French restaurant offers new cooking classes

Since opening his restaurant in May, Chef Jacob Hilbert has focused on using fresh, local ingredients to create a menu featuring modern French cuisine, he said.

Its been awesome, Jacob said. We are supported by such a loyal base of people who are just really thrilled we are doing this kind of restaurant here, and its working.

Each day customers may find themselves looking at a new menu, which often depends on the ingredients available and Jacobs whim, he said.

I cant stand when the menu isnt reflective of what is actually going on either from a standpoint of product sourcing or technique, Jacob said. If I get bored with something, I feel like you can see the boredom on the plate, and I cant stand that.

A large percentage of the restaurants ingredients are sourced locally: About 99 percent of his ingredients are domestic products, about 80 percent of the produce is local and most of the seafood is from the Gulf, he said.

We are as local as we can be without compromising the quality of the ingredients, co-owner Lynda Hilbert said.

Jacob said he plans to continue fine-tuning the business and get more involved with the community. The restaurant also added a bar menu and in November added a wine dinner, which is held once a month.

Jacob is also intent on sharing his love of cooking with his customers through cooking classes, which began in October. The classes are held every other Sunday and allow customers a chance to get their hands dirty in the kitchen before sampling their creations.

Those have been really popular already, which is cool, Jacob said.

The Hollow, 708 S. Austin Ave., 512-868-3300, www.thehollowrestaurant.com, Hours: Tue.Thu. 11 a.m.2 p.m., 59:30 p.m.; Fri.Sat. 11 a.m.2 p.m., 510:30 p.m.; Sun. 10 a.m.2 p.m.; closed Mon.