As a Napa-born, French-trained chef, exactly what has Sal Fernandez been doing in Greencastle, Ind., of all places for the last seven years?
Apparently building one of the best restaurants in the state.
At least that’s what the good people at the country’s top culinary organization think, as Fernandez, executive chef at Bridges Craft Pizza & Wine Bar, is one of just two Indiana chefs named semifinalists for a James Beard Foundation award.
With it being awards season in the entertainment industry, it’s worth noting that a James Beard Foundation award is an Oscar, a Tony, a Grammy in the culinary world.
“The James Beard Foundation is a big promoter of the industry across the country,” Fernandez said. “In the grand scheme of things, it’s probably one of the highest awards you can get.”
Fernandez is one of 20 chefs vying for the title of James Beard Best Chef for the Great Lakes region that includes Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio.
Even though Fernandez’s name is listed as the semifinalist, he’s keeping the focus not only on the team at Bridges, but on his adopted home state.
“Indiana has never gotten past this stage,” Fernandez said. “And in the state, there have only been five or six to make it to this stage.”
This stage, semifinalist, is two steps away from the award itself, with 20 semifinalists named on Wednesday, and then finalists — Fernandez believes there will be five or six — on March 29, with winners announced in Chicago on June 10.
“Indiana, for no reason I can think of, is so overlooked,” Fernandez said. “I don’t say this because I’m here, but some of the produce here and some of the meat is better than most other states in the country.”
He went on to note the commitment to quality in the Hoosier state, citing Fischer Farms beef (Dubois County), Gunthorp Farms pork (LaGrange County) and produce from Putnam County’s own Bob Zaring.
“It’s crazy how overlooked this state is, and my goal has been to put us on the map,” Fernandez said. “We have great culinarians, we have great vendors. It’s time that people start noticing, and what better way to make them notice?”
The chef is especially effusive in his praise of Zaring.
“I want to highlight Bob Zaring. He’s been with me since day one,” Fernandez said. “Half the product here is mainly good because it’s his product. We don’t have to do anything to it, just present it.”
But Zaring is part of a larger community that Fernandez and the rest of the team at Bridges see as essential to the restaurant’s success.
From the beginning, Fernandez had a commitment to utilizing Indiana ingredients to create a gourmet experience. However, the staff members were initially outsiders. He brought in fellow chefs from the Culinary Institute of America (where he received his training in French cuisine) as well as from Florida.
“I thought, I’m going to bring all this talent here,” Fernandez said.
Now all those people are gone, and Fernandez leads a staff of chefs with local roots.
“When you look at this line here, it’s full Indiana. They’re from Greencastle, Cloverdale, Reelsville,” Fernandez said. “That’s the magical thing. This group of chefs could probably compete with most big city chefs. That’s a big part of it.”
That rings true in the field of semifinalists, as Fernandez is listed among chefs from metropolitan areas — seven from Chicago, five from the Detroit region, three from Cincinnati, two from the Columbus, Ohio, area and one each from Cleveland and Indianapolis.
The other Hoosier nominee is Thomas Melvin of Vida in downtown Indy.
While Greencastle may seem a longshot, Fernandez has embraced that.
In fact, while his hometown of Napa, Calif., may now be known as a world-class food scene, it wasn’t always that way.
“I grew up around a big food scene, but at its core, Napa wasn’t what it is now. At its core, it was an immigrant town with lots of local food,” Fernandez said. “I grew up in the heart of the transition.”
A big turning point came when Thomas Keller purchased The French Laundry in the 1990s and decided to bring to Napa an experience that only otherwise existed in big cities.
That’s what Fernandez wanted to do in a place like Greencastle.
“I could go to San Francisco, stay in Napa or go to New York, but to truly have an impact, I needed to be in a place like this,” Fernandez said. “If I could have pictured a place to be in, it would have looked like Greencastle. It’s the underdog.
“I love it here. I love Greencastle as a community,” he added. “None of this would be possible without Greencastle. We have incredibly loyal and amazing guests who have stuck with us.”
That has included menu changes and even a worldwide pandemic, and yet still growth, with Bridges’ offerings expanding to TapHouse Burgers and BreadWorks over the years.
“The way the community has embraced us has been pretty special, and we definitely couldn’t have done this without this community,” Fernandez said. “A lot of people thought I would leave. There’s a reason I’ve stayed. I’ve been in bigger cities, and I’d much rather be here than in a big city.”
It’s come with some recognition, as Bridges has hosted two James Beard Foundation dinners as well as traveling to New York to prepare a meal at the James Beard House — with Zaring in tow, of course.
But neither of those honors have anything to do with the award. That’s been the result of the work Fernandez and his staff have done.
For as much as he gives credit to others, make no mistake that Fernandez is ambitious.
“I’m an all-in guy, so now that we’ve reached this level, we’re going to push our staff to move forward and win one,” Fernandez said. “No one’s ever done it (in Indiana) before, but someone’s gotta be the first.”
This isn’t a new development. When he first met with owners Joyce and the late Judson Green, their plan was to open a wine bar with deli sandwiches. Fernandez said if that’s what they wanted, he wasn’t the guy.
“We’re going to work with the community, we’re going to build something and we’re going to shoot for a James Beard Award,” Fernandez recalled of what he shared with the Greens. “We might not get there, but we’re going to shoot for it. If you are a 14-year-old or 16-year-old, you’ll come into a place like this and think, ‘This might be something I want to do my whole life.’”
That’s what happened to Fernandez, who started his culinary career as a dishwasher at age 14.
While he certainly doesn’t consider his journey complete, this nomination is a significant milestone.
“I couldn’t believe it when I saw my name. I don’t think my brain could comprehend what I was looking at yet,” Fernandez said. “I think I looked at it for like five minutes before I realized that was really me.”