There’s a New Chef in Town and He Cares About What You’re Eating

March 30, 2022 By Marisa Olsen

Originally from Concord, MA, Richmond Edes has always loved to cook, but his passion was music. He studied classical percussion as a performance major, and education as a minor, at the Ohio State School of Music. Fast forward, and he’s now the Executive Chef of the Red Lion Tavern and Olde Salt House, a part of Cohasset Hospitality Partners group. Edes is busy running the two restaurants, and taking care of his 16-month daughter Isla, Black Lab Gradey, and playing in a garage metal band, ironically named Organ Meats. He and his wife both work in the hospitality business, where they met at the Scarlet Oak Tavern 17 years ago. Now their family resides in Scituate, where his wife grew up, and Edes is adapting to life on the South Shore.

During school, he found himself working in restaurants as a way to support himself. He started to learn the ropes in the kitchen and, by his second job, he was Sous Chef. He then opened a restaurant as a Sous Chef and took over as Executive Chef at the age of only 24. Afterwards, he’d go through the process of learning at a new restaurant and then would shift gears. “Akin to being a percussionist, there are so many instruments and styles of music to learn-- just like cooking. There’s classical and steel drums. I’m never going to know everything, and everyday is new,” shares Chef Edes.

During his career, which was mostly in Boston, Chef Edes worked with Barbara Lynch, from whom he learned the love for and craft of homemade pasta, which continues in his kitchen at the Red Lion Tavern. He’s worked at Clio, No. 9 Park, and was part of the opening team of Lynch’s esteemed Menton. At Menton, Chef Edes loved working in a chef suite and practiced the art of creating elevated cuisine with simple ingredients, which resulted in delicious cuisine.

When he’s not singing and playing guitar with his band, his music stays with him in the kitchen. “There is philosophy with my music background; planning, practicing, and service, which is the performance. When I’m teaching my team, I tell them to begin with the end in mind. When you filet a salmon, you have to be gentle with the product and think about what is the end result. What you do during the day affects how the product ends up in service.”

Chef Edes focuses a lot on food and thinking about how we treat our earth. He favors crafting a dish with simple, fresh ingredients, over stuffing a plate full of food that has too many flavors. “Simple food is harder to do well. The less you have, the more perfect things have to be cooked and done correctly.”

Edes loves to work with his hands and is proud of his scratch kitchen. He has a team of three, and they work in synchrony five days a week. He believes in a nurturing team environment and sees himself as an educator too, which speaks nicely to his study of education at college. “I want my team to feel like they’re learning, so I can support them in what they do here and next.”

Chef Edes is happy to work in a place that focuses on quality of ingredients. He loves making dishes filled with vegetables, grains, and just the right amount of protein. There is something for everyone at Red Lion Tavern: homemade pasta, steak with sides, fresh salads, and delicious sushi-grade fish. He’s a Dan Barber food philosophy fan, whereby you eat the way your grandparents ate, and maybe even strive to have your own little gardens. Edes spends a lot of time thinking about our agriculture, and how we treat and respect the soil.

For inspiration, Chef Edes is always reading, looking to learn more. He gravitates towards Thomas Keller and respects the way he treats food as well as people. Rene Redzepi from the Noma Project is also inspiring. Chef Edes admires the way he forages and preserves foods, which can seem like a lost art in today’s society. The simple act of going to a market to gather and pick fresh foods each day is a way of life to strive for. Chef thinks about how, down the road, he’d love to offer an option of a seasonal tasting menu. In the meantime, patrons can look forward to a new brunch menu, which is launching this weekend. Brunch will feature delights such as Ricotta Doughnuts, Jonah Crab Benedict, Breakfast Carbonara, and a “Tot Waffle,” showcased with pastrami-cured salmon, créme fraîche, and pickled onion.

The South Shore is fortunate to have Chef Richmond Edes in our midst, and can look forward to enjoying the thoughtful, creative, and delicious meals he orchestrates.