David Jackman
Co-Owner and Chef of Wildweed
Well-traveled chef sets up shop in Cincinnati offering unique dishes, hospitality
David Jackman and his wife Lydia have run more than 225 pop ups since 2018, enjoying stops in Nashville, Benton Harbor, Michigan, and Vermont along the way. Now having journeyed along many roads well-traveled, the pair is putting down roots in Cincinnati complete with a little seed money courtesy of Main Street Ventures (MSV).
FINDING THEIR ROOTS
“Fun dining” ... “unique vegetables from friends who pour everything into their soil” ... “A community” ... These are some of the phrases one can find housed on the official website of Wildweed, the culinary adventure Jackman co-owns with Lydia in Over-the-Rhine. Opening on July 19, 2024, the restaurant consists of two separate dining experiences. The first is the main dining room, which offers carefully curated selections focused on wild foraged and local ingredients with a heavy focus on handmade pastas served a la carte. Available to those with a palette that craves uniqueness, Wildweed also offers an immersive “chef’s counter” experience, for which reservations are a must.
According to Jackman, Wildweed’s chef’s counter is both a celebration of “seven ingredients split up among up to 12 plates” and “ingredients in their time and place to create a sum greater than their parts.” This is in addition to having chefs prepare, serve and talk to you about your dishes paired with a premium wine and non-alcoholic selection. Jackman notes that Wildweed’s reputation precedes itself, a fact evident in the restaurant being named one of eight “Must-Visit New Restaurants” by Bon Appetit before its official opening.
Wildweed is the latest venture for the couple, who went from traveling abroad to returning to Cincinnati to start their family. Having worked in so many food outlets over the course of his career, Jackman knew that he and his wife would need plenty of capital to bring their vision for Wildweed to life. That is when fate seemingly intervened and Jackman learned of MSV and its grant programs via a friend who had benefitted from them. Receiving $30,000 from MSV, Jackman says the funds were put to use immediately to “execute the vision of our restaurant to its fullest,” acquiring small wares like spatulas to small machines such as grain mills and pasta extruders. Also purchased with funding from the grant was Wildweed’s Alto-Shaam oven, a “workhorse” with the ability to cook with a combination of heat and steam while controlling humidity at the same time.
EAT, DRINK AND BE MERRY
The result? A place where Jackman says his family’s entrepreneurial dreams have already become a reality.
“When we were having our child, we decided Cincinnati was the right place for us. It's got a really strong community that supports us, and we truly wouldn't have it any other way,” he says. “This city is able to support a lot of different things. There's a lot of room to breathe and just be yourself in this community, whereas there may be other expectations in other areas; you're able to carve your own path.”
Having the support of an organization like MSV can help entrepreneurs succeed along that path.
“Main Street’s support helped me not only find the resources but also, through the process of applying for the grant, refine my vision and my confidence in the vision,” he says. “As we are bringing our vision to life, so is Main Street by helping entrepreneurs.”
Interested in learning more about Wildweed? Follow the restaurant on Instagram at www.instagram.com/wildweed.cinci/
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