Greenleaf Executive Chef and Owner Chris Viaud is a James Beard Award semifinalist who’s also known for competing on Season 18 of Top Chef. His food is rustic in its approach yet refined by classic techniques, and he focuses primarily on seasonal products – most of which are grown locally – which fuels his passion when creating menus. He also spends a lot of his time and energy on the exploration of his Haitian heritage, including finding new ways to introduce and educate communities around the beauty of Haitian cuisine and culture.
Viaud’s restaurant is Greenleaf, a seasonally inspired, farm-to-table American venue in Milford, N.H. The food and cocktail menus are inspired by the seasons of New England, and they change based on the best locally sourced ingredients available.
Ansanm, which means “together” in Haitian Creole, was launched in January 2021 as a pop-up and is also operated by Viaud, along with his family. Each month, on a Sunday evening when Greenleaf is closed, the Viauds host an Ansanm Sunday Dinner, a ticketed event where locals and travelers have a chance to join the Viaud's for a seated dinner in Greenleaf but experience only Haitian dishes.
Due to the great success and support for the Ansanm Sunday Dinners, Viaud and his family are opening a brick-and-mortar version of Ansanm, not far from Greenleaf this fall.
Bar & Restaurant spoke with Viaud to get his thoughts on food and beverage trends, his advice for other owners/operators, insights on staffing issues in the restaurant industry, and how pop-up restaurants can lead to success.
(Photo by: Jennifer Bakos Photography)
Viaud on Food & Beverage Trends
Over the course of the past five to 10 years, Viaud has seen a bigger focus on utilizing local farm-fresh ingredients and getting the community to do the same. As a result, Greenleaf strives to make sure that they’re sourcing from local farms during the height of the seasons, and they encourage the local community to source from the farms as well.
“We've seen a great turnaround of the farms that we're working with,” said Viaud, “from just willing to open up their farm store and saying, ‘We have this community that's willing to support us.’ It helps to bring the community together and keep a lot of the money in our local economy, which is great.”
In terms of cocktails, Viaud said his buyer manager does a great job coming up with unique drinks. In fact, she utilizes a lot of local ingredients and focuses on minimizing waste when it comes to cocktails. “Oftentimes, when we're bringing in a lot of the produce throughout the course of the seasons that are ever changing, if there's any scraps that she can use for making drinks or infusing liquors, she'll do that as a way to tie into what we're doing as a food program,” Viaud said.
“We're just trying to minimize the amount of waste that comes through,” he added. “If there's any chance that we have an overabundance of raspberries right now, what can we do with that? She'll find ways to incorporate those into her ever changing cocktail menu as well.”
Right now, Viaud is focused on pushing his heritage through food and working on his next brand. “I'm focusing on cooking Haitian food,” he revealed. “One of the next trends that is coming up is focusing on other cuisines that are unique, ethnic, and allow the opportunity for those who have never had the exposure to be open to trying new food.”
(Photo: Courtesy of Greenleaf)
Staffing Advice for Other Restaurant Owners
In New Hampshire, as well as the rest of the country, restaurant operators are continuing to face staffing challenges and trying to overcome them, according to Viaud. “The thing that is helping us get over those hurdles is that we stay true to who we are,” he explained. “We don't just hire staff to fill in the void. We hire staff that is necessary for the positions that we need. We want to find the staff that is relative for the techniques and skills we require to make sure that the food is staying consistent, the services are staying topnotch and upholding the standards that we've held for the past three years that we've been open.”
Viaud said he’s fortunate to have a staff that’s able to take the reins when needed; this has allowed him opportunities to do other events and promote his own brand. “The biggest hurdle that we're all facing is staffing; as an industry [this] cannot go away without talking about the staffing shortages that we're facing,” he said.
Viaud’s staffing advice for other owners? Make sure that you’re willing to put in the work if you don't have the staff. “You have to push through, persevere and overcome those hurdles and say, ‘For the time being, I have to put my head down and do the work that is necessary to get me through,’” he shared. “Be part of the restaurant community that says to staff that you’re bringing on board, ‘I'm not above the work that I'm asking you to do. Be a part of the team that is willing to put in the work that's necessary to get the job done.”
Wear Multiple Hats and Be Patient
In terms of running an operation, Viaud said he truly believes that owners and operators have to be willing to wear multiple hats. “There are often days where I might be needed in the kitchen, or I'm needed to fix some of the plumbing. I may need to pick up some produce, do payroll, inventory, and just being stretched throughout the whole operation,” he said. “This is great in terms of ownership – seeing the full spectrum of the operation, knowing what needs to be done when. That's part of the healthy mindset – knowing when you need to hire the right staff to be able to perform those jobs and abilities that need to get done. So that way you're not being stretched so thin.”
The one lesson Viaud's learned in his career is to be patient. “Nothing comes to you without hard work and always drive to be the best that you can be at your position,” he said. “Hopefully your employees or your managers will notice. Don't try to be over the edge and forceful about it. With time, good things will come to those who wait.”
(Photo: Courtesy of Greenleaf)
Pop-Ups Can Help Operators Test a Venture Before Launching
Throughout the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, many chefs and operators who dabbled in the concept of a restaurant popup. “You had many chefs who lost their footing in the industry or wanted to try something different when COVID hit,” explained Viaud. “Pop-ups became more of something to notice.”
With that trend, Viaud wanted to find a way to use his Haitian heritage and expose Haitian culture and cuisine to the community. So, he started the pop-up Ansanm and used it as a way to bring his family together, to learn about the food that they grew up eating, and to introduce that food into the community. It's been received so favorably that a year-and-a-half later the Viauds have the ability to open up a brick-and-mortar Ansanm venue this fall.
“It definitely allows you the freedom and flexibility to use a space that's existing without much risk and have a blank canvas,” said Viaud about pop-ups. “Your restraints are the number of seats that are held within that restaurant or the space. From there, you have the freedom and flexibility to do the food or cuisine that you're trying to put your passion into. It's a great opportunity to have that flexibility to say this is the food that I'm looking into and want to create. You have a venue that you can host this dinner at without having to take the risk of purchasing a property or signing on a lease and test the concept before you fully dive in and get yourself down that rabbit hole of opening-up a restaurant.”
To learn more about Greenleaf, visit GreenleafMilford.com. To learn more about Ansanm, visit AnsanmNH.com.
Erin Flynn Jay is a reporter and publicist based in Philadelphia. She’s a Bar & Restaurant and World Tea News contributor, and some of her other writing credits include Next Avenue and Woman’s World, among many others.
Plan to Attend or Participate in
Bar & Restaurant Expo, March 27-29, 2023
To learn about the latest trends, issues and hot topics, and to experience and taste the best products within the bar, restaurant and hospitality industry, plan to attend Bar & Restaurant Expo, March 27-29, 2023 in Las Vegas. Visit BarandRestaurantExpo.com.
To book your sponsorship or exhibit space at Bar & Restaurant Expo, contact:
Veronica Gonnello
(for companies A to G)
e: [email protected]
p: 212-895-8244
Tim Schultz
(for companies H to Q)
e: [email protected]
p: (917) 258-8589
Fadi Alsayegh
(for companies R to Z)
e: [email protected]
p: 917-258-5174
Also, be sure to follow Bar & Restaurant on Facebook and Instagram for all the latest industry news and trends.