By Kalena Reynolds | Staff Writer
Blaine Fischer started working in his family’s vineyards when he was eight years old. At 25, he channeled that same ambition to spearhead the creation of his new restaurant, Blaine’s.
The restaurant is set to open on April 1, featuring a variety of European dinner foods such as crab beignets, 12-ounce ribeye and half-bird confit. But the main course Fischer wants people to take away from his restaurant is happiness.
“I love providing a space where people can come stressed out, tired or sad, or whatever it is,” Fischer said. “They can come, have a nice glass of wine, talk to some friends, talk to the employees, have a great plate of food and leave a happier person for it.”
Fischer first acquired his love of food after deciding to start cooking his own meals with his sister to help save time for his single mom. After his mom remarried and they moved to a vineyard in Crawford, Fischer’s love of cuisine only expanded.
He said he gained an in-depth look into working by helping his mom and stepfather plant the first vines. Amy Peper, Fischer’s mom, said Fischer and his sisters’ love for food turned their family kitchen into a place of experimentation and creativity.
“He was very, very small, maybe fourth or fifth grade, doing some pretty neat flavor combinations,” Peper said. “And it wasn’t uncommon for him to show up and stick something in my face and saying, ‘Hey, Mom, try this. Does it taste good?’ And we always were a big cooking family and an entertaining family and so that was our fun.”
Cooking started as a hobby and quickly turned into a career after Fischer dropped out of trade school at Texas State Technical College due to a four-wheeler injury that left him with a concussion, torn labrum and multiple broken bones. During the recovery process, Fischer realized that he would no longer be able to pass a physical exam to get hired as a plumber, so he took some time to reflect on his path in life.
“I was 18 at the time, and I wanted to be out of my parent’s house, so I got a job at Slow Rise Slice House,” Fischer said. “I had a buddy who worked there, and he was like, ‘Hey, it’s easy. You make pizzas and hang out with your friends.”
After working at Slow Rise for a year and a half, Fischer transitioned to The Grape, a bistro with a new menu every day.
“The food there is immaculate, and the chef has worked all over the United States, Hawaii, Alaska, New York and just knows his stuff,” Fischer said. “And I worked with him for two years, trained directly, and their restaurant does a new menu every day. So it’s kind of like a crash course in culinary.”
Fast-forward two years, and Fischer left to help open Yaki Texas Teriyaki alongside his friend, Jake Patterson.
“We built that place from the ground up,” Fischer said.
At the age of 23, Fischer ended up working as executive chef at Pignettis for two years but eventually decided that he needed to take a mental health break and reassess his priorities. He ended up taking a three-month solo trip in his truck, starting in Waco and traveling all the way to Missoula, Mont. and back. During this time, Fischer also started working on the early plans for his own restaurant.
“I was making a lot of money at Pignetti’s because I was working such an ungodly amount, and then I was like, ‘I’m done; I need a break,'” Fischer said. “So I took three months off and just traveled the United States in my truck. And that’s kind of when the concept hit me.”
After Fischer returned to Waco from his trip, he continued his job as executive chef while also putting the development of his restaurant to work.
“The ability to become an executive chef at age 23 was, you know — who would do that?” Peper said. “But they saw potential in them, and just kind of turned him loose and let him do the menu and even bring on things that maybe weren’t exactly what they were wanting to put on the menu … but with his restaurant being named Blaine’s, it’s going to be all about him and all about Waco.”
Fischer soon left Pignetti’s to fully pursue the opening of his restaurant and has since been able to secure a location, menu and estimated opening date. He said the menu’s focus is on the wine but also features cuisine that is inspired by “contemporary European, with French, Italian, and heavy Cajun influences as well as a little bit of British influence.”
To follow Fischer’s philosophy of a community-oriented restaurant, during the building process, he installed an entirely open kitchen so that guests are able to watch their food being made and chat with Fischer himself.
“I want people to know who’s cooking their food,” Fischer said. “I want people to know who the owner of this restaurant is, not only by name, from hearsay, but actually know me.”
The restaurant will be located at 1101 Richland Drive and will be open Tuesday through Saturday from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
