Today, The Indigo Road Hospitality Group announced the appointment of Scott Kroener as executive chef of Oak Steakhouse Nashville, a modern steakhouse with a chef-driven menu. With over 20 years of experience in steakhouses around the country, Kroener will oversee the kitchen as well as spearhead the steakhouse’s culinary program with a strong focus on seasonal ingredients and reinvented classics.
“We’re fortunate to have such great talent within our Indigo Road family and are eager to bring on Scott to lead the culinary team at Oak Steakhouse Nashville,” says Steve Palmer, founder of The Indigo Road Hospitality Group. “As we continue to put a focus on seasonality and the use of local ingredients at all of our Oak Steakhouse restaurants, we look forward to having Scott’s wealth of knowledge, expertise, and leadership as the driving force in our Nashville kitchen.”
A graduate and valedictorian of the Culinary Institute of America, Kroener brings his seasoned steakhouse background and expertise from past chef roles at Fleming’s Steakhouse in Edgewater, NJ, where he worked for seven years, before becoming the first chef of Del Frisco’s Grille in New York City. Through his previous experiences, Kroener has both defined and mastered his approach to iconic steakhouse dishes, always putting an emphasis on providing guests with the highest quality ingredients. At Oak Nashville, he will continue his mission, introducing updated menu items that celebrate the seasonal bounty of produce from surrounding Tennessean farms and purveyors.
“My experience has taught me the value of utilizing high-quality ingredients to celebrate and highlight steakhouse classics,” says Kroener. “Our team at Oak is excited to continue redefining steakhouse dishes as we know them to be, while collaborating to perfect our recipes and thinking outside the box when it comes to showcasing Tennessee produce.”
At Oak, people come first, whether that’s a guest or a team member, and Kroener plans to preserve this mentality in his new role. During his tenure at Del Frisco’s Grille, he coached and developed more than six sous’ chefs to become executive chefs, and intends to lead the culinary team at Oak with a similar emphasis on continued education and leadership development.
“One of my greatest career accomplishments has been creating an atmosphere where my team can learn and work towards their goals every day,” says Kroener. “As I coach and develop the team at Oak, I’m finding that I’m also learning a lot from them, and it’s been such a joy already working together to make the Oak Nashville menu the best it’s ever been.”
Oak Nashville will continue operating normal business hours for dinner seven days a week (Monday – Friday 10AM-5PM, and Sunday 12-4PM).
