Today we’d like to introduce you to Ben & Jared Aka Wick And Nick
Hi Ben & Jared, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
It was in our early 20’s, Jared and I met. For many months before we had both been told that we had a doppelgänger, it wasn’t until we bumped into one another at Estoria that it all made sense. We became instant friends and I invited him to come stagé at Boca Lupo where I was the sous chef at the time. Our first pop-up came way later and it was at the late great 8arm located on Ponce. Before that the name, wick and nick (which is the end of each of our last names, Jared Warwick, and Ben Skolnick) originally started as a joke made on the hot line before dinner service. And we were going to sell hot salads, and cold cuts. Turns out jokes on us and we did it.
Our first attempt was a smashing success. We had a full ticket rail for hours and kept the fire fed in a kitchen which we complete rearranged to rapid-fire sandwiches. We chased that feeling for years.
There were many trials and tribulations involved in doing offsite pop-ups for only a day. the main problem being, that when you put forth all the effort to transport, set up and operate for only a day; if it is not profitable, it’s actually double bad because you spent twice the time and effort to make it happen. Years went by in this fight on and and off and we eventually found our space. At this point, we both realized our hearts didn’t belong to the sandwich game, but rather high-end tasting menu dinners. We had been cooking at a more elevated level for years. We felt we could create the experience on our own terms.
We wanted to make the experience completely unique to us. We don’t disclose our location and we ourselves have curated every facet of the dinning experience top to bottom. We advertise solely through instagram and word of mouth. Now booking is done on our site wickandnicks.com. Where upon purchase, we send the address, an entry map, rules and the complete menu. Our private dinners are held once or twice a month. So 2 weeks out we get a rough outline of the menu together in close communication with our purveyors and farmers in the city. The week before we begin narrowing it down, taking into account any and all allergies and special requests. With each of these dinners being held on Monday nights only, by Sunday the guest receives the complete menu in detail.
Dinner starts at 8 and guest armed with the map, arrive around 7:45. As the sunset, the lights get wild. Before dinner begins we give a quick announcement about the menu and along with the charisma of Philip Frodo’s our MC/server and the cuteness of our Maitre Di Waylon (cat) the show is underway. Guests are encourage to move about the dinning room and engage with us as we cook and plate. Our plate ups are spread across a large table top and often have people walking by snapping pictures. We like to employ a mix old school classic and modernist techniques and sometimes a little redneck pyrotechnics depending on the crowd/room temp. It goes until 10-10:15 typically. Afterwards guests are welcome to hangout until they see fit. We keep a good vibe all night. We’ve never had a guest leave hungry or unhappy. Often carrying out a to-go box and a copy of the menu which we design ourselves for each dinner.
BTW we’ve got Blueblood 13 on Nov.4 and a Double Blueblood 1 year anniversary in December. Stay tuned for the exact dates.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Well as needed we had trials and tribulations. We had a few pop-ups that we put forth and insane amount of effort, especially considering that we both work 60 hours plus chef jobs at our own respective restaurants this being our side gig and all. Probably the worst one was when we were going to do meatball Parm subs at. Chaka Khan. That weekend neither of us slept all we did when we got off work at midnight and in Jared’s case 3 AM was roll meatballs. The day of we sold maybe five sandwiches. Turns out everyone at Chaka Khan is not very interested in eating. I think we both took home vacuum sealed, and froze over 600 meatballs. It was very discouraging.
For Blueblood, the biggest obstacle has been accruing all the necessary hardware it takes to run these things to our standard. We don’t want mundane folding chairs, we want and source authentic Marcel Bruere cescas (we got 16), Chromcraft Tables, Vintage crystal/glassware, rad lighting, ceramic plateware, gold flatware and an arsenal of wild indoor plants. All of which took us, with our big boy chef jobs, 6 months to gather all across GA and even SC.
The planning week of is tough, but execution during service is another beast of its own. Some of our best food, is when we forget something and improvise on the fly. We will typically announce the change and just own it. It’s not a fully stocked commercial kitchen. And we source the week before primarily at freedom park and grant park farmers market the days before. Sometimes we forget but the show must go on and admitting a mistake isn’t anything we are afraid of. But for a moment it’s like, “oh shit.”
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am the executive sous chef at Boca Lupo and I have worked there for 11+ years. I truly love it. Most cooks don’t stick around for more than 2 to 3 years at best. But I find that I am only better by being more grounded. Boca Lupo is my true North the mothership as long as everything is OK at the mothership, I am OK to go off and do things like wick and nicks. At this point, I think I’ve clocked over 30,000 black spaghetti. It challenges me, keeps me humble and hungry. I started at the bottom and now people look to me for leadership. It’s a beautiful thing.
Wick and Nicks is me and Jared’s personal project, it’s a lot of fun and an entirely different challenge all altogether. However, it is open my eyes to all the facets of hospitality in a restaurant that I don’t get to see with the kitchen perspective. One day, I realized, and I said to myself., “ nobody gives a fuck how good the pasta you just made is, if they don’t have clean silverware or a cold glass of water in front of them.” It sounds silly to some, but a lot of chefs need to hear that and recognize that theres a whole world outside of their kitchen in their dinning room. And everything and every. System in place was put there conscientiously. Nothing is perfect, but as long as the front of house “protects the kitchen” actively, the food will shine through.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
It was back at my Nanas house when me and my little sister Brittany would spend the night. I remember a day when it was just me, Brittany, Nana and Papa they had this beautiful backyard that led to a small pond in their neighborhood and it was raining. Brittany was scared. Papa went out on the porch without an umbrella and sang singing in the rain. They were great people, they have since passed.
Pricing:
- 125-150 per dinner per person
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.wickandnicks.com/
- Instagram: Wickandnicks
