Katherine and Scott Bennett own the Corner Brasserie, formerly Stacks Grill, on San Marco Boulevard. The site is undergoing major renovations and should be open for business by Monday.
WHY NAME THE
BUSINESS BRASSERIE?
“A brasserie is a restaurant that brews its own beer and serves food,” explained Scott Bennett. “We won’t be brewing beer here, but we will serve beer and wine. It’s generally more of a casual atmosphere, a neighborhood eatery with very recognizable food. We’re not going to use three lines of creative writing to describe the entrees. Simplicity is key. It will be a fun atmosphere.”
“Brasserie is a French word,” added his wife Katherine “Katie” Bennett. “It’s another form of a bistro. It’s American food with a European flair. You’d be comfortable in a business suit, coming with your family or without. We want people to feel comfortable to come as they are.”
WHY OPEN IN SAN MARCO?
“We ran across a small ad in the newspaper,” said Katie. ”I happened to call and the time was right.”
“We always liked San Marco Square,” said Scott. “It’s a little north of the Square, but still a fast-growing area. We’ve been coming to this area for 10 years. My father-in-law down the street has Chelsea Photography. This is something we’ve always wanted to do, as we had aspirations of having our own business. We’ve done this for other people for so long that we thought we could do well by ourselves. We’ve both been in the business all our lives.”
A LITTLE BACKGROUND?
“I grew up in the hotel business,” said Katie. “My family was always in the hospitality field.”
“When she came to Jacksonville, she was in conference and catering at the Lodge & Club at Ponte Vedra,” added Scott, who was the executive chef there. “We’ve worked together just about everywhere we’ve worked.”
“We’ve been married 19 years,” said Katie. “When we left Florida in 1986 for Scott to go to the Culinary Institute of America, we moved to New York. We also spent time in Wyoming. I was a dining room manager of a very exclusive restaurant. From there, I was the conference service manager at the Greenbriar while Scott was the restaurant chef there. Scott worked under a chef there who is now at the White House.”
“We’ve lived in Ohio, South Carolina, South Florida, Wyoming and West Virginia,” said Scott. “I went to Michigan State and then worked in the business for about six years before we went to New York.”
HOW LONG HAVE THEY BEEN IN THE RESTAURANT BUSINESS?
“I’ve been in the business professionally for 23 years,” said Scott.
“It’s been about 20 years for me,” said Katie. “I’m the front of the house and he’s in the kitchen. I’ll be in charge of the beer and wine.”
KATIE’S EDUCATION
“I went to drama school as a musical theater major in Maidenhead, England,” she said.
ARE YOU FROM ENGLAND?
“Yes. I was born in Portsmouth on the south coast. We [her and her family] were on a two-year military exchange program when I met Scott and ended up staying here.”
HOW DID THEY MEET?
“We met at a restaurant in Pensacola, Chan’s, where we worked,” said Scott. “My parents grew up in Pensacola but then moved away when my father joined the Marine Corps. Then they moved to Detroit, later retired and moved back. I was in Pensacola when they opened the Hilton tower. Then I went to Jamie’s French Restaurant in the early to mid-1980s.”
“I was the first female waiter and the first female hired at Jamie’s,” added Katie.
WILL THE EATERY RESEMBLE
ITS PREDECESSOR
“We wanted to change the theme of the restaurant,” said Katie. “We wanted a traditional bistro feel.”
“It was a mom-and-pop greasy spoon sandwich place,” said Scott. “We really felt we had to impact it quite a bit to bring it up to what people are looking for these days — a casual but somewhat elegant atmosphere.”
REMODELING PLANS?
“We built a bar, added an office in the back and redesigned the kitchen to bring it out more into the restaurant to be more visible,” said Scott. “The colors have a warm, brassy, bistro feel.”
Other modifications to the space include new kitchen equipment, painting, and interior decorating (provided by Katie’s sister, an interior designer).
HOW MANY WILL BE ON STAFF?
“What we’ll start with is three wait staffers, Katie, myself and another cook and a prep/dishwasher during the day,” said Scott.
“In the evening, we’ll have an additional waiter/wine and bar steward,” added Katie. “We will take reservations at night or for larger groups for lunch.”
ARE THEY MEMBERS OF ANY ORGANIZATIONS?
“Scott is a member of the American Culinary Federation,” said Katie. “He’s won many gold medals and accolades.”
“Also, Chaine de Rottiseurs, the oldest food and wine society in the world,” said Scott. “Possibly next year I will we taking the master chef’s exam.”
HOW IS THE COMPETITION?
“There is not enough dining options in the area,” said Scott. “The quality places are full and there’s generally a waiting list. There are truly not enough seats in Jacksonville, per capita.”
THEIR BUSINESS PHILOSOPHY?
“We’ve always worked very hard and strived and sacrificed to succeed,” he said. “If you endeavor to persevere, you’ll do well. And we’re in a service industry. At the five star resorts we’ve worked in, you never settle for mediocrity and never deny guests.”
WHAT’S ON THE MENU?
“We will use local, fresh fish, handcut steaks and make everything from scratch,” said Scott. “At lunch, we’ll have hot and cold sandwiches.”
“There will be lots of fresh salads,” said Katie. “For dinner, we will have unique appetizers and entrees. We might add a cooking school.”
ARE THEY HOPING TO BECOME A LOCAL HANGOUT?
“Food is going to be our emphasis,” she said. “This will be the place to come for a good beer or fine glass of wine. When Scott and I go out, he likes to drink a good quality beer and I enjoy a nice glass of wine. It’s hard to find both without going to a fancy restaurant.”
“Friday and Saturday nights we’ll have guitars in here playing low-key music such as light jazz, Spanish-style or classical guitar,” said Scott. “We don’t want to shun people, but we don’t want a nightclub environment. “
The restaurant will seat 66 and operate from 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m.
OTHER INTERESTS?
“I teach drama at San Jose Episcopal Day School,” said Katie.
“I like the great outdoors — hunting and fishing,” said Scott.
— by Monica Chamness