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Renovation, Innovation Is Norm At Chefusion

Published January 21, 2020

Chef Robert Phillips and his wife, Cathy, owners of Chefusion in Green Bay, started their business in 2008 with the mindset that change is good. From operations to the facility, their goal is to be known for excellence.

The interior has had extensive updates, and now they’d like to update the exterior.

To accomplish that, they are hoping to be winners of a $10,000 prize to be awarded in the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation’s annual Main Street Makeover Contest. Chefusion is one of five finalists, and the only one from northeastern Wisconsin. As they await the results later this month, their plans for the Art Deco-style building at 307 N. Broadway are in place.

"What we’re looking to do is the front of the building," Robert Phillips said. "I’m trying to get photos of the front of the building to restore it to that look. My wife would like to have brick around the windows and there are tiles that need to be replaced."

An interesting note is that the building plaque says it was built in 1932, but there are older photos that show it was there in 1925. Regardless, the building is part of a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places and has an interesting history since opening as a drug store all those years ago.

"I constantly renovate inside," Phillips said. "My goal is to renovate each part and to do so within our means."

The "do it within our means" part has been the couple’s philosophy in order to keep the business strong and out of debt. They purchased it without a loan, and although things were tight in the beginning, it wasn’t long before they developed a loyal customer base that continues to grow.

Phillips had worked in major markets as a chef for over 10 years when Cathy said she wanted to move back home to Green Bay. In looking for a place to start a restaurant, they were attracted to the growing Broadway District and the building.

"We wanted to be downtown because we were trying to fill a niche and this fit with an urban feel," Phillips said. "I thought it was an area where I could try the trends I liked in New York and Los Angeles."

The trend he decided on was new to Green Bay. It was a small plate menu (although he says that his small plates are as big as the entrees in many upscale restaurants) that would give patrons the opportunity to try and share more than one dish. He started with two menus — a formal one downstairs and a casual one upstairs but has since settled on one menu.

Making this change is part of what he considers "adapting to Green Bay" while providing a unique twist on food.

"I’m very technical in my approach to food, but I also want the new items out there," he said. "I came up with surf and turf, but I asked one of our chefs, ‘How do we take this item and create something new?’" The new take is a wagyu steak marinated in a maple mop sauce, served over polenta, with shrimp on top. He says he likes to take an item and evolve it into a style that Green Bay will like. Supper clubs may be part of Green Bay’s history, but he points out that isn’t what Chefusion is.

It has a personality and creativity that have provided new channels of growth; especially in catering.

"I have 47 weddings booked this year; that’s where we’ve seen the biggest growth. We own china, ovens — everything that is needed for an event so we can go in and do almost anything. We’ve added corporate events, and I don’t think there’s an equivalent to what we do in Green Bay," Phillips said.

The restaurant is filled to capacity most nights, and the addition of catering provides continuous opportunities. He employs more than 30 people in the restaurant, including three chefs in addition to himself, and has additional employees who work the catered events.

Whether the food is at a catered event or in-house, he strives to deliver on the tagline, "Eclectic Cuisine & Lounge." He says that "eclectic" means bringing new trends to Green Bay first and providing a unique experience. Cathy, who is in charge of planning and marketing, does her part by scheduling musicians with styles that add to the dining experience and by hosting memorable tasting events.

The menu will never get boring as long as Phillips owns the restaurant, and there are too many things that he wants to do to ever get bored.

"I’m a chef," he commented. "There’s nothing I’d rather do."

Tina Dettman-Bielefeldt is co-owner of DB Commercial Real Estate in Green Bay and past district director for SCORE, Wisconsin.

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Green Bay Press-Gazette

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