You’ve talked about wanting to redefine what fine dining can be. What do you think the modern diner wants from a high-end restaurant that they might not have wanted 20 or 30 years ago—and how does that shape the way you run Provenance?

There are a lot of stereotypes that surround the idea of fine dining. These range from fanatical, shouty chefs to overworked and underpaid line-level employees, to misallocation of resources. 20-30 years ago, these were not stereotypes, but a way in which to make an industry with slim margins go a little further on the back end. Today, I think people want to genuinely see that the restaurants they are dining at have good workplace cultures and that ownership takes care of their staff. That was one of the core motives for opening Provenance. I have long maintained that the restaurant is not the food we serve, or the plates we serve it on or all the other physical elements; it is the people who work in the space. It is possible to take care of your entire staff both financially and create a place that is founded on mutual respect and still be solvent. I think this resonates with the dining public of 2026. 

There’s a lot of precision at Provenance, from the French technique to the 20-plus-course tasting menu, but there’s also a sense of playfulness and personality. How do you balance that level of culinary rigor with making guests feel comfortable and like they’re having fun?

From my perspective, food and the dining experience should not be provocative; it should be evocative. This, to me, is the most important thing about hospitality and how it aligns with fine dining. I create menus that satisfy my own curiosities without putting them first; the trick is taking the ego out of the menu, which is very hard, especially when the menu is such a personal expression of my views on cuisine…making it personal without it being solely based on my own tastes. There must be elements of familiarity as well as moments that touch on people's flavor memories.

Our style of service is very familial and personable, while at the same time it is very technical and “touch” driven. This mirrors the cuisine perfectly. Doing the “steps” and the technicality of everything is simply the job, and the result of years of refinement and practice, but hospitality is what drives the food and service. Most everyone who dines with us comments on how disarming our service is and how impactful our “touches” are, from greeting people with their first names, to me checking in on everyone’s experiences, to personalized phone calls to thank the guests for coming, and personalized emails asking for constructive feedback on their experience... it is a full circle. 

Fine dining can sometimes feel like it’s designed for special occasions rather than regular diners. Do you think there’s a way for tasting-menu restaurants to become part of a city’s everyday dining culture—or do you see Provenance as intentionally occupying a different space?

There are operational conditions that factor into why fine dining is often seen as a special occasion experience. For the most part, labor and food costs are generally higher, specifically on the labor side. Guests expect a heightened level of service from a fine dining restaurant, and if you view your employees as skilled artisans (as I do) who are working to perfect their craft, they should be paid adequately to reflect that. This is partly why fine dining restaurants are more expensive.

For Provenance, we are at a price point that warrants a special occasion, and we make sure that we provide the level of service and the experience that people would expect; add on the expectation and pressure of a Michelin star in a city that has only had the guide for under a year there are very high expectations. I hope that the level of hospitality transcends fine dining and becomes a more integral part of all aspects of dining. 

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