Chef Deb Paquette Back on the Scene with Echo!
UPDATE: Opening of this restaurant has been pushed back to July 2012 and the name has been changed to “Etch”.
You know how I’ve alluded to being full of secrets for the last few months? Well, finally, I think this is the last big one I’ve been holding! The Nashville chef who can make my taste buds tingle like no other, Deb Paquette, is returning to the Nashville restaurant scene in a permanent way and I couldn’t be more excited.
You may remember that Deb and her husband decided to close the beloved Zola a couple of years ago, with the plan to move off to paradise. Well, the restaurant closed, but they never actually left town. Deb has been making guest appearances at various restaurants along the way, but finally someone talked her into staying put for good and taking the helm of her own place again.
Who do we have to thank for that? Please give it up for Doug Hogrefe and Paul Schramkowski, owners of another Nashville favorite, Amerigo. Deb is partnering with them to open Echo, a new restaurant located on the ground floor of the Encore condominium building in the SoBro area of downtown Nashville.
Doug and Paul have promised Deb the restaurant of her dreams, where all she has to do is focus on putting out her amazingly creative food, while they handle all of the front of the house details and back end business operations.
The new spot, which will seat 150, will feature a private dining room, full bar, outdoor patio, and an open kitchen with bar-style seating, allowing the guests to interact with the chef and her kitchen. And as I learned when taking a cooking class taught by Deb a while back, watching this lady’s boundless energy will be quite entertaining!
It’s set to open in March of 2012, which is perfect timing for me since I’ll be giving birth to baby just a few weeks before. Mama’s gonna need to hit Echo for a big night out on the town as soon as it opens, so who wants to babysit?
I have heard of her, that is great she is opening up a new restaurant!! I will gladly babysit for you any time!! It looks like I will be seeing you in a couple of weeks, can’t wait!!!
I’m so excited about this!! I love Deb (and was so sad to see Zola go!) and I love the guys at Amerigo too. What a great collaboration!! How far away is March?
What great news! I know that will be a fabulous pre-symphony option.
That’s great news!
SQUEEEE!!! I am so excited to hear about this!!!
Turning cartwheels, in a metaphorical kind of way!
I signed up several weeks ago for the class she’ll be teaching tomorrow night at Salud! Can’t wait.
My dear husband and I have been mourning the closing of Zola, our very favorite place to eat, for a couple of years, now. We have found nothing else that compares. So, I just called my husband to squeal in his ear over this most welcome news!!!
I have to say I am so, so, so excited by this news! Zola was our favorite restaurant, too. We ate their in their last week & I almost shed a tear. I also took one of her cooking classes at Salud and it was amazing. I think a food blogger dinner out may be in order in March?!? :)
Thrilled. Zola was our favorite restaurant. We were crushed to see it close. I’m going to make reservations as soon as they start taking them.
My family love Debs cooking and cant wait for the new venture in March!
After following her around town for a few guest chef meals, it will so nice to have her back in the kithen on her terms, and cooking her menu. Congratulations Deb! you may not have made it to paradise in the caribbean but we are delighted to experience a little bit of paradise food in Nashvegas.
Hope to see Ernie around town too.
OMG!!!!! I love her and her cooking. I was mostly a regular at Zola—- Great Deb!!!!!!