Like any chef worth his salt, Brandon Bayne has been in and around kitchens practically his entire life.
His first job was at Chances R, a restaurant in York, when he was 15. Eventually, he made his way to Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Minneapolis, and, after graduating, went to work for a restaurant group in South Dakota, cooking alongside a number of chefs in different concepts, like a steakhouse and an Italian eatery. Later, he was the executive chef of a country club in Sioux Falls and downtown Lincoln's Embassy Suites hotel and opened the wildly popular HopCat in the Haymarket, too.
"I've been in kitchens my entire life," said Bayne, who boasts more than two decades of culinary experience. "It's kind of all I know, the ins and outs of the restaurant world, not just the behind-the-kitchen area, but the front-of-house stuff ... restaurants are where it's at."
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The soon-to-be 40-year-old chef's latest stop is one steeped in Lincoln tradition. Earlier this year, Bayne was named the executive chef of the Lincoln Marriott Cornhusker Hotel, 333 S. 13th St., where he oversees its banquet and catering operations — including feeding the Husker football team that stays there on the eve of home games — and Miller Time Pub & Grill, the hotel's ground-floor bar and restaurant and noted hangout for state lawmakers and travelers to Lincoln alike.
"The Cornhusker's got a big (culinary) background," Bayne said. "A lot of the chefs that are here in town or are seasoned that have been around for a while, have all worked here. ... So it carries that brand."
For all his time spent in kitchens, Bayne was out of the industry before coming to The Cornhusker. He had gone to work as the executive chef of The Country Club of Sioux Falls during the pandemic, but had returned to Lincoln, where his wife started her own holistic health and wellness business.
"Her goal was to retire me from the hospitality industry," Bayne said with a laugh. "We moved like 13 times in eight years, but for restaurants, because it was, 'There's an opportunity here, and I can go learn.'"
Then Christian Schon, a sous chef at the hotel, reached out to Bayne about The Cornhusker position. His wife's business was flourishing and the idea intrigued him, so he met with Kevin Miller, the general manager, and was on board.
"Chef Bayne is a respected culinary professional with a passion for food that enlivens every dish he creates," Miller said in a news release. "His dedication to delivering memorable dishes aligns perfectly with our commitment to providing outstanding service and unforgettable experiences for our guests."Â
A typical day for Bayne might involve feeding a group of 25 — or a group of 1,000 — with galas, banquets, conventions, fundraisers and other events routinely on The Cornhusker's schedule. Gameday weeks are particularly busy with the Husker football team staying the night before home games — and requiring plenty of carbs — and gameday revelers looking to grab a bite or a beer at Miller Time.
"You're kind of just where you need to be in the moment," Bayne said. "We had Husker Saturday (a few weeks ago) and I had 26,000 steps in the building."
Having only been on the job for five or so months, Bayne is still looking at ways to put his mark on the hotel's culinary operations. Later this year, Miller Time is set to roll out a new menu, with new additions like Drunken Mussels — a beer broth-soaked seafood dish. Recently, Bayne and Schon won a Savor the City award for one of the hotel's featured dishes, a braised oxtail cannelloni.
Bayne enjoys giving back to his craft by teaching aspiring culinary professionals, and he hopes to develop the next wave of chefs, like Schon. COVID, he said, was tough on restaurants, and convinced many to leave the culinary and service world, entirely.Â
Now it's about bringing them back.
"They got out of it, and they might have wanted to work doing something else," he said. "So it's kind of rebuilding the talent pool up and getting the younger kids to want to get back into restaurants."Â