Chef Rob Campbell first began cooking with his grandmother, rising to be one of the biggest names in Toledo’s culinary community— an impressive feat. From humble beginnings as a dishwasher at age 15, the culinary master now owns and operates his own contemporary American fare restaurant: Revolution Grille.
A (semi) bloody revolution
The first time I dined at Revolution, I ordered a hand pie filled with white gravy and vegetables. During the meal, Chef Rob made frequent visits from the open kitchen to the dining room, speaking with diners to ensure that patrons enjoyed their experience.
“We like to share the cooking with guests, so there’s a lot of interaction,” said Chef Rob. “The guests are communicating with cooks on the line. That sets us apart— there’s no swinging door with hidden magic [in our kitchen], it’s all open and there to share.”
This transparency is a major element in Revolution’s success, and a reason behind the restaurant’s name.
“The whole idea behind [the name Revolution] was to continue to do new things,” said Chef Rob. “When you have that name, you have to live up to it — to continually create new things.”
Community connections
Committed to the artistic side of culinary expression, a major aspect of Chef Rob’s culinary philosophy is sustainable sourcing. Chef Rob enjoys both complete creative control and the ability to utilize the ingredients he selects— which goes hand in hand with creativity.
“[Finding my ingredients is] basically determined by availability. I’ve made connections with farmers and different fish people, and whatever looks good that day starts the creative process. Usually, it’s an ingredient that is available— a vegetable, a fish or a meat—that sparks the creativity. “
“I like to meet local producers and use local ingredients. The fish isn’t as easy, but we do have selections right now from Lake Erie and from Maine,” Campbell adds.
“Anyone can write a really cool reading menu, but you also have to…. [consider] the workflow [in the kitchen’s stations] to ensure food comes out together and on time,” Chef Rob said. “It’s a fine balance between being really creative, and being able to execute efficiently.”
Collecting collaboration
The chef’s culinary success relies on the creative collaboration, leading him to organize relationships with local chefs to form the Chefs Collective, which hosts bi-monthly group dinners.
“I really enjoy cooking with people and wanted to take that collaborative concept to a line-dinner level. I talked to a few chefs and Josh Wagy (of Smashing Toledo) about it, so we put the Chefs Collective together. It’s so much fun to cook and learn together.”
When Chef Rob is not sharing the line with his team at Revolution, or other of Toledo’s noted chefs, he returns to respect and admiration of his elders— deriving inspiration from old women. “I like to bother old ladies and the grocery store,” said Chef Rob, laughing. “I want to talk to someone who made something 50 years ago without technology and learn what recipes they found to be the best.”
To get a taste of Chef Rob’s culinary style, enjoy his monthly dinners and frequent menu changes. They are soon to employ “trust the chef” meal options, with 5-7 course meals.
4-10pm Tuesday-Thursday, 4-11pm Friday & Saturday, 4-9pm Sunday. Revolution Grille,
5333 Monroe St. 419-841-0066.
revolutiongrille.com
