From the Road to the Restaurant: The Catbird Seat's Next Chapter Intro / About the Episode Host Nycci Nellis sits down with Chefs Tiffani Ortiz and Andy Doubrava — the husband-and-wife duo leading the newest era of Nashville's acclaimed tasting-menu restaurant, The Catbird Seat — to talk about life on the road, zero-waste cooking, regenerative agriculture, and what it really means to build a restaurant around your values. About the Guests Chefs Tiffani Ortiz and Andy Doubrava met at the French Culinary Institute in New York before eventually reconnecting on a Malibu farm — literally living in a teepee among wild parrots — where their shared passion for agriculture and sustainability took root. After years cooking in restaurants across Los Angeles, they left brick-and-mortar life behind to launch Slow Burn, a nomadic culinary project that took them through 42 states and more than 45,000 miles with two dogs, a Subaru, a cargo trailer, and a traveling larder. They now lead The Catbird Seat in Nashville, where their road-forged philosophy of fermentation, preservation, and zero-waste cooking shapes one of the country's most talked-about tasting-menu experiences. "We refuse to commit to one style. And I think that's kind of the beauty of Catbird Seat — the chefs are always rotating, just like our ideas and the produce and ingredients we use are always rotating." — Chef Tiffani Ortiz "It's leadership with high standards, but also a lot of empathy." — Chef Andy Doubrava "What fascinates me most is how personal this all is — the preservation, the use of every part of the ingredient, the way they balance high-level with playfulness." — Nycci Nellis The Catbird Seat: A Culinary Institution Reimagined Since opening in 2011, The Catbird Seat has operated as a kind of culinary incubator — a place known for rule-breaking, intimacy, and creative freedom, built around an iconic U-shaped counter. Under Ortiz and Doubrava, the restaurant has relocated to a striking new home in Nashville's Paseo South Gulch and entered a bold new chapter. The result: a Michelin star, a James Beard nomination for Outstanding Restaurant, a New York Times nod, and a reputation as one of the most exciting dining experiences in the country. The new space retains the signature counter (now with a few more seats) and adds a wine lounge that's unlocked new possibilities for larger celebrations and future programming. Slow Burn: 45,000 Miles and a Traveling Larder Before Nashville, there was the road. Ortiz and Doubrava spent years conceptualizing, then executing, a nomadic zero-waste restaurant they called Slow Burn — a pop-up project that brought them through 42 states, into farm kitchens, foraged forests, and restaurant residencies across North America and beyond. They drove with two dogs, preserved as they went, and cooked their way into some of the continent's best kitchens. The project was equal parts case study in sustainability and creative liberation — a way to study how food systems, waste challenges, and culinary cultures differed from region to region. Everything they learned is now embedded in the walls (and jars) of The Catbird Seat. Falling in Love on a Malibu Farm Their origin story sounds like a movie: two culinary school acquaintances who reconnected years later while volunteering on a Meyer lemon orchard tucked into the canyon off PCH — overlooking the ocean, sleeping in a teepee, surrounded by wild parrots. It was their first real hands-on agricultural experience, and it changed how both of them thought about food, sourcing, and responsibility. From there, they embarked on a two-month farm tour through the South and back to California, cooking for farmers, learning from homesteaders, and laying the philosophical groundwork that would eventually become Slow Burn — and then The Catbird Seat. The Tasting Menu: Comfort Food with a Twist Catbird's current menu runs 15 to 18 courses and changes constantly, rooted in Southeast ingredients — sassafras, spice bush, Tennessee-grown produce — with proteins sourced from trusted regional partners like Bear Creek Farms. The vibe, as Tiffani describes it, is comfort food on the palate with something distinctly weirder underneath: loud music, punky energy, and a menu that might feature a fancy chicken wing one night and mountains of caviar the next. A wall of preserved jars greets guests at the entrance — a living, breathing larder that traces back to Slow Burn days. Neither chef came from a tasting-menu background, and they consider that an asset. Running a Kitchen Together Working as life and creative partners in a high-pressure environment isn't always easy — and Ortiz and Doubrava are honest about it. They've learned to read each other's signals mid-service, pass Post-it notes around the kitchen ("extra spiel for position 33"), and step off the line when they need to realign. Andy's philosophy — just because it's urgent doesn't mean it's an emergency — has become a kind of operating principle for their team. Pre-shift rituals, collaborative Spotify queues, and a standing commitment to empathy alongside high standards have built a culture their cooks genuinely want to be part of. Quick Takes Music fueling prep right now: A collaborative Spotify queue — whoever gets in first starts a jam, and the whole team adds to it. It could go from emo to hip hop to metal in twenty minutes. Food trend they're completely over: Truffles as an afterthought — shaved on top of something already perfect, used as a VIP shortcut rather than as a real ingredient with intention. (Ironic note: there's currently a truffle dish on the menu.) How they communicate sustainability without being preachy: They drop 60-second dish spiels that naturally name the farm, describe the technique, and let guests fill in the gaps. If someone wants to go deeper, they're right there. If not, the food speaks for itself. On accolades: The Michelin star and James Beard nomination matter most for what they do for the team — giving cooks the résumé and freedom to choose their own next steps. Where to Find Tiffani Ortiz & Andy Doubrava Follow the restaurant at @the_catbirdseat and Andy at @andydoubrava. Learn more and make reservations at thecatbirdseatrestaurant.com. Follow, subscribe, and share Industry Night with Nycci Nellis — and find Nycci on all platforms at @nyccinelis. For DMV dining, events, and more, visit thelistareyouonit.com.
