Former Uniontown man opens restaurant in Columbus
It’s easy to see that food is Richard Rosendale’s life. Not necessarily the eating of it but definitely preparing it.
The Uniontown native is the Culinary Olympic Team Captain, former Chef de Cuisine of the prestigious Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia and soon to be a Columbus, Ohio, restaurateur.
Rosendale said he decided the time was right to open Rosendale’s, featuring his personal brand of high-caliber modern American cuisine.
“Most of my background has been working with a lot of major corporations. The Ritz Carlton, Greenbrier, Nemacolin Woodlands, and I just figured it was time to take a chance on myself. I may never have this opportunity again and in 20 years or so if I don’t try it I will probably regret it. It’s exciting. There is no greater sacrifice and no greater reward,’ Rosendale said.
He selected Columbus “because it’s a lot less expensive to set up a restaurant here than in New York. In New York, wow, you can’t touch one for less than $6 million or $7 million,’ he said.
“Then you have the ongoing expense of paying rent and that gets more expensive, too. And, the way I see it, I’m just as good here. I don’t have to sacrifice quality or the way that I manage. It’s just a much more feasible spot. But that’s not to say it isn’t expensive.’
“My wife and I are both from Uniontown so there is definitely some appeal to staying within this region. Columbus seemed logical. It’s nice as opposed to living across the country in California, Texas or Nevada. It’s nice to be able to see friends and family.’ Rosendale is the son of retired school teacher Sharon Rosendale of Uniontown and Richard Rosendale of Greene County.
While he wouldn’t divulge the total project cost, Rosendale explained he “found a spot I really liked and the problem was I didn’t have any money. I went out and put together a company and took about six or seven months to create a business plan and get investors tied into the company.’
Scheduled to open in spring 2007, Rosendale’s is at 793 N. High St., in the Short North area of Columbus, Ohio. The building originally housed the Winders Motors Sales Co., and has undergone significant renovations in order to transform it into a restaurant site.
Rosedale said it contains about 4,700 square-feet and will have indoor and some outdoor dining. “We will have about 25-30 seats outside on the patio and an additional 145 inside the building.’
“It’s a corner site with so much traffic. It matches my style. It’s a very classic looking building, but it still has a modern look. I am a classically trained chef but I’m also definitely modern in my presentation,’ Rosendale said.
He will employ between 16 and 20 people, many of whom followed him from Greenbrier. “I will be bringing on board a staff of people that have worked with me in the past. Quite a few are from the Greenbrier. That was a great education there over the years and everyone there has been so supportive.’
Initially, Rosendale’s will serve dinner only, he said, adding that “once we start, we will have to reevaluate that. Our first objective is to get a good system down.
“There might be some unforeseen challenges we didn’t anticipate. Soon after that, we want to open for lunch. There is so much traffic in that area we want to be able to take advantage of that.
“We have our philosophy on service and food but, ultimately, quality will be the biggest thing. That’s the one thing you take with you wherever you go. I think if at the end of the day people feel they had great food and service, they will come back. We want to execute great tasting food with great experience at a great location,’ he said.
And while he said his “prime focus for a long time will be taking care of this place,’ he is thinking forward.
“The nice thing about being in Columbus is that I am within striking distance of Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Cleveland. I would definitely say it would not be out of the equation to venture into other markets and endeavors,’ he said.
Meanwhile, he is preparing to travel to Luxembourg in November for the World Culinary Olympics. He will also be doing a demonstration for about 500 chefs at Greenbrier this weekend.
“That’s all great for marketing to restaurant and it keeps me active. I get to see a lot of new things.’
Rosendale said, “We want to create something really different, and special for Columbus, as well as become a destination for our guest outside the region.”
Rosendale’s experience is mainly in the fine dining sector, but he says that this will be something entirely different from a traditional fine dining experience.
Rosendale, who has been called a “new breed of American chef’ by “Chef Magazine’ served as Chef de Cuisine of the Prestigious Tavern Room Restaurant at the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, W. Va. The restaurant received numerous accolades and awards under his tenure. His duties there also included assisting in the supervision of a culinary staff numbered at 165 chefs and 2,000 employees.
Rosendale was also the youngest member of Culinary Team USA since the team’s inception and was one of only five chefs who represented the U.S. in the 2004 World Culinary Olympics in Erfurt, Germany. The team ranked first in the world for the hot kitchen out of 32 countries. Rosendale will serve as team captain of the 2008 Culinary Olympic team. He also has been featured on several TV Food Network specials and has menus on the Food Network’s Web site.
Rosendale has more than 35 national and international medals, including a very rare perfect score at the international level. Rosendale was also recently awarded the Presidential Medallion by the American Culinary Federation for his contributions to the culinary arts. His most recent accolade was receiving the 2005 Chef of the Year in San Antonio, Texas.
Rosendale is also a certified professional ice carver. He has carved pieces ranging from one to 50 block creations. Also, during his career he has cooked for many different celebrities and supervised meals for U.S. congress and President George Bush. He is the youngest chef to be on active status to take the certified master chef (CMC) exam and is scheduled to take the exam in early 2008.
For more information about Rosendale’s, call 614-245-8351 or visit its Web site at www.rosendales.com