Today we’d like to introduce you to Christopher Polidoro.
Hi Christopher, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Grew up in one of the most culturally diverse counties in the country exposed me to worldy cuisines at a very young age. Worked in notable Hampton and Manhattan restaurants after graduating the Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, NY in 1993. Took off from the industry in the summer of 97 to work hands on an 8 acre organic farm in Amagansett, NY. Returning to the business received an “Excellent” review from Joanne Starkey of the NY Times at age 28. A few years later leaving the industry once again to cook for a family for 12 years becoming part of their family.
Found Jacksonville Beach on a vacation and felt like it was a great place to relocate and open my dream boutique establishment. I am fortunate of our local community and out of town regulars that appreciate the simple Mediterranean/California approach of cooking, keeping and maintaining the simplicity of fresh ingredients.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Woo, the first 6 yrs were tough. Training local kitchen staff at the beach, FINDING local talent at the beach was very difficult. Finding local produce, fresh not frozen meats and poultry were all challenges.
Learning how to not only being a chef also learning to manage the dining room. I handle every aspect of Doro, payroll down to personally printing and rewriting the menus. It was never a control thing it was just and still is a way to keep costs down, keep it personal, to touch everything
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I played sports when I was a kid, never organized sports, they were street sports. I think I found my outlet in art and cooking and creating dishes have been my way of expressing myself
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I’m scared of heights and I don’t like handling live lobsters but my sous chef does know that part 🤪
Pricing:
- (I don’t fully understand this question) but with the rising costs of goods, supplies, payroll increases we have to raise our prices accordingly, times are tough, just go food shopping and compare it to 3 years ago, gasoline, every vender charges a fee even if they’re delivering to the restaurant right next door
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Restaurantdoro.com
- Instagram: Restaurant Doro
- Facebook: Restaurant Doro
- Twitter: Restaurant Doro
