Jake Behnke is heating up the kitchen at Belle Meade Social.
Behnke, 33, who became executive chef a year ago January at the restaurant at 518 Perkins Extended, is receiving praise from customers as well as his employers.
He took the job after leaving the now-closed IBIS, where he also was executive chef. “I left IBIS because business was slow,” Behnke says. “Honestly, it was nauseatingly slow. It was the type of slow where you kind of see the writing on the wall.”
But he was able to create a lot of dishes there. “The menu was absolutely eclectic at IBIS. We had Greek. I had Roman. I had Asian. I had quail dumplings: purple cabbage slaw, crispy wontons with pickled ginger.
“Some of the things I did at IBIS I’m doing at Belle Meade. Like the short rib I do is pretty much the same short rib I did there. We take it off the bone and then we run beef stock with the bones and trimming for about 18 hours. We take the meat and we get a good sear on it with just salt, pepper, and olive oil. And then we braise the meat with a classic mirepoix: carrots, celery, bay leaf, thyme, all that.
“But the nuances that make it ours are the addition of Worcestershire and soy sauce, ginger, tomato, and jalapeños. All that goes into the braise, so the short ribs are taking on those characteristics.”
Describing another dish he brought over from IBIS, Behnke says, “I used to do a smoked chicken thigh with the twice-baked sweet potato and the blistered green beans.”
But, he says, “The chicken is no longer like the smoked chicken, though. I now do a citrus-and-herb chicken.”
Behnke was given “full autonomy over the kitchen” at Belle Meade Social. “For a chef, that’s a big deal. You want room to express yourself.”
He likes the fact he can make whatever type food from any region instead of sticking to only one type of dish. “I would never want to be a chef at a barbecue joint or an Italian restaurant.”
A few things, including the spinach dip and the steak and noodle salad have remained from the old Belle Meade Social menu. “None of those have changed dramatically, but they’ve been improved.”
Behnke’s creations for Belle Meade Social include his beet carpaccio. “It’s roasted beets sliced thin. And we shingle them on the plate, going around the edges with beets and arugula pesto. And we do a spritz of red wine vinegar and then feta cheese, toasted almonds, and fresh dill over the top.”
He also uses beets in his seared salmon with risotto dish. “How many places can you go where they feature beets on the menu?”
As for what’s coming up on the menu, Behnke says, “My next push for menu changes is going to be family-focused salads and desserts.”
Belle Meade Social’s current grilled chicken salad comes with pineapple, peanut sauce, and a wine vinaigrette. “The honey lime vinaigrette is now too sweet, in my opinion. I’m going to use all the components but just retool it.”
He plans to make a grilled chicken and pineapple kabob, which will go over the salad. “Instead of tortilla strips over the top,” he says, “I’m rolling around the idea of doing a tortilla bowl.”
Behnke will rub the inside of the bowl with spicy peanut butter powder. “So, it’s basically the same flavor combinations, just applied differently to kind of elevate the look and the experience of eating it.”
He also plans to add some dairy-free, gluten-free vegan desserts. “There’s just not enough of that stuff out there.”
Behnke wowed Belle Meade Social owner Paul Stephens and manager Chad Weatherly when he arrived for his interview. They asked him to make something for them. So, he made fresh focaccia bread; an arugula, strawberry, bleu cheese, and candied nuts salad; a butternut squash bisque; short ribs; a Yukon Gold and sweet potato gratin with garlic cream; and, for dessert, an orange and tarragon crème brûlée and a mixed berry cobbler. “I did a seven-course meal in three hours,” Behnke says. “I just wanted to show them my chops.”
He says, “Those are all things that have skill, method, technique, and finesse all wrapped up in them.”
Behnke knew if he was “to be able to juggle all those” along with “time management,” he would impress the higher-ups.
He did. Benhnke was offered the job on the spot.
A native Memphian, Behnke studied at the Chef Academy Italy in Terni, Italy. His first restaurant job was a dishwasher at The Grove Grill, where he later became a pantry cook. He also worked at the old Interim, Acre, Restaurant Iris, and Sweet Grass restaurants.
Ryan Trimm, who worked at The Grove Grill before opening his own restaurants, including Sweet Grass, was one of his mentors, Behnke says. “Ryan taught me a lot of the basics: cutting, chopping. And he also taught me about the mother sauces.”
He adds, “Ryan also taught me whole hog butchering, charcuterie, and pickling.”
Trimm has played an important role in Behnke’s job as executive chef at Belle Meade Social. “Anything I do there is always an influence from him.”
But maybe one of the most important lessons Behnke learned from the veteran chef was Trimm’s motto: “Proper preparation prevents piss-poor performance.”
