It’s Thursday evening at Trust GR restaurant, and Chef Trimell Hawkins is using the relatively quiet weekday to supervise his team as they prepare, plate, and serve the intricate dishes that are the restaurant’s trademark.
Under Chef Trimmell’s watchful eye, sous-chef Jaysin carefully applies a blowtorch to lightly char the caramelized rye bread crumbs on plates of grilled asparagus with beurre blanc (a special dish for the evening). The other two kitchen staffers have already started work on a fan favorite: slices of wagyu steak “blessed by smoke” from the kitchen’s grill specially imported from Japan. The smoke is palo santo, an aromatic wood often used as incense, and the dish is served with marrow beans and mushrooms topped with dollops of mustard seeds.
Seated facing the open kitchen, a select group of diners watches the entire operation, interacting with Hawkins, Jason and the team as they assemble and present each course of the evening’s prix fixe menu.
Welcome to the Chef’s Table, the prime spot at Trust.
“The Chef’s Table is in the middle of the kitchen, so everything is on full display,” Hawkins said.
That’s key to the restaurant’s appeal, since the dining experience itself is key to the restaurant’s “New American Soul.” Each of the seven to 12 courses is made to order; expect to spend two hours or more on a curated tasting tour.
Trust’s dining area at 117 Division Ave. S has seating for 24 guests. The adjoining cocktail bar, Tellers Lounge at 115 SoDIV, also features small plates prepared in the Trust kitchen, and Tellers’ mixologist prepares drinks for Trust diners.
The journey is the reward, Hawkins said. “When you’re talking about experience-based dining, we’re asking you to come, to slow down, to enjoy the moment.” That includes moments of spontaneity that add fresh tastes to the seasonal menu. “Some favorites will stay on the menu for a month or two — and then there will be moments when you say, ‘Whoa, wait! I didn’t have it last time, but it was incredible.’”
“It’s about being able to cook with passion, cook with your heart, and being in the moment,” he continued. “And if that moment says that strawberries are in season, why would we not take the opportunity to do something great? If we’re walking through the farmers market, and we see something that stands out and says, ‘Hey, this needs to be put on a pedestal!’ then we’ll do so, you know? And that’s the joy of cooking in a space like this: We’re able to elevate, we’re able to take the extra time, the extra intentionality, to do things that are different from anywhere else in Grand Rapids.”
Chef Trimmell should know: His rich culinary pedigree is rooted in Grand Rapids: A graduate of GRCC’s Secchia Institute of Culinary Arts, his resume includes roles as executive chef at 40 Acres, Gravity Taphouse & Grill, and the Canopy by Hilton, among other accomplishments.
The experience isn’t free: Reservations for the general dining area cost $100 each, and a place at the Chef’s Table — which features an extended menu — is $125. Hawkins pointed out that those prices aren’t out of line with other luxury restaurants. “If you go to [Bowdie’s Chophouse on Wealthy Street] a steak starts out at $65. And then you add two sides, and you’re already up to $100. Here, we’re talking seven courses — actually, closer to nine courses with the amuse bouche and bread service.”
When Hawkins was choosing the name of his new Heartside restaurant, one noun best captured the project. “‘Trust’ is the word that resonated the loudest when it comes to the food scene in Grand Rapids,” Hawkins said. “Trust what you’re doing, trust the process, trust in God: The hospitality and restaurant industry is a trust relationship with the client.”
Spinning plates
While they’re outstanding, the asparagus and wagyu dishes are just a sample of the delights on offer, each accompanied by a recommended wine pairing. That evening, Trust’s seasonal menu included:
Essence of the Earth & Sea. “This is finger food,” Jaysin assured me as he served a little plate comprising a potato cornette with a purée of potatoes and Japanese dashi seasoning. “We recommend eating it in one bite!” Adding zest to that bite: caviar, microgreens, and freeze-dried and grated hot sauce.
The Tea Party. This whimsical tray reimagines a traditional British tea with soul food staples — and Chef Trimell urged diners to play with the components to make the combinations they liked best.
A glass teapot holds pride of place. Instead of Oolong or Earl Gray, it contains Trust’s special “pot licker tea,” a savory, “humble but elevated” broth created by steeping and straining collard greens. Poured into a teacup, the tea makes a tasty bath for the freeze-dried collard leaves served alongside it. The tea service also includes smoked turkey pate and a cornbread crumpet. “Instead of a sugar cube, we have a hot-sauce cube,” Trimmell said — a spicy grace note that he encouraged diners to try crumbling over different ingredients to add a little kick.
Summer Eyes and Sweet Greens. The variety of serving dishes is an integral part of the Trust experience. This refreshing salad course arrived in a sturdy, shallow black earthenware bowl that wouldn’t look out of place at a Latin American archaeological dig. As for the salad itself: Black-eyed peas (“a sign of good luck and new beginnings,” Jaysin remarks) combine with cucumbers, tomatoes and greens, all dressed with a citrus vinaigrette. This deceptively simple dish was a palate cleanser for the next course.
Crimson and Cream. This indulgent pasta course combines luxurious ingredients: house-made ravioli stuffed with grits and studded with meaty chunks of lobster that Trust diners talk about days later. It’s all topped with nantua (a shellfish-flavored variant of bechamel sauce) and finished off with a light, crunchy tuile wafer made of lobster broth and saffron.
Strawberry Sunrise. Another palate cleanser, this simple dish of house-made strawberry-mango sorbet created sweet space between the ravioli and asparagus courses.
Jalapeño Corn Bread. The next palate-cleansing course before the wagyu — and another course that’s not listed on the menu — this moist and tasty little loaf was kicked up a notch by a drizzle of jalapeño syrup.
Caramel and Craquelin. Arriving after the grilled asparagus, the sweet conclusion to the meal included house-made brown-butter ice cream, caramelized discs of banana, and craquelin cream puffs, all laced with loops of caramel.
Trust offers two wine-pairing options to accompany the meal: A Gold package ($50 per person) includes four wines distributed every two courses, including a dessert wine to cap off the evening. Priced at $100 per person, a Platinum package comprises seven wines paired through all seven listed courses, including some “elevated wine pairings” from the chef’s special collection.
Soul bonding
So what’s the soul connection in Hawkins’ New American Soul? Hawkins points to the spirit of hospitality he learned from his grandmother long before his formal culinary education. “I am, by DNA and ancestry, a product of soul food. I am a product of collard greens, cornbread, baked macaroni and cheese and fried chicken.
“I have also grown and also evolved. But my grandmother was the person who imparted a love for hospitality. Cooking was a gateway to comfort. Cooking was a gateway to community. When she cooked, the house was full. The house was warm. The house was full of love.”
That’s the spirit Hawkins seeks from his team. “I can teach you to cook, you know, but your personality is what I want. You care about people, you care about execution, you care about going above and beyond. At the end of the day, the end game is that you care about making people smile, making people happy, accommodating people, being warm, being loving.
“I can’t teach those things. Your grandma, your mom, your dad, whoever was in your life prior to you becoming an adult? They instilled those things in you, and they did a great job. So I can teach you how to flambé, I can teach you how to make a roux. I can teach you how to make a velouté. But I can’t teach you to be a good person so I want you on my team.”
Visit TRUST for more information.
