Derek Wagner

The Climb

Derek Wagner started with formal study at Johnson & Wales University and time on the line as a cook at Westin Hotel, building the habits that matter in a service kitchen: discipline, repetition, and the ability to keep moving. Those early roles point to an apprenticeship measured in shifts rather than speeches, where technique is learned through the ordinary cycle of chopping, tasting, plating, and resetting for the next ticket. Today, Derek is chef/owner of Nicks on Broadway, a position that combines cooking with stewardship of the room and the business.

Today

Since 2002, Wagner has led the Providence restaurant as chef and owner; his work there also carries the responsibility of owner and executive chef. That split role keeps the standard in one set of hands, with the kitchen and dining room governed by the same judgment. The restaurant reads as an extension of that continuity, shaped by upkeep and attention rather than constant reinvention. Two dishes show the range of the kitchen clearly. Cassoulet of Blackbird Farm Pork, Beef and Beans comes across as a French-inspired stew with winter weight, finished with over-easy eggs and sour cream and served with pesto bread. It points to patience, layering, and comfort handled with precision. Fluke Crudo moves in the opposite direction: lighter, quieter, and centered on the clean line of local fish. Together, they outline a kitchen that can work both rich and spare without changing register. The work also depends on how the staff is managed. “Happy cooks make happy food,” Wagner says, a line that treats morale as part of the craft rather than a side note. In that view, the conditions of service sit alongside seasoning, timing, and execution.

Signature

Derek's signature dishes include Cassoulet of Blackbird Farm Pork and Beef and Beans and Fluke Crudo.

In Their Words “I’ve been cooking since I was a kid.”

Recognition

Derek Wagner has received James Beard Foundation — finalist for Best Chef: Northeast. Derek's honors include Coastal New England Rising Star Sustainability Chef.