Operating two restaurants during a pandemic is tough. Doing it while starring on a TV show? Tougher. Chris Viaud, 30, appears on the current season of “Top Chef,” representing Milford, N.H., where he runs Culture bakery and Greenleaf, a fine-dining restaurant in a refurbished bank. He also stages family-style dinners that employ his family’s Haitian influences. He grew up in Londonderry, N.H., and headed back north after working at the Back Bay’s Deuxave, looking for a more relaxed pace.
Coming from the world of fine dining in Boston, what inspired you to open a restaurant in New Hampshire?
Sure. I own two restaurants in New Hampshire: Greenleaf, which is an upscale farm-to-table experience, and then Culture, which is a bakery and sandwich shop.
Greenleaf actually just celebrated their two-year anniversary, so we’re glad to get to the two-year mark, especially after the year that we just went through. Culture actually opened in the middle of the pandemic, in August of last year, so we’re creeping up on our one-year. And again, we’re blessed to have been able to make it through.
Coming from Boston, I knew that I wanted to kind of come back home to New Hampshire, where I spent my teenage years and into my early 20s, with that country feel, away from the big city. I enjoyed the city vibe. There was always something to do, but I wanted a more relaxed lifestyle where I could settle down and raise a family. So the decision to move back to New Hampshire was to be to closer to family, and I knew that I could really put down roots here.
Milford, New Hampshire, kind of chose me in a way. I was looking more in the Lakes Region further up north for a seasonal project, but then there was a space that just became available right in the center of Milford. I had never really heard of the town before then, but I came to visit the building. The historical aspect of it was beautiful. The space itself had so much potential. And I just fell in love with the landlord, who was so generous throughout the whole process and willing to work with me every step of the way. It just made sense. It felt really right. In my heart of hearts, in my gut, I knew it was going to be the right move, and I just wanted to dive in, go forward, and put everything I had into it.
Tell me about opening a restaurant during the pandemic. How did it affect you, and how were you able to endure?
There were so many swings, ups and downs that we had to get through. It was just so hard to keep up, from the announcement of the initial closure. Shifting a fine-dining restaurant to a takeout model was a challenge within itself, but I knew that’s what I had to do to sustain and make sure that I was still involved within the community. I was making sure that I could keep whatever staff I could on-board to make things work and hopefully get through that period of time.
What changes did you make?
In March, I only closed down for two days, just to revamp the whole menu and change out everything that I was doing to more family-style platters and complete takeout models. It wasn’t until January 2021 where it hit us the most. I actually closed down for a month and a half because we did have a positive COVID case. We lost out on our New Year’s Eve sales, which, in the industry, that’s one of the biggest nights of the year.
That was probably the hardest time that I’ve gone through in my career, just the mental stress that it put on me, knowing that I wasn’t able to provide for my staff and not knowing what I would see on the other side. And then it was just two days after that when I had to close down the bakery, because there was another case over there. It was just back-to-back.
So many restaurants have closed. Why do you think you’re still here?
I would say I have the strength and determination to be one of the ones to make it through, and I put a lot of weight on my shoulders to carry the business. I was working in the bakery by myself — I had the help of my wife, of course, who was doing the pastries. But it was really the strength that lies within the community. If it wasn’t for them continuing to come out in any way that they could to be able to show their support and continue to buy the product that we were selling, I wouldn’t have been able to open back up full time, bring the staff back on, and continue to provide for the staff who put their trust in me that this was going to be a place of comfort and financial stability.
Did you keep most people on?
The bulk of my staff is still here, still kicking. There’s definitely been a shift in dynamics of the staff that I’m currently bringing on and knowing that there’s an upswing for those who do want to continue in the industry. I’m very open to learning more about people, what they’re looking for in their employers, and making sure that I’m really providing that place of comfort, where they know this is a place that they can enjoy work. Nobody’s here to screw anybody over. We’re all a family, and we all just want to do the best that we possibly can to continue to uplift the industry and uplift the businesses.
What’s the difference between running a restaurant in New Hampshire versus working in Boston?
With one of my first projects in Manchester, New Hampshire, I was really pushing the boundaries. At that point, I was pretty much just fresh out of the Boston scene and knowing all these skills, techniques, and all the food knowledge that I wanted to apply to this area. But I feel like at that moment — that was four years ago — it wasn’t the right time.
Knowing what I knew back then and coming into opening up Greenleaf, which was two years down the road, I knew that I had to take a more laid-back approach, but I never wanted to lose sight of the expertise, skills, and the techniques that I did develop and prided myself on bringing into the New Hampshire area — the attention to detail, craftsmanship, working with high-quality products, never cutting any corners, utilizing all the scraps that you can to still make beautifully presented dishes. I always keep a ‘no waste’ kind of mentality.
I mean, there’s no real restrictions when it comes to food. Of course, you have to make it look pretty and taste amazing. But for me, it’s always just been about that journey of exploration and going out to eat at restaurants or traveling the country and applying those flavors and techniques into the food that I’m creating.
