Ground Floor: Age just a number for Bistro on the River chef, owner

CEDAR RAPIDS - It may surprise some people that the owner and executive chef of Bistro on the River in Cedar Rapids is only 26 years old.

Brittany Hannah's relative youth may be less surprising when one considers that she spent half her life working toward the goal of owning her own restaurant.

'I started cooking outside the house at age 13,” Hannah said. 'That's when I fell in love with food.”

It was during that first job cooking meals for underprivileged children at a California food ministry that Hannah started dreaming of someday owning her own bakery, cafe and wine bar.

After her family relocated to Cedar Rapids while she was in high school, Hannah took a job working at a Hy-Vee bakery. She went on to attend the Culinary Institute of America in New York, graduating in 2010 with a bachelor's degree in baking and pastry arts management.

'I love messing around with the chemistry of baking and how precise it is,” Hannah said of her focus on pastry arts. 'You can make four or five completely different products with the same ingredients just by altering the temperature and the process.”

As a student, Hannah completed a six-month externship at Disney World's Yacht Club Bakery and Yachtsman Steakhouse, where she worked on the pastry line sending out up to 300 desserts every night.

'I worked for an old school German pastry chef, who was a great role model,” she said. 'I learned a lot from that experience.”

Following her college graduation, Hannah returned to the area to pursue a master's in business administration at the University of Iowa, going to school full time while working full time at Zins, Elmcrest Country Club and Brewed Awakenings.

'I got my MBA to make it easier to get a loan,” she said. 'I wanted to learn how to write a business plan for the mind of an investor.”

In October 2013, Hannah decided it was time to pursue her dream. She sat down with a pad of paper and brainstormed everything she wanted in her restaurant, with exposed brick and wood floors at the top of the list.

She found most of what she was looking for in the historic Hach Brothers Building in downtown Cedar Rapids. Bistro on the River opened there in August 2014.

Hannah's concept for the restaurant is a place where people like to meet. The menu is 'classic comfort food elevated,” made from scratch with quality ingredients. The restaurant offers a full espresso bar, local craft beers, wines by the glass and, of course, a variety of scrumptious pastries.

Hannah said her young age has not been an issue in commanding the respect of her staff.

'I may be young, but I've been in the industry for a long time,” she said.

At a Glance

' Owner: Brittany Hannah

' Business: Bistro on the River

' Address: 411 First St. SE, Cedar Rapids

' Phone: (319) 363-0500

' Website: www.bistroontheriver.com