You know what they say about best laid plans, and Tyler Tragemann, Chef and owner of Coronado Kitchen, knows that all too well. He had his new food concept all thought out and ready to go—but then the coronavirus pandemic hit. Fortunately for him, it brought him to a new opportunity that ended up being even better. Tragemann explains more about his serendipitous and successful partnership:
What inspired you to get into foodservice?
“My father was in the foodservice industry and he brought me into multiple fine dining restaurants in New York and Chicago starting at age 9. Watching him cook with proper technique at home and forcing me to help him played a big role in being comfortable in any kitchen. My brother and I hung out with the servers and chefs regularly during the summers and loved it. It was second nature to me, so I started bussing tables and setting up a Sunday brunch buffet at age 15 in Burlington, Vermont.”
What do you love about your business?
“Being able to focus on being creative in the kitchen, feeding good people, sourcing with local vendors, and planning new projects is where the love is. I also love that I’m able to put all my knowledge of the industry gained over the years into one project that people are responding positively to. It’s also nice to be close the ocean and having nightly entertainment in the background while we work.”
What’s the most interesting thing to happen to your business?
“I’d say the most interesting thing about the business is that it was put together by a team which includes, an executive chef, corporate chef, and marketing team. It’s cool to work with culinary-focused people who are resilient and adaptive to all the variables this industry throws at us daily. Being the one to operate the business while having a strong team to communicate with is priceless.”
What is the biggest challenge you’ve had to overcome?
“The coronavirus pandemic came right at the same time we had finished branding and building the menu for our original concept, The Crust. The pandemic caused us to ditch the original plan. While waiting to see what happened with the pandemic, I was put in touch with Linda Byrd, who owns the Crimson House in New Smyrna Beach, Fla.
The Crimson House is an existing wine bar in a cool, renovated historical home with nightly entertainment. So, we rebranded and built a kitchen that better fit the area and the wine bar. We’re constantly creating new menus and playing with food while the Crimson House is planning events. Things worked out and now we just have to worry about the wine and food.”
Which Cambro products help make your business work?
“Cambro storage products are crucial to our business. We use the Camwear® Rounds with the Camwear Lids for all types of products, hot or cold. It’s an open kitchen, so the clear, round containers are perfect for holding our sauces out in the open where guests can see the colors through the container. We enjoy the Crocks for holding cut fruit and garnishes for drinks on or behind the bar where they look clean and less noticeable in solid colors. Lately, we started using the Camwear GripLids® with the Camwear Pans and it’s allowed us to not worry about any product spillage or cross-contamination because the lids seal nice and tight.”
Links for Coronado Kitchen
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: ADRIANA DESIDERIO IS THE DIGITAL CONTENT MANAGER AT CAMBRO.
