A visit to Fork & Vines will leave you satiated and saturated—and feeling like you’ve just earned another stamp on your passport. No travel arrangements are required to get a taste of the Old World, only a reservation.
Christian and Ashley Bernard had imagined opening a gateway to foreign delicacies in Corpus Christi ever since they took over Sugarbakers in 2013, but the chance to establish a fine-dining experience didn’t arrive until August 2023, when they expanded into the space next door. Inveterate travelers with cosmopolitan taste, they envisioned bringing more than memories home with them. “The whole concept was built around the idea of an evolving menu, featuring different types of cultures and foods,” Christian Bernard said.
The Bernards’ vision for Fork & Vines, which just celebrated its third anniversary in August, has aged well and is now being executed by a dynamic duo in the back of the house. Chef Marcelo Godines and kitchen manager Christian Taylor have both been part of Fork & Vines since its inception, and they have been entrusted to run the line day-to-day.
“It was always the goal to develop somebody on board who was capable of running the operation seamlessly,” Christian Bernard said. “They quickly demonstrated they were capable of it.”
After starting as a dishwasher at Sugarbakers seven years ago, Taylor rapidly rose through the ranks thanks to his strong work ethic and affable nature. He began as a relative novice in the food industry and is now someone who can sermonize about the meretriciousness of nonfunctional garnish. From wringing rags to plating dishes, and from escuelerie to epicurean, all under the same roof.
Godines had more culinary experience before joining Fork & Vines. He started cooking at 15 and had amassed about a decade of fine-dining experience, including working in the kitchen at Republic of Texas. But here he has finally been given the artistic liberty to cultivate his flavor. “It’s nice to have a creative outlet,” Godines said, adding that Taylor “makes it a lot easier for me to get what I want from my mind onto the plate.”
The pair have developed a culinary concinnity that keeps their kitchen crew in step. While they share cooking duties, Taylor also keeps an eye on ticket times and operational efficiency as Godines refines the recipes and designs the dishes. “I feel like when we’re back there, it’s almost like we’re dancing,” Taylor said. As they waltz through a shift, they liken themselves not to Remy and Linguini at the cutting board but to one of the best duos in the history of the hardwood. “We’re like Shaq and Kobe back there,” Taylor said.
Rest assured: Your fried amberjack will not be alley-ooped onto your plate. Instead, each dish is served with a far larger audience in mind. “We want the first thing you do when that plate comes [to be] pull out your phone,” Taylor said. Although plating is often an egalitarian effort, Godines and Taylor form the philosophy behind their arrangements and accouterments. “Your eyes eat first,” Taylor said. “We look for things that complement the flavor and also fill in that negative space on the plate with color and contrast.”
Each week, the pair crafts an au courant chef’s specials card, charting excursions from Austria to Australia and Spain to Sicily. The dishes are often paired with vintages sourced from thematically appropriate vineyards, while mixologist Tiffany McDevitt’s cocktails offer a more concentrated complement. “They are the best kitchen staff I have ever worked with,” McDevitt said. “They are so accommodating, helpful and knowledgeable.”
Given the restaurant’s expanding reputation and frequently full dining room, the dinner rush is as hectic as ever. Godines and Taylor’s ability to maintain order in the heat of the moment has been vital to keeping things smooth and sumptuous.
“They have the ability to stay calm under pressure, which chefs are notoriously not able to do,” Christian Bernard said. “When things are really difficult for a server or a bartender, a lot of places, the front-of-house people can be almost afraid to go back and say anything to the kitchen. But these guys are just so even-keeled and approachable, even in difficult moments. That’s fascinating to me.”
Godines and Taylor, two Corpus Christi natives, demonstrate a fluent understanding of foreign fare and infuse a collection of distant cultures with a taste of local talent.
“I’ve described my ideas to other people for the past 10, 20 years and they’d be like, ‘That sounds stupid,’” Godines said. “Now I do it here, and it sells.”
Contact: 2760 Santa Fe St. | forkandvines.com | @fork_andvines
