Staff photo by Troy Stolt / Chef Eric Taslimi stands inside the kitchen at Slick’s.Though born in the United States, chef Eric Taslimi, a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and Johnson & Wales University in Charleston, South Carolina, spent his early years in Iran, where his parents were born. And it’s this background that helped influence his career path.
“My mom was a great home cook, and she did cook around town at a couple of restaurants – The Loft and Town and Country (both now closed),” he says. “For Persians, food, cooking and the act of mealtime is a huge part of our life. So I would say I come from a culture of cooks.”
In 2006, Taslimi became head chef at Table 2, a restaurant that opened on 11th Street near Warehouse Row as the resurgence of downtown dining was taking off. It was his first experience taking charge of a restaurant kitchen, and although he had a culinary degree from Johnson & Wales, “There’s no substitute for practical experience in a kitchen,” he says.
Table 2 closed after five years. In 2013, he opened Slick’s in St. Elmo, his first restaurant with business partner Robb Peterson. Two years later, they moved the location to Main Street and followed with the opening of a second Southside restaurant, Southside Pizza, in 2017 on Main Street.
While Table 2 was a restaurant offering upscale dining, Slick’s and Southside Pizza are casual eateries – the former known for its burgers and craft beers, the latter a laid-back pizza joint. The menus at all three restaurants, though, have two things in common: “We bring the same passion for procuring great products and pairing them with the best service possible,” Taslimi notes.