In the kitchen with Tomasz Wosiak, Executive Chef at Nashville’s Florida Georgia Line House, Jason Aldean’s, Luke’s 32 Bridge and Sun Diner

TC Restaurant Group is an innovative restaurant and hospitality business has multiple venues in Nashville, Pittsburg, and Columbus. They partner with some of the biggest stars in country music to bring world-class entertainment and dining to their customers. Whether it’s dancing on the Cruise Rooftop at FGL (Florida Georgia Line) House, hearing a world class band at Jason Aldean’s Kitchen + Rooftop Bar, getting a picture under Luke Bryan’s aerial hanging truck at Luke’s 32 Bridge, or checking out the Sun Records memorabilia at Sun Diner while enjoying the Chicken N’ Waffles, TC Restaurant Group creates true entertainment destinations and continues to revolutionize the restaurant experience.  We spoke with Thomasz Wosiak about Nashville, the celebrity bar trend and his cooking style in our exclusive interview.

BREAKAWAY DAILY: Why did you decide to become a chef? Did you go to school or teach yourself?   

TOMASZ WOSIAK: It was my childhood dream while growing up in Poland. I enjoyed cooking side by side with my mom and decided to turn it into a career. I attended a culinary institute in Poland and trained with chefs throughout Europe.

BD: Can you talk about the recent accomplishments of the restaurants?

TW: Jason Aldean’s Kitchen + Rooftop Bar was named live music venue of the year by Nightclub & Bar Magazine. Rated the BEST southern meatloaf in Nashville. Voted favorite place to eat by Tige & Daniel and the Big 98. Largest rooftop in Nashville. Luke’s 32 Bridge is Nashville’s ONLY rooftop sushi bar, led by Nashville’s top rated Sushi Chef Nick Phrommala. Sun Diner was recently named TripAdvisor’s Favorite Diner Voted best breakfast in Nashville. Featured as a best breakfast on Nashville Guru  Names a top 5 place to visit in Nashville  

BD: TC Restaurant Group is the undeniable leader in Nashville’s new trend of celebrity-branded honky-tonks. Why do you think that is?   

TW: Visitors and locals alike want to experience their favorite country music stars through live music, great food and an unforgettable experience. TC Restaurant Group has been able to successfully curate experiences to deliver each of these ingredients. 

BD: Why do you think Nashville is becoming such an “it” place the last decade?   

TW: The city has expanded due our Convention Center, which allows Nashville to bid on eighty percent of the world’s conferences.  Country Music has become more mainstream and TV shows like Nashville have helped to create more buzz. We are an easy to reach travel destination. Of course last, but certainly not least, is our Southern hospitality! 

BD: How would you describe your cooking style?   

TW: Southern comfort with a California flare.

BD: Did you personally work with Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line, and Luke Bryan to create menus?   

TW: Absolutely! The process was thorough and a lot of fun. We wanted to create menus that really reflected their personal tastes. We met with them initially to discuss their favorite dishes and what types of foods they enjoyed at home and while on tour. Then we set up tastings to gather their feedback. We let them decide which dishes to feature. 

BD: What are the inspirations for the kitchen and menu?  

TW: We worked side by side with the artists to shape and decide on the menu. Items were inspired by their childhood and even family recipes like Jason Aldean’s mom’s Peach Cobbler. 

BD: What are the signature signature dishes from each restaurant?

TW: At FGL House the salad is their signature meal while on tour. Our fish tacos were featured in People Magazine.  Jason Aldean’s southern meatloaf, Jason’s mom’s peach cobbler, and the thirty-two ounce Tommyhawk steak (which is the talk of the town). At Luke’s 32 Bridge it is the elk cheeseburger, thin crust pizza, and beer can chicken. Luke loves sushi so we added a second kitchen This is How We Roll Rooftop Sushi Bar. 

BD: You and TC Restaurant Group are very active in philanthropic work, can you share more about this?   

TW: We have partnered with a variety of causes both locally and nationally. Scott Hamilton’s CARES Cancer Organization has become part of our family. It is near and dear to our hearts because someone within our organization has been battling cancer for many years.

Throughout the years we’ve also continued to donate to local law enforcement agencies. Recently in the wake of a tragedy in which two police officers were killed in the line of duty, we helped to organize a concert with renowned country music group Parmalee to benefit the families of the two fallen officers. We were able to raise thousands of dollars for the families.

We also recently helped to launch Concert with a Cause, where we’ve hosted concerts featuring McGuffery Lane to raise money for local police and fire departments. Through hosting more events and donating food we’ve also just recently started initiatives to support the battle against non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Each artist we’ve partnered with to create our recent venues is also actively involved with charity groups and help to host fundraising events in connection with them.  

More information about TC Restaurant Group can be found here.