Foodie At The Pointe

When Alan Mullins met his mentor 22 years ago, it began a journey of parting ways and reacquainting that has led to a very special moment in time today.

Alan Mullins grew up cooking in his mother's and grandmother's kitchens in northern Kentucky.  They planted and grew their own gardens, cultivating a lifelong love for Alan of food.

With a devilish grin, Alan quietly confesses, "I'm a Foodie".

Courtesy of Google Images

A Foodie is someone who has an ardent or refined interest in food.  To be a foodie is not only someone who likes food, but has an interest in everything about it.  Alan is captivated by how food grows, how it can be cultivated, and how different natural flavors and textures of food can be used to produce a meal that not only satisfies the needs of the body, but feeds the soul as well.

Courtesy of Google Images

Growing up cooking in Kentucky, Alan naturally took a job in high school at a restaurant.  He eventually headed toward Cincinnati where the choice of restaurants is vast and eclectic.  While working there, he began to hear of a Chef who was receiving favorable reviews and was the buzz of the Chefs' grapevine, but when Alan applied for a job to work with this up and comer, he was turned down by a partner and didn't meet Chef Tim at that time.

In 1989, Alan went to work for a caterer where Tim was also working, at the Union Terminal in Cincinnati.  The Union Terminal housed museums which, among other attractions, played host to the famous Freedom Center. Alan worked as a cook for the Union Terminal's on-site catering company.  He began to respect and admire his mentor then, but they both took other offers and didn't work together again until Alan took a job with the Cable House, another restaurant in Cincinnati.  Alan furthered his tutelage under Tim, then took a position as Chef at a 500 slip marina on the Ohio River.

Union Terminal, Cincinnati (Google Images)

After the marina experienced a down turn, Alan found himself without a job.  He became a drywaller for a time, but the restaurant industry continued to call to him, and he eventually took another position with Chef Tim, at Tellers of Hyde Park.  This restaurant was very upscale, housed in an old bank building located within an area of old money in Cincinnati.

Courtesy of Google Images

When Tim left Hyde Park, Alan became the Chef, and using Tim's recipes, won 3 awards at Taste of Cincinnati.

For the next several years, Alan learned more about his craft working at different types of restaurant, from Italian to Mexican to American Bistro fare, and everything in between.  He spent 5 years at Northern Kentucky University in contract dining.  Those five years were rough, with a job he didn't particularly like, 4 surgeries for injuries sustained while working, and 3 family deaths.  He eventually went back to being a line cook.

All of Alan's experiences through the tumultuous years of an unsteady economy in the restaurant industry have taught him many things, but the most important lesson Alan learned was to define what he really wants.  What Alan wants is to work with his mentor, friend, and hero, Tim.

Now Alan has come full circle.  

When he received an invitation from Tim to uproot his life, come to a place where something brand new and special is happening, Alan responded with a firm yes.  He is eager and thankful to be working with Tim in an opportunity with fresh beginnings and solid backing.  And Alan is content.

There are still a few details to be worked out.  Alan's wife and son are in Cincinnati and he returns home often - though not often enough! - to spend time with them. He needs to find a place to live close by.  But amidst the kinks is Alan's overwhelming excitement about The Pointe Bar and Grill.

Courtesy of Google Images

Alan has a particular fondest for making soups, using only fresh ingredients and experimenting with variations.  Beyond that, Alan loves it all.  He loves everything about preparing and presenting meals.  Trying new things, blending flavors with fusion cooking, and continually learning from Tim and through his own process means he not only creates outstanding meals, but creates a learning process for guests too!  He anticipates a continuous expanding knowledge of food.  Alan claims Tim has taught him everything he knows about food so far yet he looks forward to learning even more.

Today, in a rare moment of quiet among the frenzy of preparation, Alan sits on the patio of The Pointe overlooking beautiful Clark Lake, and he is settled.  He has learned the lessons that elude a younger man and has finally reached the place where the past is gone, regrets have become opportunities, and possibilities await.

Alan is here, at The Pointe, in the right place at the right time with the right people, and it's all good.

When guests experience Alan's philosophy of food, they will experience years of hard work, learning, ups and downs, and the reward of dedication.  Alan is a Foodie, and by the time guests walk out the door eager to come back, they can be foodies, too.  Alan can't wait to welcome you to The Pointe!