Get to know the guys in the kitchen...
a little bit about Nick and Alex Aldrich
Alex and Nick Aldrich have always possessed an enjoyment and fascination with the culinary arts. Even as young boys, the Aldrich’s favorite after school shows were Yan Can Cook and the Frugal Gourmet. They honed their natural talents and kitchen knowledge instilled in them by their grandmother, entertaining themselves by cooking for friends and family, until they had to think about college.
Lacking direction on his way out of high school, Alex’s parents suggested culinary school; it seemed logical to pursue his favorite pastime further. Alex started at Johnson and Wales University in Providence Rhode Island in 1998, where he was confident he had found his calling. Alex excelled in his studies, and earned his associates degree in culinary arts and his bachelor’s in food service management.
Alex began working in kitchens as soon as he was legally allowed. Moving on from the fast food job he held in high school, the summer following his freshman year yielded a line cook position at the Castle restaurant in Leister Massachusetts where he worked under ACF certified chef Stanley Nicas, who is also the national chapter chairman of the Escoffier society (a nonprofit organization which works for the education and advancement of student chefs.) The following summer he held a position at the Sole Proprietor in Worcester and the Publick house in Sturbridge. In search of something closer to school, Alex started in the kitchen at Vinny Testas in Seekonk and remained there throughout his last two years of school. After graduation, Alex took the opportunity to be part of the opening team of Napa Valley Grille in Providence where he remained as a line cook for two years until he earned the position of sous chef, where he worked under the tutelage of award winning chef, Jeffrey Carroll. During his tenure at Napa Valley Grille Alex had the opportunity to cook for some of California’s most prominent winemakers, contribute to menu development, and enrich his knowledge of French cooking, his favorite style. In July of 2008, Alex left Providence to fulfill his and his family’s longtime dream of an Aldrich family restaurant.
Nick had more natural ability and a stronger desire to make cooking his life’s work, so he naturally followed in his brother’s footsteps by attending Johnson and Wales three years later. Nick graduated magna cum laude with an associate’s degree in the culinary arts as well as a bachelor’s in nutrition. Through several internships, Nick traveled across the globe to experience the Asian cuisine and techniques in Singapore and Thailand where he attended local culinary schools, toured various foodservice operations and participated in hands on cooking projects with mostly Asian ingredients, thus refining his skill and influencing his own cooking style.
Nick’s first foray into the world of cuisine was picking cucumbers on a Hadley farm, which led to a summer job at the 111 Chophouse in Worcester. During his college career, Nick interned at Legal Sea Food in Rhode Island where he remained for three years until he graduated. Fresh out of school, he started at Redlefsen’s in the coastal town of Bristol Rhode Island until a spirit of adventure led him to Colorado Springs, Colorado where he worked at several prominent restaurants including Plate World Cuisine and Palapas. Just this past June, Nick returned home to Hadley to play his role in the family business, Eighty Jarvis.
Despite the common revelry in the Eighty Jarvis kitchen environment, the brothers take the food that it produces pretty seriously, striving to recreate family favorites, and New England specialties with constant effort to create menu items which are fresh takes on classic dishes; just simple food, prepared meticulously, and served in a warm and inviting atmosphere.