Here in sunny Naples, chef Andy Hyde has quietly made a name for himself, first as the founding (and much applauded) chef of the now-shuttered La Bazenne and then as an in-demand luxury caterer with his company, Chef Hyde Gourmet.
As a way to complement the business he’s built and give his clientele more opportunities to savor his unique and innovative take on eclectic American cuisine, he’s decided to add something new to his repertoire this season: a pop-up restaurant, with a secret dining club feel, that will dish out a multi-course feast every other Monday for dinner. Details of the location each week—which could be at the home of a private client, like his first dinner on Jan. 28, or sometimes a restaurant that doesn’t have hours that day—will be released in advance on his social media, website and mailing list, along with how to make reservations (although you can always email them to office@chefhydegourmet.com). All meals will be tasting menus—for example, five courses for $150 including wine provided by Kerry Stenson of PG Fine Wines and poured by Advanced Sommelier Mladen Stoev.
Hyde has cut his chops with the best of them, spending time at Bouchon (a Thomas Keller restaurant) and with Gordon Ramsay at the celebrity chef’s eponymous restaurant in Los Angeles before moving on to one of the best kitchens not just in the country but the entire world, Alinea in Chicago (his final stop before Naples). It was there that he was butchering 150 pounds a day in proteins—Hyde recalls he broke down 60 ducks every Tuesday and Friday—and learning how to use the bones in sauces and brine the legs, to make dishes like Duck Nine Ways. “My cuisine is really enjoyable through a tasting menu,” Hyde says. “What my team and I have done really well in Naples is to execute the courses with the same techniques and the same types of ingredients at Michelin-starred restaurants. Less is more in doing that—a tasting menu for 15 to 20 people is more elegant, and I can focus on the detail needed meet those standards.”
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