Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/514590
124 Batista-Caswell says employees often come to work for her after having a memorable dining experi- ence at Ceia or Brine. She takes great pleasure in noting that her staff frequently send her stories and pictures of great dishes they've heard about, and that the employ- ees created their own "wine bible" that they often take home on the weekends to help them with the restaurants' unique and sophisti- cated offerings. Sheer dedication is an important part of joining the staff at Caswell Restaurant Group, Batista-Caswell says, noting that she has had serv- ers opt not to join the team after realizing the number of details they will need to remember. Batista-Cas- well even gives employees written pop quizzes on the menu. The bar is just as high for kitchen staff—she tests them on the different kitchen tasks, so others will be able help out if one station is slammed, and will not be shy about telling a cook how to season a burger. Brine executive chef Justin Left, chef Jeremy Glover of Ceia; Above, chef Justin Shoults of Brine Shoults appreciates Batista-Cas- well's strong hand in the kitchen. "We have a good, respectful dialogue," says Shoults, who came to the restaurant from Nantucket's Oran Mor Bistro to serve as sous chef at Brine before his promotion to the top job last fall. "This is my first big job as manager, and she is a mentor to me, which I need. Pushback is always positive and for the better." As an owner who is not a chef, Batista-Caswell is more vulnerable to kitchen changes than perhaps a chef- owner—and also more aware of the need to allow her chefs to evolve. "[Nancy] encourages her employ- ees to grow, and to be invested in the idea of fine dining," says Antoi- nette Bruno, CEO and editor-in-chief for StarChefs, the New York–based magazine for culinary insiders that named Batista-Caswell the 2014 Coastal New England Rising Star Restaurateur of the Year. "She wants them to keep learning, to really experience food," Bruno continues, adding that Batista-Caswell encour- FOR MORE PHOTOS, GO TO NSHOREMAG.COM/ BATISTA- CASWELL/ ages management to eat at other top restaurants, especially in Boston, and will reimburse them for meals. Batista-Caswell has herself been spending a lot of time dining in Boston, and even living there part- time, in preparation for her next big move. This spring, she signed the lease for a restaurant in the Fort Point Channel District. "I want big city. I want a James Beard Award-winning chef," Batista- Caswell says. She hopes to achieve that with oak+rowen, a 150-seat spot that will be a mash-up of the concepts at both Ceia and Brine that she hopes will draw broader critical attention. While Batista-Caswell groomed and graduated two "Rising Star" chefs and the only North Shore "Boston Zagat 30 Under 30" award winner, and the restaurants have drawn multiple accolades from out-