Brian Hawley rejoins Magpie as Chef/ Partner

Magpie has seen many talented cooks pass through its doors over the past 20 years, with some even making their way back. Brian Hawley is one of those people.

Brian is a Sacramento native that started working in restaurants by washing dishes while going to college in Arcata. “At first restaurant life was a cycle of being overworked.  I quit school.”

Eventually Brian found himself cooking at two Humbolt County classics, Folie Douce and Café Brio.  “I was getting to work with all the best local produce, cheeses, meats; getting exposed to the finer things in life which became a new normal for me.”

Brian came back to Sacramento and while on a bike ride noticed a COOK WANTED sign in the window at Magpie on R Street. “I sort of effortlessly found a home.”  Brian cooked and created at Magpie from 2012 to 2014.

“…localism makes food better, supporting local business is part, and then there’s a spiritual part where this local food is putting you in touch with your community, and ‘nature’, the seasons and land.  You might know where the farms actually are, and might know the farmers. I see another layer too, where having all of this connection, and quality, and freshness allows me a better chance to use food to, not only feed, but to create lasting memorable experiences”

“Before coming back to Magpie I had been the Chef at a Japanese restaurant for six years. I was starting to suffer from industry fatigue so I left.  I took a few months to hike and bike ride and rest and one day I found myself at Magpie eating a bowl of soup.  The next thing you know I was on the line.  Having the opportunity to be a Chef at Magpie and work with Ed and Janel seems like the timeline of my life is starting to make sense.  The wild ride of working in restaurants for twenty years, investing in learning new techniques, all the so called sacrifices, working with different chefs, kind of makes sense now for me, even if it didn’t before.”

Ultimately, it is the process that inspires Brian.  “In a kitchen
there are hundreds of little things that have to be done in order for everything to work well.  And all of those little things are always changing.  Sometimes things can become chaos.  But when everything works out, and all of those little things fall into place, there is space for a lot of enjoyment in completing all of those tasks.  There are a million tiny moments where we can make something better or worse, and the feedback comes very fast.  Maybe being a chef reminds me of surfing, where you can either ride a wave, or be crushed by it.”