Meet Chef Taylor Rause

VISIT DALLAS: HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR CURRENT TASTING MENU IN ONE SENTENCE?

Chef Taylor: A genuinely fun journey through playful nostalgia, and high concept execution with bold flavor and the desire to truly enjoy the dining experience binding it all together.

VISIT DALLAS: WHAT INSPIRES YOUR APPROACH TO A TASTING MENU? IS IT DRIVEN MORE BY SEASONALITY, TECHNIQUE, STORYTELLING OR SOMETHING ELSE?

Chef Taylor: More than anything we want guests to ENJOY their experience. In all we do, tasting menu and otherwise, we don’t want the pursuit of excellence to cost us the why behind everything: we LOVE food and drink and we believe maintaining that sense of joy, passion, and fun translates to the plate. We strive to do both: excellent food with personality and heart.

VISIT DALLAS: WHAT DO YOU WANT GUESTS TO FEEL OR EXPERIENCE AS THEY PROGRESS THROUGH YOUR MENU?

Chef Taylor: This menu specifically, flashbacks to core childhood memories, but in general we always work to balance progressive, creative technique and plating with approachable “simply just good” flavors and presentations. The core of everything though is flavor.

VISIT DALLAS: WHICH DISH ON YOUR TASTING MENU ARE YOU MOST EXCITED ABOUT RIGHT NOW, AND WHY?

Chef Taylor: I love this entire menu, from top to bottom. It was such a fun experience to put together and it was rewardingly challenging too. How do we match some of these memories and intangible things to food and drink? What does “yardwork” look like on a plate? What does it taste like? But if I had to choose one it would probably be the Texas Quail “McNugget”. That one was just such a crazy idea from the start, and it turned out even better than I had hoped (which definitely does not always happen with the wild ideas).

VISIT DALLAS: CAN YOU SHARE A MOMENT WHERE A GUEST’S REACTION REMINDED YOU WHY YOU DO WHAT YOU DO?

Chef Taylor: With this menu specifically, there was a couple that commented on how wonderful it was to experience this general “snapshot” of a childhood summer, while also providing them with deep conversation topics the entire night on what their specific childhood memories looked like. They said that the experience was so nice as a talking piece throughout the evening that they felt they learned something new about each other even after 5 years of marriage! Any time the experience we provide can connect with people on a level like that it just makes me incredibly proud of every person on our team that contributes to making it happen and how much I truly love it.

VISIT DALLAS: WHAT DOES BEING A CHEF IN DALLAS RIGHT NOW MEAN TO YOU?

Chef Taylor: Cooking great food. It sounds simple, but right now that involves fighting a little for what is recognized as “great” food and dining in the city. I am a big proponent of show vs substance, and I think that’s the biggest battle in Dallas right now. I don’t mean that you can’t have creative, progressive platings and garnishes, it’s more about if people are dining at a place to be seen there, or if they are out for a genuine experience. People will judge immediately if you are or aren’t using hyper-local ingredients, but they don’t think twice about the restaurant itself being locally, independently owned or not. Chefs around the city are pushing for Dallas to continue to recognize these things and support the Quarter Acre's, the Mot Hai Ba's, the Rye's and Apothecary's.

VISIT DALLAS: HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE DALLAS DINING SCENE IN THREE WORDS?

Chef Taylor: On the rise.

VISIT DALLAS: IS THERE ANOTHER LOCAL DALLAS CHEF OR RESTAURANT THAT EXCITES YOU RIGHT NOW?

Chef Taylor: Toby is crushing it at Quarter Acre right now and I love it. He’s also a great guy and that counts for a lot too.

VISIT DALLAS: YOU DESCRIBE RYE AS “SMALL PLATES, BIG EXPERIENCE.” HOW DO YOU USE THE TASTING FORMAT TO AMPLIFY THAT GUEST EXPERIENCE?

Chef Taylor: The tasting format is the “final boss” of small plates and shareables. It’s the best possible format for a “how many different things can we try during dinner?” mindset. Sharing food and trying multiple things is how Tanner and I’s love of food, and vision for Rye, spawned, and the tasting format allows for exactly that. Smaller portions of curated, intense, and balanced flavors elevate the experience beyond what you could reasonably achieve dining a la carte. It’s also affords us the ability to spin a narrative through the experience, and I think that kind of storytelling allows for our personality to shine through even more.

VISIT DALLAS: YOU’VE WORKED IN SEVERAL PARTS OF THE COUNTRY. HOW DID THOSE EXPERIENCES INFLUENCE YOUR STYLE ONCE YOU LANDED IN DALLAS?

Chef Taylor: Rye is inspired by “everywhere” so it definitely helped in putting together varied, exciting menus that take you on a journey. Food is one of the easiest and best ways to travel and experience culture without having to leave town.

VISIT DALLAS: RYE HAS BEEN FEATURED ON DINERS, DRIVE-INS, AND DIVES, BUT IT ALSO LEANS FINE-DINING IN CRAFT. HOW DO YOU STRIKE THE BALANCE BETWEEN ELEVATED FOOD AND AN APPROACHABLE VIBE?

Chef Taylor: Honestly there’s not a much better example of the line we walk, and we do it intentionally. We want people to be able to come in off the street and casually have some drinks and snacks, while they can also plan their 10-year anniversary with our Michelin Recognized tasting menu and cocktail program. It goes back to the core experience, and with great hospitality and great flavor at the center it’s not that difficult to swing to either extreme, fine dining or casual. It’s choose your own adventure every time you walk in.

VISIT DALLAS: YOU OFTEN PARTNER WITH LOCAL PURVEYORS AND HIGHLIGHT SEASONAL TEXAS PRODUCE. ARE THERE ANY LOCAL FARMS OR PRODUCERS YOU’RE ESPECIALLY EXCITED ABOUT WORKING WITH RIGHT NOW?

Chef Taylor: We’ve been using Misty Moon Farms for a long time now and they just continue to grow excellent produce.

VISIT DALLAS: WHAT’S ONE DISH YOU’VE CREATED THAT FELT LIKE THE MOST ‘YOU’; THE BEST REFLECTION OF YOUR CREATIVITY, VALUES, AND SENSE OF HUMOR?

Chef Taylor: There’s a dish called Fowl Play that I’ve always loved. I think it’s a perfect example of our approach to food (and fun). It’s a Japanese-Peruvian fusion spin on Chicken and Waffles. It was also born through a pitch meeting and was an amalgamation of two or three different ideas. Picture Peruvian style charred chicken thigh (Peruvian street food), on okonomiyaki (a loaded savory Japanese waffle) with a traditional Japanese glaze, creamy Peruvian aji verde sauce, katsuobushi fish flakes, and crispy bits of pork belly. It was a delicious combination of flavors, inspired by global fare, a collaborative creative effort, and the name came to us immediately, unforced, and perfectly punny.