Not the little ones, it’s got to be the big 10-inch size. And it must have a wooden handle. That just feels better.

What current dishes are you excited for us to try?

KA: At The Pink Hermit, I’m proud of our bruschettas. The lemon ricotta with marinated cranberries is especially delicious. The spinach-herb pizza spread with goat cheese is simple yet so flavorful; it’s my current favorite. At Drusie & Darr, it would be our butternut squash minestrone with chili. Also, our fried chicken is coming back. Since I’ve been in Nashville, I’ve eaten a lot of fried chicken, and I have to say, with no humility, that ours is the best!

SD: We are making a pumpkin creme brûlée with pomegranate seeds and a coconut tuile that is stupid good. The texture is wonderful. The bees knees! I also love our caramel apple pie with maple pecan ice cream.

What are your goals for the concepts at the Hermitage Hotel, and for yourself as a chef?

KA: I feel like we hit a major goal with our Best Restaurant award in the Nashville Scene’s Best of Nashville. I want to continue to wow the city while continuing to get the word out about what we are doing. I have the best team I’ve ever worked with.

For myself, I would like to have the experience of living and working internationally, maybe in the next five years. For now, it’s eye on the prize: Increase our reach in making the Hermitage Hotel the fine dining destination that it is.

SD: My goal for the hotel is to keep building a strong staff in ways that help their careers and allow them to grow, in experience, in responsibility and creativity. I want them to be able to expand their horizons.

Someday I would like to have something that I do on my own, likely with cakes, those champion show cakes that got me so excited years and years ago!

KD: Stacy is humble, but do you know that she is in this year’s Halloween Baking Championship on the Food Network? At this moment, she’s made it through six weeks of challenges and is 1 of 4 chefs remaining. We are all so proud of her!

The Hermitage Hotel

231 Sixth Ave. N., Nashville; thehermitagehotel.com

The Pink Hermit cafe and wine bar

Hours: Open daily for breakfast 6-11 a.m., for lunch and dinner 11 a.m.-9 p.m. and for aperitivo hour 4-6 p.m.

Reservations: Accepted

Parking: Complimentary valet up to 2 hours

Drusie & Darr by Jean-Georges Vongerichten

Hours: Open daily for breakfast 7-11 a.m., for lunch 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. and for dinner 5-10 p.m.

Reservations: Accepted

Parking: Complimentary valet up to 2 hours

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Behind the plate: Hermitage Hotel's restaurants become destinations