Inside the Kitchen: Six Questions with Chefs Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski of State Bird Provisions and The Progress

Stuart Brioza: “I always like to say that if it’s a deserted island, I want tropical fruit and grilled fish over fire. But there would also be chips and salsa.” 

Nicole Krasinski: “Steak frites!”

Stuart Brioza: “When I was in third or fourth grade, my family hosted Japanese exchange students for a summer program, and a student named Yuki cooked rice balls stuffed with umeboshi for us. I remember making them and shaping them, dipping our fingers in salty water—the details, the filling, that salty-sour flavor has been pervasive in my cooking.”

Stuart Brioza: “Any chef that puts in the time to secure particular ingredients and curate a menu that encompasses seasonality, locality, and the farms’ philosophy, can be counted as fine dining. It’s philosophy-forward dining, really. It’s a restaurant that curates a specific style and puts effort into every aspect of the restaurant, from genuine hospitality to food that you wouldn’t necessarily cook at home.”

Nicole Krasinski: “At this point in our careers, the goal and the dream is to see our philosophies as integrated, no longer ours. But also to continue finding relevancy as we grow older, make sure that the restaurants age gracefully and continue to find new ways to stay relevant in a constantly changing environment.”

Nicole Krasinski: “We’ve been eager to get into Four Kings.”

Stuart Brioza: “I’d love to get back into Californios, and I always love experiencing Quince and SingleThread.”

Stuart Brioza: “To use everything, to not be wasteful.”