Article and photo of Chef Eric Nelson (Right) and Josh Seaburg (Left) by Fitz
In July, the duo of Chef/Owner Eric Nelson and “Crudo Dudo” Bar Manager/Mixologist Josh Seaburg are poised to bring crudos (dishes of raw fish or seafood, typically dressed with oil, citrus juice, and seasonings) and nudo (pasta) alongside classic cocktails rooted in the fundamentals to Norfolk’s historic Ghent.
Both Nelson and Seaburg have earned a reputation over their years working in the Hampton Roads restaurant industry for being as gifted as they are brash.
Nelson, earlier in his career, did successful stints in the kitchens of Steinhilber’s in Virginia Beach and the Trellis Bar and Grill in Williamsburg. He would go on to spearhead one of the more forward thinking food pop-ups in Hampton Roads in 2016, Blue Tape, which via his thoughtful smoking techniques along with pickling and fermenting food applications, caught the imagination of some notable social media foodies. In early 2017 when Nelson became the executive chef at Chops in Virginia Beach, he, just as in previous interviews, was bold and outspoken stating, “I’m able to go into Chops and do my sh*t. If you get it, you get it. If you don’t, then f*ck you.”
Concordantly, Seaburg has marched to his own drum while helping to establish a myriad of leading cocktail programs in Hampton Roads. To date, he has helped to set up the program at Twist in Virginia Beach, the program at Balahdi, also in Virginia Beach, and most recently he was the Chief Mixologist at Hilton Norfolk The Main. While interviewing him in late 2016 about the cocktail program for Elixia in Downtown Norfolk, now Pourhouse of Norfolk • La Fin Du Monde, Seaburg spoke to me about his lack of concern for small talk as a bartender, one of many cheeky assertions he has put forth while making a substantial mark in his field locally.
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Upon meeting with them recently, however, both described their new endeavor in a laid back manner that I didn’t expect and that mirrors the casual easygoing concept Nelson told me he has been planning for awhile.
“I feel really at ease despite a lot being on the line,” Nelson explained to me under a whimsical goat and bird painting on wood by Heidi Peelen hanging on the restaurant’s main wall. “We want people to come in, enjoy crudos and share. We want it to be light and fun in here. We’re not going for any kind of mood in here other than a home. We want it to feel like you are coming home.”
Nelson, a recent father, is leaving the security and stature he enjoyed at Chops, but it was there that he meet a private investor that made Crudo Nudo possible. “I was at Chops making [the silent partner] pasta and he really liked it,” Nelson told me. “I had a business plan ready to go and we hooked up.”
Seaburg too is leaving the prominence of his most recent position to help launch the restaurant. As he put it, “I did leave a cushy corporate job for a startup but I am stoked and real comfortable. It’s on our own terms, so it’s less pressure.”
Seaburg wants people to experience his cocktail program at Crudo Nudo with zero pressure as well. “We want someone to be able to order a classic casually and then really love it,” Seaburg told me with Nelson interjecting, “Josh puts out quality stuff, we’re going to do classic drinks but the best you’ve had.”
“It will definitely be firmly rooted in classics with some modernist nuance,” Seaburg further elaborated. “We’re going to present quality product without a whole production attached to it.”
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While Nelson and Seaburg have been following each other on social media for some time, the two only met in person about six weeks ago but immediately hit it off.
“The first time we spoke about concept, the ethos for food service and drinks aligned,” Seaburg recalled. “A lot of mindfulness went into what Eric told me. We talked for an hour or two about the restaurant then started talking about music.” Laughing, Seaburg also remarked, “he didn’t install anything permanently [referencing the bar] until I had the chance.”
With Nelson informing me that Crudo Nudo is projected to open next month, one can expect to see some considerable initial buzz for the opening, particularly considering the followings both have procured doing food and cocktails their way.
For more on Crudo Nudo, visit www.facebook.com/crudonudo or IG: @crudonudo_nfk
For more on Chef Nelson, visit HERE & HERE
For more on Josh Seaburg, visit HERE
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