What brought your parents from Haiti to the United States? Did your background influence your desire to become a chef?
It was just their parents transitioning out of the country. Of course, there were a lot of politics that were going on during that time, and their parents wanted to make sure that they could provide a better lifestyle for my parents. My parents met in the US in their teens. My brother was the firstborn, and I feel like in their heart, they knew that they still wanted to represent their culture to the fullest extent, even though they were in the States.
So we had the full experience with the music, the family gatherings, and the food. And for me, I always relate it back to thinking of one of my first experiences, working with my mom in the kitchen, grinding herbs and spices with a mortar and pestle, sitting on the floor while she was preparing the family stews for dinner.
Is there a favorite childhood dish that really sticks out in your mind, or a favorite food memory?
Probably one of the braised chicken dishes in a Creole sauce and of course, the classic rice and beans, which is a staple, with plantains.
Do these influences show up in your cooking now?
It wasn’t really until the past two or three years that I wanted to dive back into my culture and explore the food that I grew up eating: How I can represent that and introduce it to the community?
I started doing a series called the Taste of Haiti, a modern interpretation of what Haitian food meant to me. And from that point on, I realized that I don’t have that much knowledge of what Haitian food really is like. I grew up eating it, but I don’t know how to truly cook with the authentic techniques that they use and all the traditional herbs and spices. So that’s when I enlisted my parents and said, ‘I really want there to be a tie between my siblings and my parents, because we’re the first generation.’ I don’t want to be the food culture to be lost upon us.
So we are now actually a branded company, called Ansanm, which means ‘together,’ which was the process of bringing my family together to learn more about the cuisine and bringing the community around together to eat family-style meals.
How does one become a “Top Chef” contestant?
So if you remember Adrienne [Wright Mosier, from Deuxave] from season 16, when she came back from her experience, she was telling me what a joyous time it was. She learned so much about herself. She really wanted me to go on that same path of discovery. It wasn’t the right time for me, as I was just opening up Greenleaf. Then 2020 comes around, and she sends me a message saying that she put my name in the ring. Immediately thereafter, I got a message from casting asking if I would be interested in applying. I said, ‘Absolutely, sign me up.’ I mean, 2020 was a hell of a year for sure, and yet there was so much going on, and I just needed to do something for myself for once.
I went through the audition process, and it was a little while thereafter, I was getting ready to open up Culture. I received the call letting me know that I was going to be one of the contestants on the season, and I just remember standing in the office with still nothing around. None of the equipment was in here. I dropped the phone, and I ran outside the building. I drove right down to Greenleaf, where my wife was working on the pastry station. I pulled her aside, gave her a huge hug, and told her the news. It was just incredible.
Is it strange to see yourself on TV?
It’s a strange feeling. It’s funny just watching with others around and seeing how they interact with me through the screen and how I know I present myself. I think I hold myself to a higher standard because I’m representing for New Hampshire.
How hard was it to film during COVID?
It definitely posed some challenges for sure, but I definitely felt comfort knowing that the production team itself was taking the ultimate precautions, knowing that we’re getting tested periodically and we were all in our own little bubble. We were strictly there for the competition and learning and growing and experiencing this crazy ride together.
I think that was part of what brought us closer together, that we all just went through that whole experience of COVID. A lot of us hadn’t been really working in the industry because some restaurants might have closed down or shifted, so it was really an interesting time to connect with all those chefs and see how each part of the country had to shift and what other restaurateurs or chefs did to make sure that their businesses survived.
That was unique about this season in particular: We had the resiliency to continue to fight through this and take a chance.
New Hampshire’s a big state. What’s the must-try food?
I would say when coming into New England itself, you have to get fried seafood, fried clams or a lobster roll.
Are you a clam belly person or just clam strips?
I enjoy the belly, you know, that briny pump of explosion.
Do you have a favorite Boston restaurant?
At Chickadee, they’re always pushing the boundaries. I love the feel of the space, that higher-end dining experience that’s still laid-back and relatable. But the food — the bold flavor that they’re presenting and the techniques that are involved — you can tell the true craftsmanship that’s going into each and every dish. The service staff is well-trained and can answer any questions. And it’s always just so inspiring to see some of the dishes that they’re putting out and ask questions: Why did you do it this way?
What role will restaurants play in a post-COVID world? What’s the path going forward as we resume some degree of normalcy?
I think we’re in a revitalization period right now. We’re still recovering from all that just happened. Those who were able to make it through, we’re going to be stronger than ever. We’ve gone through the test of time. We’ll carry that strength in the years to come. I think that people are ready to start coming back out again, dining, celebrating, and just really wanting to be with other people in a comforting environment and have that true sense of hospitality.
Favorite pandemic snack?
Cheetos Puffs.
Kara Baskin can be reached at kara.baskin@globe.com. Follow her @kcbaskin.