Get to Know Celebrated Nashville Chef Deb Paquette

By: Trisha Boyer

Copy to clipboard

Deb Paquette was attending college with no clear plan in place when she first learned about cooking school. “When I found out that there was one female to every 17 males in a classroom, I filled out the application at warp speed,” she says.

She embarked on her new path with dedication and enthusiasm, graduating from The Culinary Institute of America in 1978. Her newfound cooking career took her from New York to her home state of Florida and, when a job during the World’s Fair in Knoxville fell through, she ultimately found her way to Nashville.

etc Nashville Interior by Top Hospitality — Image courtesy of Top Hospitality

After working in several restaurants in and around town, she and her husband opened Zola in 1997. The welcoming fine-dining restaurant with its eclectic dining room delighted diners for 13 years with globally inspired fare (the paella was divine) served alongside hefty pours. It quickly earned a loyal following. Later, Paquette joined the 4Top Hospitality team and opened three restaurants: etch – Nashville in 2012, etc. in 2016, and etch – Franklin in 2024.

Her current concepts are led by executive chef Jess Lambert, and the sumptuous sweets are prepared in-house daily by pastry chef Megan Williams. “The menus are different at each restaurant but carry the same theme: global cuisine that is funky, fun, and fantastic,” she says.

etch, in the heart of downtown, has private dining rooms, an expansive bar program, and a chef’s bar with a view of the open kitchen. “It’s perfect for a business lunch, dinner before a game, or dessert following a visit to the symphony,” Paquette says. From the octopus and shrimp bruschetta to the pork osso bucco with saffron couscous, squash apricot purée, tzatziki, advieh pork sauce, almonds, and dill, mint, and fennel salad, Paquette’s dishes are beautifully layered with contrasting flavors and textures that create a colorful display on the plate. etch – Franklin (located in The Factory at Franklin) offers a similarly inspired menu plus a breezy patio that’s perfect for sipping cocktails.

Short Rib by Top Hospitality — Image courtesy of Top Hospitality

Tucked away on a quiet corner in Green Hills, etc. (short for etcetera) is the continuation of etch—on a smaller scale. There’s a cozy plant-lined outdoor dining area, happy hour specials, and an edited post-lunch, pre-dinner menu from 2-4 p.m. The za’atar crusted venison with spring vegetable rotolo, pomegranate red lentil hummus, and crunchy pistachio olive crumble—served beneath a zesty lemon herb compound butter—harkens back to the days of Zola and is a classic taste of Paquette’s signature style. This year marks a milestone for the cozy neighborhood gem; they celebrated their 10-year anniversary in August.

Paquette says her overall approach has stayed the same from the earliest days at Zola to the present. “We create food that makes people happy. We are in the hospitality business, and I aim to be hospitable,” she says. “The food is what has kept evolving and challenged me to be a better cook each day.”

Over the past 30 years, she’s had a front-row seat to the changes and challenges in Nashville’s culinary landscape. And, while her genuine hospitality and love of feeding people has remained constant, she says she has “chosen to surprise guests with flavor bombs that entertain your tastebuds and make you want to dance. She likens it to fashion: “Who knows what we will be wearing or eating in five years?”

Decades spent in a professional kitchen haven’t dampened the award-winning chef’s enthusiasm for a good meal at home. “We love to cook thick-cut pork chops. We brine them for 5 to 6 hours. When everything else is ready, they hit the grill (with my husband at the helm), seasoning them with a smoky sweet chili spice blend,” she says. “We’d add a salad and, of course, dessert.”

Like this made-for-fall coffee espresso poundcake with smoked apple whipped cream.

Try Paquette’s Coffee Espresso Pound Cake

Recipe by Deb Paquette

recipe

yields

1 cake

for the pound cake

1.5 cups butter
3 cups sugar
6 whole eggs, beaten well
1.5 cups milk
3.5 cups all purpose flour
1 T. baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup fine-ground espresso beans

for the smoked apple whipped cream

2 Granny Smith apples
2 cups heavy cream
3 gelatin sheets
½ cup brown sugar
2 T. smoked vinegar
Pinch of salt

for the japa caramel

2 Mantra Japa Milk Chai Stout beers
1 ½ cups sugar

for the chai chocolate sauce

1 cup milk
¼ cup water
2 cups chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips
1 T. chai spice (use your own or follow the recipe below!)

for the chai spice

2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1 T. cardamom
½ tsp allspice
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp clove
¼ tsp cayenne (optional)

for the spicy sweet potato sauce

2 lbs sweet potatoes
¼ lb butter
¼ cup candied ginger
½ – 1 tsp Sriracha
4oz ginger ale

steps

to make the pound cake:

Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees
Line a large bread loaf pan with parchment and coat with spray oil
Cream butter and sugar
Add eggs one at a time and mix thoroughly between each addition
Combine flour, salt and baking powder in large bowl
Alternatively add flour mixture and milk. (DO NOT OVERBEAT!)
Place in pan and cook for 1 hour. Check before taking out – it may need up to 15 more minutes. (Convection ovens will not need additional time)
Cool cake on cooling rack. Loosen edges with a knife and flip cake from pan.
Serve cake with caramel, chocolate, and sweet potato sauce!

to make the smoked apple whipped cream:

Peel and quarter 2 granny smith apples and smoke at 86 degrees for one hour
In a small pot, add 2 cups heavy cream and chopped apples
Simmer on low heat for 20 min.
Meanwhile, put 3 sheets of gelatin in cold water to bloom. When simmering is done, add gelatin (no water) to the cream mixture and dissolve.
Put all ingredients in a blender with brown sugar, smoked vinegar and a pinch salt and blend well
Chill cream for 2-3 hours before whipping
Place ingredients in a small mixer and whip until fluffy. (Will last up to a week!)