The Made It Series is now a podcast—real stories from the chefs, creators, and community builders shaping our neighborhoods and chasing the work they love. From risking it all on a first restaurant, to raising a family above a sandwich shop, to obsessing over the perfect lobster dish—this is what it really takes to make it.
This is why we live here. This is why we live down in this little village. It’s cool down here. It’s the highest form of art form. It’s like the highest form of what we do.
Good morning and welcome. You know, Made It is really all about the beginning, David. Talk about where your love of food comes from. If anybody has picky eaters out there, beware—they could become chefs at 35 or 94 or whatever. You know what I mean? Exactly. So I can look here and it’s in the exact pacing. The most intense thing we do is Cadenza, because you’re basically curating an operational system that’s unique just for this. There’s some muscle memory from when we typically run Boca, but it’s not the same.
How did Boca happen? In 2001, Northside. Back in those days it was all bravado, hubris, and very little wisdom. Jean-Robert actually hooked me up with a real estate agent. I called her up, and she said to meet her out front in 10 minutes. I was kind of pissed at the world. We drove to 4034 Hamilton Avenue in Northside, which was called Boca. I walked in and immediately said I’d take it, even before seeing the kitchen. It cost $280,000, which seemed impossible to me at 25. I thought no bank would lend me that money, but surprisingly, the banker agreed. Outwardly calm, inwardly shocked, I accepted the reality.
Paul, you’ve talked about meeting Emily at UK, and you’re in finance but love food too. We operate Otto’s, Frida, the Standard, Mama’s, and our dive bar called Larry’s. Our crew bounces around all day between these locations, offices, the restaurant, and the commissary.
At Made It, it starts with curiosity and passion. Entrepreneurs shift from working in someone else’s kitchen to opening their own place. We lived above our first shop for seven years, raising a family in those Wild West Days. It worked early on, and we started to see the community around us come to life. Achievement made us hungry for more—each night had to be better than the last. We continuously sought new opportunities to uplift our community, like transforming a garage run by Butch and Marge into something special.
David, scaling involves facing reality. In Northside, I realized I had to grow up or shut down the business. The responsibility was solely mine, prompting our ethos: do everything possible to amaze each customer. The pressure makes my hands shake when plating, reminding me why I never worked front-of-house much. Currently, it’s the highest challenge we face, balancing high risk and reward. Our team agrees that doing Cadenza is most enjoyable precisely because it’s difficult.
What I’m most proud of is that we’re still here. Otto’s and all our establishments are thriving, and I’m still enjoying myself, even during challenges. We’re community developers at heart. I’m an economist turned cook, proud of our neighborhood and its people. Seeing our neighbors smiling reminds us why we chose this village.
Pride is tough for me personally, but if anything, I’m proud that after 24 years in business and 34 in this industry, I still have the same intensity. We find joy in crafting experiences, not just pleasing guests. Our dishes endure rigorous refinement—our guests recognize and appreciate that dedication. My culinary director Kareem and I even lose sleep over perfecting dishes like our challenging lobster dish. That’s our passion, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
