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Nômade Westport distinguishes itself with global appeal Allie Gillman ’23 Business Director
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s you pass up a short flight of stairs, you enter a space with beautiful North African tones: white stucco walls and simple tan wood tables and chairs complement the wicker pendants that hang from the ceiling and bedeck the main seating areas. If it feels like a refreshing Mediterranean vacation, it should. Nômade Westport opened its doors to guests on Aug. 16. Co-owner and General Man-
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ager Patrick Jean partnered with co-owner Ciara Webster to bring a comfortable and global dining experience to Westport. “When we came to the restaurant,” Jean said, “we were trying to open a place to make people comfortable and like they are somewhere on vacation, like St. Tropez, Ibiza or Morocco.” Nômade’s menu culls food options from the Mediterranean basin to the Pacific Rim. On top of boasting an impressive global menu, Webster and Jean imported the restaurant’s furniture, glassware, dishes, hanging wicker baskets and blankets from Morocco. Executive Chef Zoltan Kovacs is the engineer of the restaurant’s menu. Kovacs hails from Hungary and worked in a handful of Bu-
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dapest’s Michelin restaurants “We are not focusing on while getting his degree at the only one country, and that is Aranybika Culinary Institute. where the name comes from,” “I had one of the specials, a Jean said. “The Nomads keep Chicken Paillard with a fresh going from place to place, and salad on that’s what top with our menu cucumber is about. The Nomads keep and tomaWe don’t going from place to to,” Stastop anyples parent place, and that’s what where; we Georgette just keep our menu is about. Geller said. w a l k “Nômade ing on.” We don’t stop is definitely F o r anywhere; we just THE place J e a n , to be seen the unikeep walking on.” in Westport ty of his - Patrick Jean right now.” team— Co-owner, General Manager T h e f r o m restaurant’s name comes from the chef to the bartender to the term “nomadic”, which the wait staff—is just as imdescribes a lifestyle of con- portant to Nômade’s sucstant movement from place cess as the international to place. In the same light, feel and arresting aesthetics. word of Nômade’s success “My job is to create the has spread throughout Fair- team and make sure we are field County, drawing people the right team that works towho want to experience the gether,” Jean said. “It’s not chic indoor sensibility and perfect, but it’s really getvacation-like atmosphere. ting there, and people feel it.”
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COASTAL CUISINE The turtle that’s a part of Nômade’s logo represents the various flavors and inclusions of the Mediterranean Basin, the Pacific Rim and other territories which are featured throughout the menu.