Primeaux Cheese and Vino at The Summit has a new executive chef.
Ric Trent will oversee all aspects of the restaurant’s cuisine and will work to highlight Primeaux’s European atmosphere by using the freshest ingredients to create upscale dishes at affordable prices, restaurant officials said.
A Birmingham native, Trent graduated from Oak Mountain High School before attending Mississippi State University. After working in a local restaurant during college, he fell in love with cooking, he said, and began working at Birmingham’s Ocean restaurant while attending Culinard, the Culinary Institute of Virginia College.
After graduating from Culinard and mastering the stations at Ocean and its sister restaurant, 26, Trent was named sous chef at 26 in August 2013 before making the move to Primeaux last month.
“We are excited to welcome Chef Trent to our staff here at Primeaux,” said owner Paul Primeaux. “His knowledge and culinary skills are a perfect fit for the top-notch dining experience we seek to provide at our restaurant, and his experience and culinary creativity make him an excellent addition and leader to our kitchen staff.”
When Trent joined the Primeaux team, he brought with him Cory Bolton, who has been named sous chef for Primeaux Cheese and Vino. Bolton’s culinary experience includes time at Ocean and Bluefin.
“We’re proud to have him on board, and we know that he will do an excellent job as sous chef,” Paul Primeaux said.
Located at The Summit and inspired by the slow-food movement of southern Europe, Primeaux Cheese and Vino is a wine and cheese-centric café with a European flare.
“I am delighted to be at Primeaux, and I am excited to build upon the already delicious menu by taking what was previously in place and incorporating my vision,” Trent said. “I am also excited to work alongside my sous chef Cory Bolton, whom I’ve worked with in the past. He and I will work hard together to highlight Primeaux’s unique dishes and dining experience.”
In addition to serving brunch, lunch and dinner, Primeaux is also a retail shop offering a variety of domestic and imported cheeses, fine wines by the bottle or case, and a selection of specialty items.
Primeaux is one of only three “cut-to-order” custom cheese shops in the Birmingham area and offers up to 60 wines. The restaurant also has an in-house cheesemonger and sommelier.
For the menu or more information about Primeaux Cheese and Vino, visit primeauxcheeseandvino.com or call 623-5593.
