WELCOME TO THE AREA’S MOST IMMERSIVE CULINARY EXPERIENCE.
THE EXPERIENCE.
Inicio by Chef Justin Hayes is the encapsulation of Chef Justin’s life work and culinary signature. In its purest form, Inicio is its own restaurant inside the walls of Cork & Flame, taking the highest expectations of the Cork & Flame name into a whole new realm of fine dining that will engage all of the senses.
Curated and innovative tasting menus and elegant wine pairings will be available in an intimate setting inside this space. Extremely limited seating will be available for this immersive experience.
Reservations for dining at Inicio will be released online at 10am EST on the first of every month for the following month. Be sure to sign up for our monthly newsletter to be notified when we open up availability.
THE CHEF.
CHEF JUSTIN HAYES
Chef Justin Hayes is the Culinary Director and Partner at Cork & Flame and Inicio. His culinary signature combines a modern vision of food with inspiration from his international travel. His passion for sustainable, balanced and elegantly innovative techniques is brought to life in every dish, especially highlighting his love of wild game and seasonal ingredients.
After studying with American Academy Award-winning Chef Heinz Sowinski, he took mentorship under Master Chef Marcel Biro, chef to German Chancellor Helmut Kohl and the youngest chef in European history to attain the title Master Chef de Cuisine. Noticing distinct talent, Chef Biro urged Justin to pursue his education under his personal mentor in Germany, Master Chef Robert Rauh, where he cultured his education further. He has since returned to Evans, now as Culinary Director and Partner of Cork & Flame and Inicio and continues his culinary education through international travel.
THE WINE DIRECTOR.
DR. SHARAD GHAMANDE
Dr. Sharad Ghamande is the Wine Director for both Cork & Flame and Inicio. He oversees the wine purchases and thoughtfully curates the wine list for the both restaurants, which has diverse offerings featuring interesting grape varietals and wineries that have a personal connection. That has resulted in Wine Spectator magazine Award of Excellence in 2020, 2021 and 2022
His passion for wine education is evidenced in the weekly wine tastings, our WSET wine certification classes with Fine Vintage and through his involvement in the Algodon vineyards in Argentina. He is also responsible using his connections to bring many prestigious winemakers from around the world to share their personal knowledge with our guests through our coveted Winemaker’s Dinner Series.
“Wine is such a soulful amalgamation of a sense of place, crafted by the struggles, the joys and the anxieties of the growing season resulting in a unique bottled expression of pure magic created by the winemaker.” - Dr. Ghamande
He has an affinity to winemakers that respect the terroir letting the grapes speak, with a minimalist approach to winemaking.
RESERVATIONS.
Reservations for dining at Inicio are released online at 10am EST on the 1st of every month, for the upcoming month. Be sure to sign up for our monthly newsletter to be notified when we open up availability.
Your reservation is only confirmed with a prepayment via Tock.
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