into his first job in the culinary industry.
"I always used to cook for people when I was still at the
farm," de Villiers said. "I used to make Johnny Collins ribs,
and he was friends with the owners of Bellinis and they got
me on as a sous chef as my first job."
De Villiers's love of both horses and cooking dates back
much further than his arrival in Kentucky. He grew up on
game reserves in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, and his family
also bred Thoroughbreds.
"We always entertained," he said. "We always had people
coming over to our house and I wanted to transfer that
feeling into the restaurants in a smaller location. Financially,
we could only afford a smaller location, but we wanted that
homey vibe. It grew a little faster than I ever expected;
