Accomplished chef Curtis Hillard steps in to lead the culinary team at Patterson Kitchen + Bar
They call him Chef Bear. It’s a nickname Curtis Hillard was given when he went to work in Maine years ago. It was May, and the couple he was working for took him on an expedition around Moosehead Lake, during which he saw five bears. Back at the restaurant, he related this story to one of the cooks, who declared “You’re Chef Bear now.” And the moniker stuck.
Maine is just one of the many places he has worked. The Ohio native’s travels have taken him across the country, and across the pond to France, Spain, and Switzerland. Recently, he gave up his successful private chef business to come to Greenville and helm the stoves at Patterson Kitchen + Bar in the Hartness community.
Chef Bear, who became a certified pastry chef before delving into the savory side of cuisine, started at Patterson on a Tuesday and had a new menu by Friday. He’s reimagined many of the dishes to have a homey, Southern feel. “It’s not pretentious,” he says of his cooking style. “There’s no tweezers involved.”
Chef Bear recently took a break from his packed schedule to chat with TOWN about his plans for Patterson.
Interview with Chef Bear
TOWN: What lit your fire for cooking?
Curtis Hillard: I wanted to cook since I could reach the stove. My mom was raising six kids by herself. I always liked to entertain and make sure everybody was happy. I would help my mom plan and make dinner, and she saw that I really loved [cooking] and she got me the Betty Crocker Cookbook. I went through that entire thing. I was making pasta from scratch when I was 9 years old. That’s where it started.
TOWN: Did other members of your family encourage your desire to cook?
CH: My uncle worked as a security guard at a restaurant [in Columbus, Ohio] on weekends, so, on a Friday night, I would go and hang out with him, because I knew the owner would let me do some things in the kitchen. Eventually, my uncle realized how much I was cooking for the family and how much I loved it. He told me, ‘You want to be a chef, you go find out who the best chef in town is and you find out what it takes to become them.’ Best advice ever.
TOWN: Now that you’ve been at Patterson a few months, what direction will you be steering the menu?
CH: We need to highlight and take advantage of the [on-site] Hartness Farm. I’m working with [farm manager] Stephen McRae and we’re doing a farm-to-table dinner in June. I want to use local farms and list them on the menu. [The cuisine] will be elevated and approachable Southern food with a farm-to-table feel.
TOWN: Any new ideas for the restaurant?
CH: No one has ever done anything with the eight seats at the chef’s counter. My idea is to sell those seats to give the chef’s counter value. When you sit down, you’ll get a little glass of Prosecco or sparkling wine. The menu will be à la carte but with little extras like an amuse bouche—maybe a Key lime pressed melon square with a 100-year-old balsamic drizzle—and an intermezzo like a super-chilled shot of guava juice.
TOWN: What would you do if you weren’t a chef?
CH: I’m a chef and a comedian, by the way. If I could write for Saturday Night Live, that would be hog heaven for me.
