Following the departure of executive chef Tyson Amick and sous chef Patrick McAndrew last month, Aubriana’s welcomes a new culinary team to its kitchen.
“It was hard to see Tyson and Patrick go, and of course we had our concerns about the transition, but things have really worked out well,” said Carol Roggeman, co-owner of Aubriana’s, 115 S. Front St.
Amick and McAndrew worked with Roggeman and co-owner Ron Jackson to select the new executive chef, Tom Ryerson. Ryerson moved to Wilmington from New York 10 years ago and has worked his way through the ranks of many local restaurants, including the Pilot House, the Blockade Runner and the former Caffé Phoenix.
Ryerson felt it was important that he begin his new position by learning Amick and McAndrew’s spring menu and earn the trust of regular customers before changing things up.
“I felt it was important to show them that I could cook what they were accustomed to and also to involve them in the process of creating new menu items,” Ryerson said.
By cooking the spring menu and trying out new dishes as specials, Ryerson was able to utilize customer feedback to help him create the summer menu, which launched last week.
Appetizer favorites like the Prince Edward Island steamed mussels and grilled lamb lollipops remain on the menu, joined by new entrées such as braised pork cheeks with cannellini beans and English peas over house-made rye pappardelle and sautéed shrimp, mussels and littleneck clams over house-made squid ink pasta.
“I’m from an Italian family, and I grew up cooking,” Ryerson said. “I wanted the menu to reflect my Italian background as well as our local, seasonal offerings.”
Ryerson’s summer menu also features a bone-in pork chop with peach chutney, arugula, fingerling potatoes and huckleberry gastrique and a roasted organic half chicken with a lavender-honey glaze, black currant cauliflower couscous and blood orange glazed carrots. Desserts include a coffee-caramel crème brulee with chocolate covered espresso beans, a fresh berry tart with vanilla bean whipped cream and a baker’s choice New York cheesecake.
Ryerson said he is grateful for the opportunity to express himself creatively but also emphasizes the importance of collaboration. Sous chef Christopher Held and garde manger chef Shane Sharpe both had a hand in developing the new menu, and Ryerson said the three operate as a team at every level.
Ryerson’s menus will change quarterly to make the most of each season’s offerings, and he will run daily specials featuring local seafood. Aubriana’s also has a new craft beer and cocktail list and offers half-price wine and acoustic music on the courtyard patio on Wednesday evenings.
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