After a year run at Lana Restaurant, the Charleston native traded fine dining for fast casual at Kairosβbut his culinary craftsmanship, and his French fries, came along for the ride. I like a good Irish stout or German pilsner.
JO: I have the attention span of a cocker spaniel, so I was not suited for a desk job. I started out front-of-house, then I gradually gravitated towards the kitchen. CM: Before this, you owned Lana Restaurant downtown. What made you leave? JO: Honestly, I was ready for a change. I was ready to try something different and challenge myself with something new. CM: How did Kairos come to be? JO: I was first approached by my partner, Cary Chastain, who wanted my help in developing the recipes for a new Greek fast-casual concept.
I said yes, because the food was in my wheelhouse. Nobody would have batted an eye if I served gyros at Lana.
I had a lot of fun making the menu, and afterwards, moving over to Kairos just fell into place. CM: Mediterranean food has remained a constant in your kitchen.
What do you love about it? JO: I love the simplicity of it. I kind of have a lot riding on that right now. CM: What makes Kairos different than other fast-casual restaurants? We could buy cans of peppers that have already been prepared, but when you have 15 peppers roasting on the stove, the place just smells good.
