STAFF FOCUS: Ian Hawks⁠

Common House Charlottesville’s Chef de Cuisine

Ian Hawk’s promotion to Common House Charlottesville’s new Chef de Cuisine was providence. Back in 2008, his buddy Danny prophesied that Ian would become one of two things: a mechanic or a chef. Thankfully for us, his latter prediction came true. Ian joined Common House in 2019 and, since then, has been instrumental in helping us pivot to carryout and expand our menu offerings during COVID. Now as the Chef de Cuisine, he is charge of all kitchen operations, which includes sourcing local produce, forging relationships with farmers, and of course, cooking killer cuisine.

“It’s kind of been like training for a race. You get the call that: ‘Okay, tomorrow is Race Day, and you’re on,’” he describes. “I’m really grateful to Common House for providing a platform that allows people to grow and evolve.” When Ian isn’t busy leading his team in the kitchen, you can find him hanging out with his beautiful family, or riding around town on his Aprilia Tuono motorcycle (an Italian homage to the 17 years he spent growing up in Sicily). Next time you’re in the House, give Ian a shout and be on the lookout for weekly specials available in-house or carryout.