Eric Brown
Thick Neck | Providence, RI
SEPTEMBER 2023
When Eric Brown was 16, his dad asked him to make a choice: play high school sports or get a job. He chose the latter. He found a dishwashing gig at a local sandwich joint, and after a couple of months, was moved up to breading cutlets and other prep tasks. It wasn’t until he worked at a fish fry and grill in his hometown of Wakefield, Massachusetts that he found his real calling. Every new experience, like watching a whole branzino getting broken down, reinforced Brown's desire to be in this industry for life. He enrolled at Johnson & Wales' Providence campus, and during his sophomore year, began working at the French fine dining restaurant, Gracie’s, quickly rising to executive sous chef. After graduating in 2015, Brown needed a change from the New England coastline, so he relocated to Chicago and took a position at the Michelin-starred restaurant Elske under Rising Stars alum David Posey
After a year, Brown left the restaurant to start his own pop-up project, Pinky Ring, operating in coffee shops and warehouses in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood, while rolling pasta at an Italian restaurant on the side to pay the bills. In 2019, he was presented with a chef’s counter space in Logan Square, which he turned into an underground atelier. And while the operation wasn’t properly zoned (strictly speaking), it was a smash hit. After three years, it was time to close up shop. Brown returned to Providence, with the initial idea of creating a refined fish fry pop-up, but when the elegant restaurant space in the Dean Hotel was offered to him, he pivoted to a more composed, progressive concept called Thick Neck. The residency is driven by dishes that highlight local fisheries and farms and his background in Nordic and coastal New England cooking, like his Point Judith fluke crudo with sweet potato, pickled shallot, apple vinegar, and preserved lemon relish.
2023 StarChefs Coastal New England Rising Stars Award Winner
