Winston-Salem\u2019s Innovation Quarter has its newest addition in the form of an upscale restaurant with a live fire kitchen and bar: Six Hundred Degrees. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
After working for both River Birch Lodge <\/em>and Willow\u2019s Bistro, <\/em>and planning for three years, Travis Myers and Ryan Oberle opened their own restaurant, Six Hundred Degrees on March 8th. Their favorite aspect of the restaurant is its live fire kitchen, which is fitting as the restaurant\u2019s name emerged from the fact that 600 degrees celsius is the temperature at which wood burns. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy partner and I have just always envisioned this plan of an all wood-grill restaurant. Everything we cook like our ancestors did,\u201d said Myers, the restaurant’s head chef. “Basically blending old with new, so old craftsmanship with new variations and new ideas.\u201d Their vision for their locally-sourced food can be seen through their menu as some of their dishes include classic North Carolina Shrimp and Grits, or NC Trout. Some of their more unique dishes have Asian inspired fusion with their southern roots such as spicy cucumbers and Korean Style Pork Short Ribs.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Myers got his start in the culinary world at an early age as his first introduction was watching his mother cook traditional southern dishes at home. From there, he had an interesting turn as he spent 15 years working retail for the GAP. Although he joked saying that some people will \u201cmock\u201d him for his time in retail, he found it to be crucial towards his development and work in the restaurant industry later. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt decided who I was going to be as a person. They helped me with core management structures. When I went to college, that solidified my goal. I knew what I wanted to do,\u201d said Myers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n After leaving retail, he attended the Culinary Institute of America located in Hyde Park, New York and known as the top culinary school in the US. After his graduation from the institute, he returned home to North Carolina and started at River Birch Lodge <\/em>where he met Ryan Oberle. From there, they moved to Willow\u2019s Bistro <\/em>where Myers was the chef and Oberle was the general manager. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In August of 2018, Myers won the chef-of-the-year award from the North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association (NCRLA). After competing in the association\u2019s \u2018chef showdown\u2019 his specialty \u201cduck two ways\u201d dish, which incorporated many of North Carolina\u2019s home grown ingredients, won him his title. The momentum from winning this title led Myers to start looking for a place to start his own restaurant, he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n After meeting with a broker and being introduced to their new space in the Innovation Quarter along with its landlord, Myers and Oberle felt this was the spot for their new restaurant, Myers said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Much of the essence of Six Hundred Degrees is rooted in their connection to the NC community. From local architects like Stitch Design Shop which designed their interior, to local artists like Mona King whose work hangs inside. <\/p>\n\n\n\n