In 2017, I approached Kevin about the possibility of buying into the company. I realized that I could build a real life within Hospitality. As our business grew, so did our reputation as the Best Cocktail destination in Northern Arizona, and soon we were being recognized by nationally syndicated magazines such as Restaurant Hospitality for the Best Concept Cocktail of 2018.Īs my experience within the industry and the company grew, I became more and more interested and passionate about the industry. This idea began to catch on, and our business grew by nearly 40% year after year. We wanted people to think of the Annex their local neighborhood “Cheers” type bar, with an incredibly warm, welcoming, and familiar atmosphere all under the influence of raising the bar in the quality of our Cocktail Program. At the same time, I began to cultivate and reinforce a culture of “Genuine Connection” within the Annex Cocktail Lounge. I quickly began experimenting with classic recipes, which lead to a real interest in concept cocktails. I found that I took to Bartending quite naturally, having a decently developed palate from my love for cooking, and a strong desire to entertain the public. I was fortunate to learn the basics of Bartending from both Jeremy Lane, the General Manager, and Corey O’Donnell, the Bar Manager at the time who eventually went on to run the historic Hotel Monte Vista. I was hired by Kevin Heinonen, the Founder of THAT Place Projects, as a Bar Back in 2013, with no experience in the Bar Industry, and very little experience in Hospitality in general. Nick, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today. That said, the damned plastic-wrap prep table was terribly time-consuming, and I honestly have to say I enjoyed the grape smash and soccer ball (sabotages).Today we’d like to introduce you to Nick Williams. I'd take a 14-hour shift in a kitchen any day of the week. Being completely unfamiliar with the way things work behind the scenes on a show like this, or any show for that matter, is mentally debilitating even without cooking in between some wild sabotages.
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It was a full day and seemingly the longest day and a half of in-your-face cameras, shooting, following producer rules, breaking rules, makeup touch-ups, hair adjustments. Hardest part about the challenge: "Hollywood. He's just as fiendishly witty and absurdly intelligent off camera, but also just a great guy."
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Growing up watching 'Good Eats', I have always been an admirer and his TV persona seemed to prove timeless or unflawed. Money plans: "Save what's left, I suppose, and find a new home sometime soon."Īlton Brown: "Going into this I was very anxious to meet and observe Alton off camera. Living in: "State parks, city parks, the desert, the beach, the mountains, behind trees, beside rivers and below the stars." Here is more about Christensen and his impressions of "Cutthroat" host Alton Brown.Ĭurrent work: "Fire starting, map reading, trail running, camp cooking, microbrewery finding, life learning, waterfall hunting husband and dogfather (stepfather)." He was raised in the East Valley and went to Desert Vista High School.
"After many years of putting in long, exhausting (and of course, rewarding) hours in the restaurant, we decided we owed ourselves a grand adventure filled with outdoor exploration, beer and wine tastings, getting lost, being lazy or crazy, and it's been a blast."Ĭhristensen said he filmed the show in September and worked at the Tinderbox Kitchen "up until the new year." He's lived in Flagstaff for nearly seven years. Starting in Southern Arizona to California, California to Oregon, and we are now currently exploring Washington," he told us by e-mail. "I recently married my best friend, Caitlin Swan, and as a honeymoon (enabled by the 'Cutthroat' cash winnings), we decided to travel/ roadtrip/ camp/ bum around the West Coast in a vintage 1983 Scamp travel trailer.
When we caught up with him this week, the 25-year-old was enjoying time away from the kitchen. Derek Christensen was a sous chef at the Tinderbox Kitchen in Flagstaff when he won $8,900 on Sunday's episode of Food Network's "Cutthroat Kitchen."
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