The Iconic Derby Diner in New Hands

With a successful eatery just around the corner, why did you decide to take over Derby on Park, a long-time restaurant in Five Points?

Timing was everything with taking on the project at Derby. Like so many folks in Jacksonville and the neighborhood, we loved the location and what the restaurant represented in terms of history in 5 Points. It has been there for nearly four decades and certainly a part of my youth and memories of the early 90s. When we learned that the family running Derby (who also own the property) were ready to retire from the business, there was already quite a bit of interest in the space (despite not being public knowledge) and much of it from regional restaurant groups who were interested in transforming it to other concepts. Given that we are ourselves are a part of the “new” 5 Points restaurant scene with The Bread & Board, we understand the excitement that can surround new openings and fresh talent. But as history, nostalgia and neighborhood buffs, we also felt that the Derby was an iconic landmark that somehow balanced the new with a sense of Jacksonville’s past. When the broker approached us with the offer of the “space” we didn’t really flinch in saying that we thought we could help freshen up Derby without losing her place in 5 Points altogether.

One of my “new” employees has been working there since he was 16. He’s 56 now, and nearing his own retirement. The odds of him slinging pizza or tacos wasn’t likely, and I told him in all honesty that I should be working for him. But he’s an example of how we could maybe add a little adrenaline to Derby while keeping her soul.

What is your vision for the menu and how does it differ from the original menu?

We love regional American cooking, and traveling the States in search of good foods. The South has always held a special place for us, and along with family ties, the opportunity to hone our southern comfort style (with twists) was a major part of our decision to relocate back from Portland, Oregon. But the climate has changed both figuratively and literally, and the sleepy towns and cities without real food identities, like Jacksonville and Savannah of past, now have communities excited about killer, outside-the-box foods and the buy local mentality.  

Derby’s history as a diner as well as its most recent run as an eclectic neighborhood bistro had our wheels spinning from day one. We landed on a vision of bringing great farm direct produce, meats and local and regional seafood together in an upbeat, neighborhood space with plates that were more sharable in both size (albeit not tapas or “small plate”) and pricing. Our takeaway was new Florida coastal cuisine, or Florida Bistro, with obvious nods to comfort and some exotic touches using ingredients, especially the unique produce, to get folks excited about trying lots of things.

The menu is divided in to sections such as a seafood rich “Coastal,” vegetarian friendly “Farmed,” and not-so-ordinary meats in “Raised.” We have a “Do-Dads” section with plenty of add-ons like plates of fresh heirloom tomatoes and local blue cheese, and in season Vidalia onion rings and addictive cayenne-spiked butter-fries using South Florida potatoes. At prices ranging from $7 to$15 for almost everything, we encourage guests to choose 2-3 things and share in a food experience, not just eat. And we are particularly proud of each section and how we can bring together local field peas and grains, great Key West shrimp and Gulf grouper, and local game meats like rabbit and duck.

What will previous Derby on Park customers be surprised to find on the menu?

There is an abundance of “adventure” foods on the menu that the neighborhood and likely past Derby customers will find unique like seafood tartars, an exceptional braised local rabbit dish, “dressed” raw oysters with combinations like ponzu, locally blended togarashi spice and lemon as well as cucumber-tequila granita, crispy skinned duck with local plums, and smoked fish and lima bean risotto with Charleston gold rice instead of traditional aborio. But for every specialty menu item, they’ll also be comforted by what I think is the most amazing burger I’ve ever had in our 10-oz Bistro Burger with Wainrwight Dairy (from Live Oak) un-aged gruyere-style cheese and bacon, frisee and bacon vinaigrette, molasses brined pork chops and spicy Savannah red rice, as well as classic peel-and-eat local shrimp cocktail and “adulting" cheese stick-style fried cannelloni with fresh tomato sauce.
 

What have been the challenges you have faced so far as you run two very different operations?

For us it’s always time. We absolutely adore The Bread & Board… the space, the staff, the food and clientele. So spreading ourselves between both spaces and focusing on getting Derby up and running means less time at one or the other, given the day or change of weather. The team keeps us grounded, and our sous chefs and bakers work double time to make sure the quality at both restaurants stays top notch while our attention literally goes between Park and Oak Streets. But luckily, Jonathan and I can divide our days to conquer operations with the help of the crew.  The beauty is we are nearing a normalizing period that always happens in our restaurants once we work through the details and things start to tick along. For now we are just excited to be able to play with two very different menus and cross market to our clientele in the neighborhood.

What lessons have you learned from running The Bread and Board that you are going to apply to this new restaurant?

We have always had both “customer first” and “be present” mentalities in our shops, and we are all working chefs. You’ll catch us at the spaces every day of the week, both in the kitchen and on the floor with our customers.  We love feedback and we love being involved in the guest experience. I think Jacksonville and 5 Points have received the Bread & Board so rapidly because inherently there is a lot of love and joy that goes into the food and planning. We hope we have the same success with the menu, the cocktails, the patrons and the freshened space at Derby.
 

What are some of the hurdles to restaurants "buying local" on a consistent basis? What could be done to help bridge this gap?

It was our biggest food challenge at Bread when we opened and we just had to keep asking the questions: where, how and when?  Where can we find the product-- how do we get the product— and when is the product available and for how long?  Cooking and eating with the seasonal means your windows of opportunity may be very short depending on so many factors— weather and climate being number one.

It really takes finding terrific partners that speak the same language in terms of importance to your menu program, who know that it’s quality as much as locality, and who can branch out both locally and regionally and (especially) follow the seasons very closely. We have a few go-to's as does every chef, but Mike at Saturiwa Trading Company is doing what many of our smaller purveyors did for us in Oregon. I get a weekly report of the best-of-the-best picks, and then can formulate my menu plans featuring what the farmers are making available based on their own quality controls. We’ve also been able to source from them our game meats, foraged mushrooms and specialty items that keep us excited as cooks.

But ultimately, it comes down to the guests, and what we hope the guests appreciate is that these items can be short lived and expensive (at times), but are worth the wait and trouble in getting them. And that by supporting the handfuls of restaurants that try to sprinkle their menus with these goodies, they also very directly help the smaller family farmers, growers and local agricultural economies that make our region unique and special.

Ready to sample the new menu at Derby on Park? Stop by the restaurant at 1068 Park St, Jacksonville, or visit them online at www.derbyonparkjax.com.