Cluck Cluck: 7 Questions with Ben Pote of Wildacre Rotisserie in Greenwich

Photo credit: Natasha Miller / Tashography

In June 2022, Wilton resident Ben Pote opened Wildacre Rotisserie, a new fast casual concept whose signature is an expertly roasted heirloom chicken and an overall menu that’s all about freshness and quality.

This “Cali-style” chicken joint isn’t only bird-focused, though, as it’s got plenty in terms of vegetarian options—including a whole roasted za’atar seasoned cauliflower.

And while “fast,” everything else like the sides and salads have a chef driven approach, which shouldn’t be a surprise given Pote’s background. After graduating from the French Culinary Institute, Pote cooked for Hillstone Restaurant Group and The Florence Group (yeah, that’s Tyler Florence’s company). Later, and most recently, he worked for major brands as director of development at Souvla in San Francisco, director of culinary innovation at Starbucks, and as sweetgreen’s director of culinary strategy and culinary program manager.

We recently caught up with Pote to talk chicken and what’s in Wildacre’s immediate future.

What has it been like to go from corporate life to being an entrepreneur?

It sounds trite, but it's been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. This transition has not been without its challenges, but I have grown immensely both personally and professionally. I'm fortunate to have an incredible circle of family, friends, advisors, and mentors with whom I've been able to celebrate the wins and problem solve the losses. Looking back, I wouldn't change a thing.

Where did the idea for Wildacre come from? And why choose rotisserie chicken as the focus?

Odds are, if you eat meat, you eat rotisserie chicken. It's a universal truth for so many people out there—it's great to share with others, it's good to nibble on on its own, it's delicious hot, it's great cold as leftovers, the list goes on. And if you eat rotisserie chicken, you've likely gotten it from either the grocery store or from Boston Market, who established the foundation for fast casual rotisserie chicken at scale many years ago. When I put pen to paper, I started to think about what a modern day rotisserie might look like. My wife suggested I bring in a California influence from my years living and cooking on the west coast, it all came together to become the seed of Wildacre as we know it today.

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Despite being a fast casual concept, Wildacre is all about fresh, non-GMO ingredients, especially the Pioneer heirloom chickens. Tell us about where you source the ingredients from, the importance of that, and we definitely want to know about those birds!

We're really proud of our ingredient partnerships. The tahini used in our Creamy Tahini dressing comes from Seed + Mill, a woman-owned small business based out of New York. The date syrup that we drizzle over our Crispy Brussels comes from Just Date, a nutrition-focused natural sweetener company based in San Francisco. Our kombuchas are made by Feel Good Booch, a local kombucha company out of White Plains founded by three ex-bartenders from Blue Hill at Stone Barns who designed an insanely delicious custom flavor just for us. Our dessert, the Chocolate Cloud Bar, is made by Cloudy Lane Bakery - a grain-free, woman-owned small business based out of Norwalk. Most notably, our chickens come from Cooks Venture in Decatur, AR, whose focus on regenerative farming practices and animal welfare have earned them a GAP-4 Pasture-Raised Certification as well as being Certified Humane. The Pioneer, a breed proprietary to Cooks Venture, is a slow-growth bird—meaning it grows at the speed in which nature intended. Knowing chicken would be our core product, I was adamant about being proud of where our chickens came from and how they were raised, and you can taste the difference.

We’re not asking you to give away any major secrets, but seriously, it’s such an excellent rotisserie chicken! How do you prepare it?

Honestly, the flavor of the meat itself does most of the work. It has a depth of flavor that you just don't find in many (or any) commercially available rotisserie chickens out there. We keep it simple with our seasoning blend, bringing in flavors inspired by California, including bay leaf, fennel seed and fennel pollen to complement the flavor of the chicken itself. The rotisserie is another key element. The chickens slowly roast and rotate at the same time. We get a lot of questions about whether we use butter or oil to cook the chickens, and I tell people that because they cook so slowly, they baste themselves in their own natural fat and juices. The end result is an incredibly tender, juicy rotisserie chicken that I'm very proud to serve.

Photo credit: Katie Tuzmen / Brook Road Photography

What’s on the horizon for you and for Wildacre?

We just rolled out a few new menu additions, including wraps, a new quarter chicken meal, and a kids meal, and I'm excited to see so much positive response from our customers so far. We'll continue to focus on serving consistently delicious food to our community so that we can deepen our relationship with our customers, who have been the bedrock of our success so far. I'm tinkering with a chicken broth recipe for the colder winter months, so be on the lookout for that as well.

BONUS CHICKEN NEWS

CTbites learned that Wildacre is planning to try to one-up Alexander Tominsky, now known as the “Philadelphia Chicken Man,” by launching their own challenge to beat that record by a day. That’s right! Forty-one chickens in 41 days. If you dare, the competition kicks off on November 14. The winner gets free Wildacre for a year, plus Pote will even cover the cost of all 41 chickens. Wildacre will also donate $1,000 to Greenwich nonprofit Neighbor to Neighbor to help feed families this holiday season.

Wildacre obviously lends well to being franchised out. Can we expect more locations? And where?

My main focus at the moment is our Cos Cob restaurant and ensuring the long-term success of this business. That said, we've gotten a lot of interest to bring Wildacre to towns across Connecticut and New York. I don't yet have a second location pinned down, but we're always on the lookout for the opportunity to bring our food to a broader market. I'm excited for what the future holds for Wildacre.

Is there anything else you want to share with us?

 I know I've said it before, but I continue to be filled with gratitude for our community who have supported the opening of this restaurant. From our team members to our customers, our vendors and our investors, my management team and my family, it's truly taken a village to bring Wildacre Rotisserie to life. It's a little cheesy to say, but it's been a dream come true. Thank you to everyone who is helping me live it.

147 E Putnam Avenue; Greenwich
203.220.5070; wildacrerotisserie.com