From Our Team

Executive Chef Ryan DeConnick

Ryan DeConnick has loved food since childhood. His culinary style has been greatly influenced by memories made in the kitchen and over meals with his large, close-knit family.

After graduating culinary school in 2007, Ryan joined the team at Cameron Mitchell Restaurants. During his tenure, he’s spent time working at several CMR concepts, including M, Marcella’s and Molly Woo’s. Ryan was awarded the prestigious ‘Sous Chef of the Year’ award at the 2013 Cameron Mitchell Leadership Conference just before being promoted to Executive Chef at Molly Woo’s. Most recently, Ryan served as the General Manager of Molly Woo’s and now serves as the Executive Chef once again.

Ryan loves spending time enjoying delicious food and wine with his friends and family, who are always eager to sample his newest culinary creations. He also has some original dishes in his repertoire that people just can’t get enough of, like his chicken salad, brioche stuffed French toast and crab cakes.

Ryan attributes his success to being lucky enough to wake up every day truly loving his job.

General Manager Brett Nordstrom

While searching for jobs in college, Brett Nordstrom’s father, a restaurant manager himself, recommended he look into Cameron Mitchell Restaurants (CMR), due to their well-respected reputation in Columbus. Nordstrom discovered his love for the restaurant and hospitality industry while working his first job at Martini Italian Bistro at Polaris and knew he could create a career with CMR.

Now, with more than 15 years of experience in the industry, Nordstrom is very passionate about his work and is determined to continue growing in his career.

Nordstrom joined the CMR team in 2001, serving in multiple roles, including sales associate, bartender, supervisor and dining room manager. He has worked at several CMR concepts, including Martini Modern Italian, Cap City Gahanna, and Marcella’s Polaris. In 2012, Nordstrom was promoted to General Manager at Marcella’s Polaris where he lead the team before taking over as General Manager at Molly Woo’s Asian Bistro in 2023.

CMR’s commitment to its associates is Nordstrom’s favorite thing about the company. He said that CMR creates an environment that makes all associates feel valued and empowered to make a difference. Nordstrom reminds those interested in a hospitality career that “the industry is truly about the guests, and if they are taken care of, they take care of you.”

Nordstrom is a Level 2 Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers. In his free time, he enjoys music, travel, sports and spending time outdoors with his family. Nordstrom lives in Worthington with his wife Kelly, and their son Jude.