Chef Ryan Carbery of Nosh Bailey's Prime Plus on Growing up as a Fourth Generation Chef

Chef Ryan Carbery was raised in a family of chefs four generations deep. As a teenager, Carbery worked for his uncle David Slay of ParkAve in Orange County and his aunt Lisa, who owns restaurants in his hometown of St. Louis. After culinary school in Chicago, Carbery eventually made his way to Dallas where he was sous chef at Lazare and most recently chef de cuisine at Nosh.

I thought you were over at Nosh, so why are we meeting at Bailey's?
I've been here [at Bailey's Prime Plus at Park Lane] as the executive chef for two weeks, before that I was the chef de cuisine at Nosh on Oak Lawn. I was there since the closing of Red Fork in November last year.

Why did you make the move from Nosh to Bailey's?
I came over here as part of a consulting agreement between Mr. Bailey and Chef Avner. [That'd be Nosh's Avner Samuel].

What's the difference between a chef de cuisine and a sous chef?
The chef de cuisine is a title given to chefs that work for companies, restaurants or hotels with different kitchens and dining rooms. As with Nosh, we have two restaurants: one on Oak Lawn and the other in Plano. Then there is Snack that has just opened on Henderson. I was the chef de cuisine of the Oak Lawn kitchen. ... The position is different from the sous chef position because as the chef de cuisine, you are in control of that restaurant/kitchen. You are responsible for the ordering, inventory, scheduling, blackboard specials and plate designs. The sous is the assistant (under chef.)

Obviously you've been brought in to change things a little. How will Bailey's be different with you as chef?
Bailey's is a chef-driven restaurant with an emphasis on steak now. It's getting away from the steakhouse mentality in terms of portion sizes and just conceptualized dishes. We are sourcing as much as we can locally, and adding a little more creativity to the food and elevating the level of execution. It's a big transition though, going from a small intimate dining experience like Nosh to 260 seats here.

What are some of the challenges of sourcing locally?
Consistency. That's a big thing. The seasons are wacky here. Also, there are different levels of chefs. I think most chefs try to do local as much as possible. But, a hospital chef versus a restaurant chef has different needs. I'm not looking to feed someone that needs nourishment to survive.I have people that are paying me for entertainment. I get to be creative and resourceful.