for putting out the amount of food they do. We
are working on a kitchen expansion plan to give
us more prep space, as well as a rooftop option
above the garage bar. You have to keep moving
if you want to stay competitive in this industry.”
The Exchange utilizes seasonal ingredients on
both its dining and bar menus. Daily specials are
created for both lunch and dinner, and Hall’s staff
often comes up with new menu items.
“We spend a lot of time talking food and
tasting with our management team,” he says. “I
don’t handcuff the team. I let them have creative
freedom to create and develop, and I know that’s
a big part of why our culinary and bar teams work
so hard, because they are the ones putting their
names behind the dishes and cocktails.”
“We also will go to the local
farmers market to source
some things for specials
on the we ekends, and
sometimes we will have
some local farmers just
show up at the kitchen
door with some of their
products to see if we
can use them.”
–Ian Hall, founder of The Exchange
Plenty of thought goes behind The Exchange’s
seasonal offerings. “We do a managers’ tasting
with the team about a month before our roll
out date to taste, tweak, criticize and finalize
dishes,” Hall says. “Then we work for two weeks
on those changes, and then bring in the whole
kitchen team to prep and produce the dishes,
while the front-of-the-house staff goes thru
each dish one by one with our chefs to (learn)
flavor profiles, pairing options and descriptions
of cooking techniques. It’s a long process, and
we do this four seasons each year, both for food
and cocktails.”
18 EXTOL SPORTS / JULY 2017
Creating a seasonal menu affords restaurants to
utilize local farms and purveyors, from the local
beef used in their burgers to the blueberry jam
sourced for a grilled cheese sandwich.
“We use farms like Lost Creek Acres, Grateful
Greens, PDS Produce and Russell’s Veggies,” Hall
says. “We are also growing some fresh herbs and
tomatoes on our patio in some gardens one of
our staff members did for us this year. We use
The Pretzel Baker and Breadworks for some of
our breads. We also will go to the local farmers
market to source some things for specials on the
weekends, and sometimes we will have some local
farmers just show up at the kitchen door with
some of their products to see if we can use them.”
Local ingredients are an integral part of The
Exchange’s business strategy, and its one Hall
says is appreciated by his guests.
“We get a premium product from these folks,
and we like to support the community that
supports us,” Hall says. “It’s part of our story,
our staff gets to tell the guest where it came
from and our kitchens get a chance to work with
great products.”