Meet the Chefs – Chris and Cheryl

~ We would like to take this opportunity to share with you a little bit about ourselves and our journey to where we are today.

We are a happily married couple, having transplanted from Nashville, TN to Texas in 2017. We each have been Vegan for over 10 years (we stopped counting!), and were Vegetarian for many years before that. We share a passion for great Vegan food, and take pride in knowing that we are contributing to the Vegan movement in every aspect of our lives.

Chris – Musician, Restaurateur

Chris enjoyed working for many years as a professional studio and touring musician in the Nashville music scene. His primary instruments were trumpet, piano, and synthesizers, and he worked as an arranger, writer/composer, engineer, editor, producer, musical director, and programmer. He has recorded and toured with several regional, national, and international acts and artists, written and scored for commercials and documentary film, performed in theatrical productions, worked with various Nashville songwriters, and performed with several Nashville based showcase bands.

His restaurant industry experience began in high school, in both independent and corporate restaurants. Behind the scenes he worked in every position from prep and line cook to shift leads. In the front of house, he worked as a server and bartender, and was promoted up the ranks to train all front of house staff with one of the largest corporate chains in the country. He was eventually enrolled in the corporation’s management training program, which provided an extensive education into the intricate workings of a major restaurant location and chain, including working systems and restaurant finance.

Chris’ plan has always been to re-enter the restaurant industry after retiring from the music industry, applying his industry knowledge, and his passion for excellent food and hospitality to his own restaurant concepts.

Cheryl – Artist, Model, Dancer, Hospitality

Cheryl has always been the creative type who loves an audience. Her love of dance started at an early age, with Belly Dance, Tap, Jazz, and Ballroom being among her favorites. She danced her way into theater, live and print modeling, and several music videos.

Although she enjoyed being in front of the camera, she also found a creative outlet behind it. She became a digital artist, showcasing her works in various galleries, shows, and restaurants in and around Nashville, and was commissioned for custom pieces. She was best known for her “Vanity” and “Pop Art” works.

Cheryl worked with regional and national restaurants in their front of house service positions, and later worked with a major hotel chain and convention center. These experiences sparked her passion for the hospitality industry, which she looks forward to incorporating into her own restaurants.

The Road to Theano

They started their journey by purchasing an RV and taking to the road full time, traveling coast to coast, visiting key cities all over the country, researching and gathering insight: where was the need and demand; which needs were being fulfilled and which were not; what concepts worked or didn’t work, and why; what were the new trends?

After traveling for five years, they had developed several restaurant concepts, and scouted where they ultimately wanted to land. Texas was the state, and San Antonio was the city, showing the most demand with lack of fulfillement. They lived there for three years, learning the city, assessing which concepts would be a good fit, and scouting for potential locations.

After a couple of leases fell through, they purchased a food truck, which they knew they could use in conjunction with any restaurant they opened. They developed a “food truck friendly” menu, while continuing to scout for locations.

After another lease fell through, Covid hit. They found it impossible to book the food truck in San Antonio, but Austin welcomed them with open arms, and they made the move.

They opened with their existing truck menu while they assessed which concept would be the best fit for Austin. What they found was that one of their favorite cuisines was sorely missing from the Vegan scene both locally and globally, and was also loved and missed by many.

They chose Theano – and Theano Vegan Greek & Mediterranean Cuisine was born!

Epilogue

As of this writing (Spring 2022), we are selling the food truck and moving into Cloud Kitchens (5610 Food Co) to continue growing, as we search for suitable restaurant spaces to bring you the perfect dining experience.

~ We want to thank you for reading our story, and all the amazing support we have received so far! We are looking forward to the next chapters!

Chris & Cheryl