Today we’d like to introduce you to Nick Guidry.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
In 2012 Nick decided he was ready to take on self-employment, leaving the corporate world he built out a food truck and launched Slow Hand Coffee Truck June 10, 2013. He ran that for about 6 months before meeting Audra, who was working with a different food truck. In February on 2014 Audra and Nick joined forces on the Slow Hand Coffee Truck, but also started a wholesale bakery. Within a week we were servicing wholesale baked goods, breads and desserts to 30 coffee shops, restaurants and bars around Nashville. After roughly two years running wholesale and food truck operations we opened our first brick and mortar Slow Hand Coffee at 300 10th Ave. S. in Nashville. Slow Hand Coffee was a marriage of our two worlds, Audra’s pastries and Nick’s menu of creative breakfast and lunch sandwiches, salads and specialty coffee. We ran Slow Hand 10th Ave for roughly three years before the building was sold and new owners wanted to do something else with the space. We used this to spring board ourselves, opening Pelican & Pig and Slow Hand Coffee + Bakeshop in East Nashville, AND got married in the process. Pelican & Pig won Eater Nashville’s restaurant of the year in 2019, was showcased on Netflix’s Somebody Feed Phil, Bon Appetite magazine and a plethora of other publications. In Early 2023 we opened Slow Hand Bakehouse in Lebanon, TN, a concept completely centered around Audra’s incredible pastry/baking skills. While Bakehouse does also serve as a coffee shop, it is largely based around the concept of a classic American bakery with a modern root. In November 2024 we opened our newest venture, Olivia Cocktail & Oyster Bar, a cocktail/wine bar in Lebanon, TN serving fresh oysters and sharable finger foods. We are currently underway working on a new restaurant, Juniper, also in Lebanon.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I think a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor very much applies here. Life is a windy, bumpy road. Our road has been filled with miles of smooth road as well as crater sized pot holes. Opening as a food truck in a non-pedestrian town full of red tape was not for the weak. The food truck market quickly oversaturated and proved to be a path we did not want to continue following. Having our building sold and forcing us to leave our flagship location was not something we planned for but you learn to pick up and keep going. Fast forward to COVID, a global pandemic was not something any of us planned for when writing our business plans, but that’s now a unique notch in our belt.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
We are each known for different things. Nick is known for cooking over open flame/live-fire and Audra is known for her incredible pastry/baking skills. Audra propelled her name 10 or so years ago with her play on classic snack cakes (think little Debbie, but real ingredients, Girl Scout cookies, etc.)
What do you like and dislike about the city?
Likes: The community, the growing food scene
Dislikes: High property taxes
Contact Info:
- Website: www.pelicanandpig.com | www.slowhandbakehouse.com | www.oliviaoysterbar.com
- Instagram: pelicanandpig / slowhandbakehouse / oliviacocktailbar
