CreoCajun Chef From OKC Making New Impressions At Elgin, Oklahoma Brewery

My first impression of Rising Eagle's newest chef, Corey Kirklin, is forever burned in my brain. As I walked through the front glass doors, I heard from the far left corner of the room a booming "YOU!" I looked to see a man pointing at me intensely, so I asked "me?"

"Yes, you! I need you," he told me. "Come over here!"

When he asked me for a favor, I thought he was going to ask for something simple, like how to spell a word or who to talk to at the establishment. Instead, Kirklin asked me to stop looking down. "I like your energy, I can tell you're a positive person," he said. "Don't look down when you walk, there ain't nothing down there for you besides bad stuff."

Since then, I've taken his advice, along with the rest of the team at Rising Eagle Brewery in Elgin, Oklahoma. Unsurprisingly, Kirklin has become a mentor for younger staff training in the kitchen.

Chef Kirklin brings big city cooking skills to the small town kitchen.

Kirklin moved down from Oklahoma City earlier this year to escape city life and enjoy a more laid back and relaxed town like Elgin. Luckily, the construction didn't scare him away and he's had his own positive experience with everyone here. "Being in Elgin has been amazing because the community has accepted me as one of their own," he said. "I haven't met a bad person yet."

When he originally applied to work for Rising Eagle Brewery, he was looking for the tap tendant postion. But co-owner Tom Hardin had other ideas, asking Kirklin if he had an prior experience in the kitchen. His previous time as an executive chef in a few kitchens, including Tommy Bahama's Marlin Bar, shaped him up to be the missing "pillar" that Rising Eagle was missing, according to co-owner Angela Hardin.

Food is good enough that folks in Elgin have started to notice.

Kirklin started in the kitchen at Rising Eagle Brewery in February this year and has since made quite the impression on the Elgin community. Earlier this April, community members raved on Facebook about Kirklin's cooking, saying

"We went tonight and asked if yall got a new chef, because the food was SMACKIN today. So flipping good! I always thought it was pretty good food but he’s definitely cooking with love back there."

Chef Kirklin helping sprout new experiences for Rising Eagle Brewery.

The difference isn't just in the food, but in the people there at the brewery. Tom Hardin told us that Kirklan has really helped bring back the original plan for the Rising Eagle Brewery with his incredible food. "This wasn't developed as just a sit down and leave place, it was about taking a moment in life and putting down the electronics." The brewery was meant to be a place of experience for Oklahomans and Chef Kirklin has done nothing but enhance the experience from the kitchen.

If you don't see the Chef in the kitchen, you might catch him mingling with the guests, helping everyone feel welcome, or singing karaoke with folks on Tuesday evenings. We're excited to see the future for Chef Corey Kirklin and the rest of the Rising Eagle Brewery team!