Compliments to the chef: A James Beard award notches up the heat for a Portland eatery
Photo/David A. Rodgers
Rob Evans, chef and co-owner of Hugo's in Portland, calls his restaurant a "mom and pop" operation
Third time was a charm for Rob Evans, chef and co-owner of Hugo’s restaurant in Portland. On May 4, Evans won the prestigious James Beard Foundation award for best chef in the Northeast, on his third nomination. Having watched others take home the win twice before, Evans and his wife, fellow Hugo’s co-owner Nancy Pugh, prepared themselves not to “be let down,” Evans says. “When our name was called, we weren’t ready for it,” says the chef, who hadn’t even penned a speech. “I’m not superstitious, but I thought, ‘If I write the speech ahead of time, I might jinx myself.’”
Evans is only the second chef in Maine to take home the highly coveted award, called “the Oscars of the food world” by Time magazine (Sam Hayward of Fore Street won the title in 2004, also on his third nomination). It’s been nearly a month since the win, and already Evans is experiencing the weight of the James Beard name. Business, usually a bit slow in May, has doubled over last year, and patrons are already making reservations for the fall. During the off season, the restaurant usually serves about 25 patrons mid-week, but in May, that number held in the 50s. “We’re seeing more local diners, both regulars and people who haven’t been in before, and a little bit more foodies,” Evans says, adding that many foodies make it a point to seek out each year’s James Beard winners like rock star groupies.
In an effort to attract that type of devoted following, Evans launched a major revamping of the restaurant last year. He did away with the restaurant’s prix fixe menu and instead individually priced each plate to help change the restaurant’s reputation as a special occasion-only eatery. “We thought the price point was too much in Portland,” he says. He also renovated the bar area and added a lounge to appeal to a more casual clientele. The changes, Evans says, have boosted business from Portlanders and high-profile food writers alike, and given the restaurant a more universal appeal. “You can come into Hugo’s and spend $4 at the bar or up to $130 for a 14-course tasting menu,” he says.
Evans fell into the restaurant business at 19, and what began as a job turned into a career. After working on Hawaiian cruise ships, Evans got his first chef’s job at the Goose Cove Lodge in Deer Isle in 1990. From there, he went to the Inn at Little Washington, a chateau property in Virginia, his first taste of a “five-star atmosphere,” he says. Then, he landed a chef’s position at the renowned French Laundry in the Napa Valley. Though he learned his skills on the job, Evans shies away from calling himself “self-taught,” at least to describe his early career. “I learned from a lot of great chefs,” he says. “When I bought [Hugo’s], that was when I started being self-taught.”
Evans and Pugh took over the former Hugo’s Portland Bistro in 2000, “with zero money in the bank.” The couple financed the purchase with money borrowed from family and friends, some concessions from the previous owner and a character loan from a bank to cover the rest. Since then, Evans has been working to set his restaurant apart from other establishments in Portland. “We have a playful element that washes away a lot of the pretension,” he says. “Our waitstaff wears jeans, we don’t have table clothes, our music is on the hipper side. It’s a relaxed atmosphere.”
The fame that accompanies the James Beard award won’t compromise that relaxed atmosphere, thanks in part to the restaurant’s humble origins. “We’re a mom and pop operation,” Evans says. “We don’t have investors. We feel like we’re representative of what a lot of Portland businesses are.”
Most Recent
Most Recent
Comments