Chef Shane Schaibly

Corporate Chef

First Watch Restaurants, Inc.

 

History:

Born and raised in a small town just outside of Tampa, FL, Shane has been in the industry since the young age of 14.  He has worked in all facets of the industry from small, locally owned casual dining spots to high end hotels and everything in between. 

After graduating from Johnson & Wales University, Shane went on to work at The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach before returning home to the Tampa area to work as Pastry Chef, Catering Chef and eventually Sous Chef of Café Ponte in Clearwater.  From there, Shane made the jump to the corporate world and worked as the Corporate Chef for Front Burner Brands: The Melting Pot, Burger 21 and GrillSmith. He helped develop menu items and traveled, opening restaurants in Canada, Mexico, Riyadh, KSA, Dubai, UAE, and Jakarta, Indonesia. 

Shane moved on to First Watch Restaurants, Inc. in 2014 and has been working on revamping the existing regular menu and Seasonal Feature menu offerings along with fine tuning some the already fantastic fresh and healthy menu items.  First Watch is known for its out-of-the-box approach to Breakfast, Brunch and Lunch while still maintaining a health halo around many of its menu items.  Shane has found a great home in the First Watch family and thoroughly enjoys being able to create menu items that push the envelope while still balancing healthy with great tasting food.

Shane lives in Bradenton, FL, with his wife, Lisa, and their two children, Jackson and Olive. He enjoys spending time on the Gulf of Mexico, collecting tattoos and cooking at home for his family while continuing his exploration of other cultures and food around the world.

 

What about the restaurant inspires me:

Ever since my first day working in a restaurant when I was 14 years old, I have always been fascinated by the impact a good meal has on a customer.  It inspires me to make sure that every recipe I write, every plate I create, and every time I send anything out to the dining room, it is perfect both in flavor and in appearance.  Looking out into the dining room and seeing smiling, laughing people talking about a dish I have created or sharing a bite with someone else at the table makes doing what I do that much more rewarding. I try to encourage all of my team members to think about the food in that way. When they buy into it on that level, I know the consistency is there, and the food is still making customers smile every time even when I’m not around.

 

Where did you grow up?  Does that influence your style?

I was born and raised in Dunedin, FL, a small town just west of Tampa, where Scottish roots run deep. My family consumed lots of meat pies, Scotch eggs and fish & chips when I was growing up.  In addition, the Tampa area has incredible diversity within only a few square miles: Greek influence in Tarpon Springs, Cuban influence in Ybor City and throughout the Tampa Bay area, traditional Mexican influence in the Clearwater area and, of course, all of the local seafood right at our fingertips.  We grew up always at the beach or on the water fishing, diving and surfing.  The fact that I was always around such a wide variety of foods growing up made me appreciate and respect the cultural differences in cuisine and helped me to always be curious and eager to learn about other cultures.

 

To what do you attribute your success?

I like to think my personal passion and love for the restaurant industry has helped me achieve success over the years.  I also attribute much of my success to the people in the restaurant business who have taken me under their wings over the years and shown me that if you truly love what you do and continue to do it for all the right reasons, you will be successful.