Editor’s note: Salt has closed.
Why Watch Him: He became an executive chef faster than he could get his culinary-inspired sleeve tats filled in.
Age: 29
It’s hard to believe that just two years ago, Bradley Hoffmannn, now the executive chef at Salt, took his first job in a kitchen as a line cook at The Scottish Arms.
But it’s even harder to think that, two years before that, he owned a clothing shop in Tampa, Fla. The boutique was a new venture for the city – doubling as an art gallery, music venue and tattoo shop. But after two years in a crashed economy, Hoffmannn knew it was time to “give up the ghost” and move back to his native St. Louis. He’d always been drawn to the hands-on nature of food, and he missed that connection while working in retail. So he enrolled in culinary school.
Upon graduation from L’Ecole Culinaire, Hoffmann joined the line at The Scottish Arms. There, he immersed himself in technique, even attacking the complex art of charcuterie. “I loved terrines in any form,” Hoffmann said. “This wonderful combining of this exact chemistry and organization of baking with regard to ratios is really sexy – but also being able to be totally creative with it and toss that out to the wind.” Last year, he moved to the line at Salt and, in 12 short months, he flew up the ladder at the fine dining restaurant from line cook to sous chef to chef de cuisine to executive chef. “Now it’s pretty much anything I can get my hands on. It’s from my farmer to my stove to the table, and I’m touching all of it.”
While Hoffmann’s clothing choices are mostly dominated by chef whites these days, he sees the worlds of fashion and food becoming intertwined. “As far as dining out,” he explained, “where you’re eating has become as fashionable as what you’re wearing.”
Tattooed across Hoffmann’s knuckles are the words: LAST CALL. It refers to his favorite line from a song – “last call, kill it” – and the creed he chooses to live by. Down the road, Hoffmann sees himself moving to a farm or maybe teaching. But for now, he’s exactly where he wants to be. “Every day I come in, I work my ass off and I love every minute of it.” And trust us, he’s killing it.
Salt, 4356 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, 314.932.5787, enjoysalt.com
This article appears in January 2013.