Ghostwriter Public House

When Crow Works furniture company owners Dennis and Denise Blankemeyer pursued Chef Brett Fife for the job of executive chef at their yet-to-be-opened restaurant, he was not looking to end his successful nine-plus years as executive chef at Lindey’s. Lindey’s was a landmark, the new restaurant a question mark. And it would be located in downtown... Johnstown?

A former Hoosier, the 44-year-old chef had ditched plans to go into law enforcement, obtained his culinary degree from Columbus State in 2004 and cooked his way up the line, rising to chef positions at Hyde Park and Brio at Easton before moving to Lindey’s.

But in the offer, he heard opportunity. “To start something from scratch and to have the freedom to cook food I wanted to cook—it spoke to who I wanted to be as a chef.”

FROM SCRATCH

Chef Brett began menu development for the new restaurant in August 2019. The owners wanted to showcase their company’s fine commercial furniture, built in their Killbuck, Ohio, factory. Located on Johnstown’s main drag, about 20 miles northwest of Columbus, the finished restaurant would be anchored by two full-size bars and completed by an open kitchen, custom Crow Works furniture and mercantile items and stunning chandeliers.

Christened Ghostwriter Public House (a nod to the unsung heroes of the kitchen), the restaurant’s menu would reflect the public house concept. To Chef Brett, that meant “tavern fare elevated with interesting ingredients and technique and bold flavors.” Comfort food kicked up a notch.

He first reviewed his idea file: that Instagram food photo whose “oozy cheese” he wanted to see in his own smashburger; that Food & Wine red pesto recipe whose profile and presentation he could tweak; that appetizer idea (goat-cheese-stuffed dates, wrapped in coffee-rubbed bacon) that was begging to be put on a plate.

He called his vision “refined rustic”: food that would dazzle the palate and the eye, sourced from local farmers and growers, and finished on the wood-fired grill whenever possible.

Remembering himself as a “very artistic kid, always drawing and doodling,” Chef Brett stresses that “people eat with their eyes first. Presentation breeds anticipation.”

With an artist’s passion, he talks about using “positive and negative space, color, shape and layers” to create a gorgeous plate like his pork chop with a black mole sauce: “The flow of the sauce, pops of orange from the squash, pink shallots, green cilantro, the charred crust of the meat.”

LOCAL FIRST

Local and sustainable were essential to Chef Brett’s vision, both to support “quality local craftsmen, growers and brewers” and to produce the best-quality dishes. If he couldn’t source a product locally, he still looked for “well-treated, well-grown, high-quality products” whether vegetable or animal.

He found: Covey Rise Farms (chicken); Black Radish Creamery (cheese); Lucky Cat Bakery (bread); Copia (eggs); Saddleberk Farms (bacon); Lucky Penny (goat cheese); RL Valley (beef); Milligan’s (maple syrup), Shagbark Mills (corn, beans, rice); Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams.

Local produce was scarce for the November opening, but Chef Brett has since talked to enterprises like Knife and Fork Farms and Fyffe Backyard Farm about showcasing their vegetables come summer.

FIRED UP

The third menu driver was the restaurant’s high-end wood-fired grill, the GrillWorks system. Fueled by oak and hickory firewood from Almendinger Sawmill in Johnstown, the grill’s fire touches almost every recipe.

The short rib is slow-cooked once, until tender, then finished over wood. “Char and smoke,” Chef Brett says reverently. The chicken, ribs, salmon and hearth-roasted vegetables also flirt with the grill. Even the Caesar salad is split and grilled before being plated and served.

Eventually, Chef Brett and the owners hoped to power the grill sustainably, using off-cuts from the furniture factory. Mid-October saw recipes finalized, menu descriptions written and tastings completed. Eager guinea pigs provided feedback. For dessert and brunch dishes, “sometimes my wife and kids” were the lucky eaters. For “more complex dishes,” the chef himself, his sous chefs and his cooks did the tasting.

“All have tons of great experience across restaurants in Columbus. Some have dined nationally, some may have regional experience or are from an area of the world whose food I’m making,” such as the black mole.

Finally, “I would put a dish in front of the owners, who have dined the world over. A lot of palates help refine the food and ideas I generate.”

Despite a “very small timeline to prepare,” Ghostwriter opened on Nov. 7, right on time.

Chef Brett is unstinting in his praise of his staff. “They’re as close to a chef’s dream team as possible. They want to be here, they believe in the food, they want to learn, they put in the time. That’s been a blessing.”

In the spring, Chef Brett will incorporate the Saturday and Sunday brunch menu that he envisioned way back in July 2019. Lunch will hit soon after.

And as Ghostwriter becomes more and more the restaurant that Chef Brett envisions, the wise diner will return often to savor the chef’s latest tweaks toward perfection.

• Ghostwriter Public House, 49½ S. Main St. in Johnstown, is open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday evenings. See the menu at ghostwriterph.com.