Getting To Know The Grove
At the age of 14, Chip got his first job at the restaurant as a bus boy. “I remember my father telling me, ‘the cool kids work in the back’ and it really just stuck,” Chip explained.
The Grove Grill opened in 1997, but Chef Chip Dunham works 12 hours a day to bring a modern twist on country cuisine to the people of Memphis. The family restaurant is owned by Chef Jeff Dunham, Chips father, who has passed the chef’s hat to his son.
What is it like working in a kitchen?
Video describing life as a chef.
Chip moved back to Memphis after attending the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. He began influencing the Grove’s menu allowing his own personal cooking style to shine.
“We have a country style—but not just in sense of southeastern United states—I have more of a rustic cooking style,” Chip said. The Grove Grill also features dishes with southwestern or Asian influence while keeping true to their rustic style.
The restaurant doesn’t have a set menu, so every week there are new dishes available for patrons. This allows Chip to get creative and come up with new menu items—and keeps guests coming back for fresh, unique dishes. However, there are a few staples that remained available throughout the years.
Line cook Chip Robertson (left) and Head Chef Chip Dunham (right) working the grill and sauté stations.
Blackened Redfish over butterbean Hoppin' John with sautéed crab meat and Micro Beet Bull's Blood.
House-made Prosciutto which is aged for weeks within the kitchen.
Line cook Chip Robertson (left) and Head Chef Chip Dunham (right) working the grill and sauté stations.
Photo gallery of food and kitchen staff
within the Grove Grill.
“People love our shrimp and grits, burger, and our oysters—those are always on the menu,” Chip said. The Grove Grill may not be close to the coast, but their oysters come from Gold Band Oyster out of Louisiana and are really fresh.
Dr. Carol Silkes, a certified executive chef and professor at the Kemmons Wilson School of Hospitality & Resort Management at the University of Memphis, explained: “[With small restaurants] it’s not about branding, it’s about celebrating excellence and, yes, you can brand that, but it has to really be true. It’s not a media campaign ‘we have the best shrimp and grits’… you just really have to have the best shrimp and grits.”
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Chip and his wife Amanda, the front-of-house manager, had their first baby in February of 2019, making the balance between work and home even more difficult than before.
“I feel like I’m missing stuff…. I used to stay a lot later [at the restaurant] and now I’m not as excited to get out [of the house] but I’m more motivated,” Chip explained.
Each member of the team needs to be reliable and willing to fight it out in the kitchen for every service. Finding these employees isn’t always easy and sometimes means they come out of the dish-pit into the kitchen.
“I worked here for about two months as a dishwasher,” said Andrew Affuso, a line cook at the Grove Grill, “One day they asked me, ‘do you want to learn something new?’ Fast-forward three years and now I make almost half of the featured entrees that are on the menu. I didn’t even know how to cook before, but I love what I do, and it feels great to have people like the food I put out.”
Life in the kitchen is about having pride in what you do and the dedication to keep going every day. As Dr. Silkes said, “You’re not just feeding them for sustenance, you’re feeding their soul.”â—¼
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Meet the Author
I'm Jordin Howell, a 25-year-old designer living and working out of Memphis, Tennessee. I am a graduate student at the University of Memphis working toward an M.A. in Visual Media.
I have always been a creative person with a knack for technology – which is what makes me perfect for this field. I have a wide range of interest which include: graphic design, layout design, video production + editing, photography, and social media. You can check out examples of these in my portfolio at jordinmhowell.com.