Chef of the Week: Jim Shatz, Firkin and Fox Restaurant and Pub

Name: Jim Shatz.

Title: Owner.

Restaurant: , 2505 Manatee Ave E.

Contact Info: 941-748-7694, http://www.firkinpubusa.com.

Hours: Mon - Fri, 11am - 11pm; Sat - Sun, 11am – midnight.

Specialty: Corned beef and cabbage, Guinness pie, cottage pie, and cod fish are some of our most popular recipes. We’ve won the Taste of Manatee award for our cottage pie, our clam chowder and our apple dumplings.

How long have you been cooking? Our restaurant has been here for 3 years and I’ve been helping out in the kitchen since it opened. Our head cook, Dave Fine, has been cooking for 40 years.

Do you cook at home? I don’t, but Dave does.

What is your favorite comfort food? That’s a tough one. I’d have to say cottage pie.

Other than your restaurant, where else do you like to eat? To be perfectly honest, I really never actually eat out because I’m always here.

A message from Jim Shatz: What makes this restaurant special is that everything here is made fresh and from scratch. It’s good home cooking – nothing is frozen, and nothing from our menu is ever zapped in the microwave.

Other information: Firkin & Fox is a franchise based out of Canada. There are approximately 40 in Canada and 24 throughout the United States, so you may see them around when you travel. A lot of northerners who come down to visit Bradenton are familiar with the chain and like to come in for lunch or dinner.