Roost Restaurant on North Main Street has a new executive chef, Zac Leepper, and he arrived on a mission.
“I’m looking forward to trying to make this one of the best restaurants in Greenville,” Leepper said.
Leepper is a native of Springfield, Illinois, but has lived in Chicago, Spain and Florida since he left his hometown. Greenville is his newest home, which he moved to sight unseen just shy of two months ago.
Between exploring the city he previously only knew through Google Images and rolling out an entirely new menu for Roost, he’s kept himself busy.
“Greenville is so beautiful. The falls, the mountains, and it’s close to a lot of things,” Leepper said. “I fell in love with this place.”
Finding passion and moving on up
Leepper’s career spans more than two decades, starting as a dishwasher and moving up. For Leepper, cooking wasn’t immediately his passion.
“I found my passion when I was working for the best restaurant in my hometown when I was younger. I had a great mentor that let me shine and do my thing,” Leepper said. “At some point, it wasn’t just a paycheck. It was going to become a career and an art form for me,” Leepper said.
Leepper set a goal to work at the best restaurants around. He spent several years working from restaurant to restaurant, then decided to seize a moment.
Leepper emailed Alinea, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Chicago, and offered to work for free or a few days. It was a chance to work for his hero, renowned chef Grant Achatz. He worked about 36 hours in two days and was unexpectedly offered a job at the end of dinner service.
His career skyrocketed while working at Alinea and several of the best restaurants in Chicago.
New dishes
Roost gave Leepper full license to change the menu, which rolls out Oct. 17. Two notable new dishes are braised pork shanks and pan-seared scallops.
The pork shanks are braised “low and slow” for three-and-a-half hours in a bath of assorted spices, red wine and demi-glace. Mushrooms from Dark Spore Mushroom Company in Piedmont and a parmesan risotto accompany the dish, which is best paired with with a dry cabernet franc, syrah or red blend wines.
As for the scallops, Leepper said the dish started with a flavorful corn-truffle puree, which turned out to be the star. The scallops are served alongside Roost’s Brussels sprouts and Dark Spore shiitake mushrooms.
While Leepper can still do classic fan favorites, he is excited to bring his flare to the menu and plans to run specials daily.
“I think we’re going to do some really cool, fun stuff here,” Leepper said. “I’m excited about it.”
