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Where: Nebraska Brewing Co., Shadow Lake Towne Center, 7474 Towne Center Parkway, Suite 101, Papillion
Hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Wednesday; 11 a.m. to 1 am. Thursday through Saturday; and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday
Information: www.nebraskabrewingco.com and 934-7100
The beer may be the headliner at Nebraska Brewing Co., but the diverse menu is also a star, thanks to head chef Adam Graybill. The 29-year-old native of Council Bluffs graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School and studied culinary arts at Iowa Western Community College.
@Q&A:Q. How long have you been at Nebraska Brewing Co.?
A. A little over two years. I started here the day they opened the door. I was originally the kitchen manager.
Q. So when did you take the helm?
A. A little more than a year in. I started revamping the menu, and I’ve come to the point where it’s my menu. We’ve got a good crew in the kitchen.
Q. How did you get interested in cooking?
A. As a kid I would watch “Great Chefs of the World.” I watched it day in and day out. I loved food. I loved creating things. I knew since I was 14, washing dishes, this was something I’d want to do the rest of my life.
Q. Where did you start, beyond the dishes?
A. The Bleu Ox in Council Bluffs with Bent Rasmussen and his wife. They made everything from scratch: soups, sauces, marinades, daily specials. We cut the vegetables. We cut our own steaks. When I became head chef, here, I used what I learned there.
I make the desserts. I make the soups. We don’t use the boil-in-bag (products). We cut our vegetables every day. We cut our steaks. We’re not a pretentious place, but I’m going back to the old ways of doing things because I know it tastes so much better.
Q. What other things would outsiders be surprised to know that you make yourself?
A. Cheesecake. Apple crisp. Peach bread pudding. I make my own ice cream and soups from scratch.
Corned beef is brought in raw; we cook and slice it here. Whole hams, we cook and slice.
Q. What’s new at your restaurant?
A. A new lunch menu. It features big hearty portions, perfect for right now when it’s so cold. We have bangers and mash (sausages and mashed potatoes), and I bring in ground pork and apple-smoked bacon to make my own sausages. We have beef Stroganoff. A homemade chicken pot pie. Mussels cooked in hard cider, which adds a new element of flavor.
I’m currently working on a new spring menu and our next beer dinner.
Q. What happens at a beer dinner?
A. Five to seven courses. We match each course with a beer we brew on site or another beer.
Q. Is there a recent triumph you can tell us about?
A. Black Cherry Kool-Aid Cheesecake. Our cherry vodka is in it and a package of Kool-Aid Black Cherry mix. Served with chocolate ganache on top.
Our most popular cheesecake is the White Russian Cheesecake that has Kahlúa and chocolate ganache in the cheesecake. Then we top it with a white chocolate-vanilla vodka sauce. The bottom is made of crushed-up Oreos.
Q. Do you have a favorite cooking technique?
A. Not a technique, but I do love spice and bold flavors. If you see a “chef’s special” on the weekend, count on it being spicy.
Q. What’s next for you?
A. The great thing about working for (owners) Paul and Kim Kavulak is having no limits in what I can create. I want to offer some more upscale food. Not all upscale, but making sure our food is right for our market.
Contact the writer:
444-1052, jane.palmer@owh.com
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