Featuring made-from-scratch, hand-breaded and cooked-to-order upscale fried chicken inspired by the real thing in Tennessee, Nashville Fire Chicken opened in Scotts Valley in January and moved to the Capitola Mall food court in June.
The spot is managed by Adam Hamadeh, who says he enjoys being a part of the community and bonding with the clientele while crediting his industry mentors, especially his brother, for the wisdom he has used to fruition.
He worked in the restaurant industry off and on as a young adult, while also spending time in tech before taking on the mantle of helping to provide the spark that would get Nashville Fire Chicken off the ground.
Their chicken offerings have taken flight, the place has good word-of-mouth and growing popularity with the hot pick best-seller being the two fried chicken sandwich plate between a potato bun with pickles, customizable spiciness (none, mild, fire hot), crinkle-cut fries and classic coleslaw.
They also have tenders on toasted white bread, and sauce options are ranch as well as their perfectly complementary seasoned and savory fan-favorite house sauce. Expanded menu items still in the works include mozzarella sticks, Nashville hot wings and Dubai-inspired desserts. Coming-soon beverages are boba tea and the social media darling drink “dirty sodas” sweetened with creamy adds like vanilla that bring a welcome and ideal pairing with the spicy chicken.
Tell me about your main mentor.
ADAM HAMADEH: My brother Zak showed me the ropes of the restaurant industry, teaching me about operations, culinary techniques, employees and staffing schedules. He himself owns multiple successful restaurants and has learned a lot on his own and by doing, and has been able to pass this expertise and knowledge on to me. This, combined with my personal restaurant management experience has really helped me get this place going.
What are the plans for the business?
We are excited to be open in the Capitola Mall and serving the local communities. We definitely plan on expanding, not only our food and beverage menu options, but also adding more locations throughout California and becoming a strong regional brand in the space. We are confident that our customers will taste the difference in our food compared to other fried chicken options and will see why our guests keep coming back and why we have so many regulars.
1855 41st Avenue, Capitola, 408-620-6871; nashvillefirechicken.com
