Chef Eric LeVine, who has appeared on Food Network shows like Chopped and Beat Bobby Flay, has teamed up with The Nutty Irishman to open up a gastropub called 317 Main Street. While LeVine is excited about his new restaurant, he took some time to reflect on his long journey to Farmingdale Village.
“Many moons ago, my dad got me my first cookbook for Christmas,” said LeVine. “It was a Disney cookbook. He said I could make anything I want. So, there’s a Goofy’s Chocolate Moose in there. We’re mixing it and back then, we had a two-blade handle mixer. He said ‘whatever you do, don’t turn it up because it’ll splatter everywhere.’ You tell a six year old kid that and that’s the first thing I do. It shoots up, hits the ceiling and it got a reaction from my dad. I love the reaction and I got hooked.”
LeVine and his older brother were raised by their grandmother, which meant that he was around food all the time. He has since been in the culinary business for the last 39 years, with his first job being at an ice cream shop in Brooklyn when he was a kid. He studied at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park and worked under celebrity chef David Burke at the River Café.
Although he loves the cooking aspect of the business, he also has been interested in being a food entrepreneur. He opened up his first restaurant in New Jersey in 1993 and has become the partner at multiple New Jersey restaurants since.
“Over the years, I’ve worked with some amazing entrepreneurs who have brought me through the process,” said LeVine. “Having opportunities to do things, to grow, to make a difference and not making things about myself but about the staff and customers.”
LeVine has had to put priority on his health multiple times in his life as he has had to deal with cancer five times. However, he has battled back each time and is currently cancer-free.
“It doesn’t define me,” said LeVine. “The culture that we created here [at 317 Main Street] defines where I am in life. Beating cancer five times is a blessing, but it just adds a little character to me. When I was getting treatment, I would still go into work every day because that’s how I am built. You don’t give up and you don’t give in.”
He advocates for the American Cancer Society and has been recognized with the Heard and Soul Award by the organization. He has also given back to the Olivia Hope Foundation, an organization dedicated to beating childhood cancer.
“If you can do it, you pay it forward,” said LeVine. “I truly believe if you have something that can help somebody, you do it. It’s not about me, its about what I can do for others. As humans, I think if we can help each other a little more and stop pointing fingers at one another, I think we’ll have a better place on earth. I want nothing but for my family, staff and customers to be happy. Me? I don’t need anything. If I died today, I’d die the happiest person in the universe.”
Now, LeVine enters the next chaptar of his journey with 317 Main Street, in which he hopes people can sit back and enjoy the comfortable tone and naturalistic atmosphere. The menu that he created includes a variety of different items, mostly from local vendors, ranging from burgers to ramen.
“We want the food to be fun,” said LeVine. “We try to keep it interesting. The kitchen is always open so people will always see the action.There’s a lot more to this than just coming in and having a great burger. We’re not myopic.”
317 Main offers a unique experience where you can sit in front of the kitchen window and you’ll get a chance to interact with LeVine as you enjoy your meal. In addition to a diverse menu, catering, music and events, this is the kind of restaurant LeVine has always wanted to open.
“It is the greatest thing I could have ever wanted to do,” said LeVine. “There is no job that would ever satisfy me than what I do now.”
For more information on LeVine and his new restaurant, visit www.317mainstreet.com.
