We checked in with Vivek Surti, chef and owner of Germantown’s South Asian American dinner party Tailor, to find out his must-have cooking ingredients, favorite Nashville eatery, dream restaurant concept, and more.

1. Tell us a bit about your culinary career.

I started a supper club concept in 2011 called VEA Supper Club, which was essentially Nashville’s first pop-up restaurant before the word "pop up" was a thing. It started at my parents’ house, moved to the Nashville Farmers’ Market and then to restaurants all over town. The initial goal was to have a creative outlet and to build community by bringing people together over a meal, sharing our stories about the food, and celebrating our amazing local farmers.

In 2018, I opened my restaurant, Tailor, in Nashville, staying true to our supper club and dinner party style. Tailor, a name derived from my grandparents’ occupation, showcases first-generation American cuisine that is derived from my Indian, specifically Gujarati, heritage and upbringing in Tennessee. In 2019, we were named one of Bon Appetit’s top 10 restaurants, Thrillist’s top restaurants, and I was nominated for the James Beard Awards Best Chef Southeast. In 2022, we moved a few blocks down the street to our new location, where we continue our dinner parties Thursday through Sunday every week, with a seasonal menu that changes four times a year.

2. What moment are you most proud of in your professional culinary history?

I’m most proud of how I navigated the business through the pandemic. They say there are people who “talk the talk” and people who “walk the walk.” When we had to shut down because of pandemic regulations, I made sure none of our staff were affected by paying them for four months without being open. Even though we didn’t have any revenue coming in, I knew I was responsible for their livelihoods and tried to do as much as we possibly could to make sure they were OK.

During the pandemic, I also found a new and bigger location for our restaurant and proceeded to design a space, acquire funding, build it out, and open it in under a year. For someone who had never done a project like that before, it was a fun process, and of course, I’m thankful to our team of architects, contractors, and subcontractors for helping us get across the finish line.

3. What dish are you currently loving on your menu?

I just absolutely love summer, and our version of a barbecue plate is what I think of when I think about an epic dinner party. We’re taking Korean-style short ribs from Bear Creek Farm, the best beef in the country, and glazing them with a sauce of coconut cream, palm sugar, red chilies, and peanuts. It’s intensely flavorful, charred from the grill, and so fun to eat. We serve it with a bunch of sides, just like if you were in your friend’s backyard–flavorful rice with bone marrow, a super fresh mango-chile salad and stuffed okra.

4. Tell us about your go-to ingredient. What are you always reaching for?

That’s a tough one because Indians use a ton of ingredients when cooking. I can’t live without spicy chiles, especially Thai bird. To me, chiles add so much flavor to food, whether that’s in a marinade, salad, sauce, or relish. The fruitiness of the pepper, along with the heat, is something I crave in food.

5. Aside from your restaurant, what’s your favorite place to eat in Nashville?

On the casual side, I currently love everything Julio [Hernandez] does at Maiz de la Vida. As far as I’m concerned, it’s some of the best Mexican food in the country.

On the fancy side, I’m a big fan of Peninsula. It’s the place in Nashville that truly pushes the boundary on flavor combinations, and I love that chef Jake [Howell’s] point of view on food is so different than mine. Owners Craig [Schoen] and Yuri [Say] are some of the nicest folks, and the service is always great!

6. If you could open a brand-new restaurant concept right now (and money was no object), what would it be?

For many reasons, Tailor has always been the dream restaurant. We have only 36 seats, we are inspired by our farmers and the ingredients they grow, and we have a very high standard of quality. If I had to open another concept, it would probably be a tiny shop that makes and sells Indian-style kebabs on rice or in sandwich form.