Meet The Chef – Joel Childs Of 16Eleven – Everett’s Newest Upscale Restaurant

Editor’s Note:Usually in this space on Saturdays we introduce you to a business owner, but today I wanted to step outside of that and introduce you to Chef Joel Childs who has opened the doors to a new upscale restaurant in downtown Everett, Washington. 16Eleven. Chef Joel was nice enough to take a few minutes out of his busy week to talk about what he calls his next evolution as a chef. LD

Joel Childs was born in Belfast, Ireland, and grew up in South Hampton, England. I asked him what drew him to becoming a chef.

“I wanted to be able to work with my hands and create things,” he said. “During a youth group they had a project where we had to bake a cake and I quickly found it was something I liked and where I could excel.”

He got his first cookbook when he was 10 and quickly mastered recipes cooking dinners for his family, starting simply and moving up to multiple courses. He watched cooking shows with his mom and she encouraged him to go to culinary school. He found an apprenticeship where he’d go to school for a day and spend the other days in a kitchen getting hands-on training.

In 2017 Childs came to the United States and began working in Snohomish. In 2020, the Pandemic hit and that changed everything for restaurants.

“With the Pandemic, restaurants couldn’t, or wouldn’t be adventurous, playing it safe with to-go food like hamburgers or fish and chips,” he explained. “There was no excitement for me and it was very, very repetitive.” In 2021 Joel and his partner Bex, decided to take a major leap and open “Chef Behind The Curtain” in downtown Snohomish.

“Chef Behind The Curtain was the smallest restaurant I’ve ever worked in,” he smiled, showing off the tattoo of the restaurant’s name on his forearm. “I wanted to go back to my roots in fine dining. It just took off and everything changed. I did reservation-only 11-course tasing menus. I had fun again with food and I also had a good work-life balance.”

Chef Joel continued, “One thing though, I’ve always enjoyed the business aspect of things and I realized at 34 I had a lot of energy and I had to think about what it was I really wanted.”

“I’ve been involved with 16Eleven from its inception and I always thought if I were involved in a restaurant in Snohomish County it would be a high-end steak restaurant.”

Adding, “I know people from Everett and Snohomish County drive to Bellevue and Seattle to have high-end steak so I knew this made sense and was what we needed to do.”

The 16Eleven menu features a number of items you don’t find in Everett or Snohomish County including Beef Wellington, Steak Tartar, Chilean Sea Bass, Lobster Ravioli, Caviar and Dry-aged Steak.

“When I created the menu I wanted it to be a place where guests could have a little bit of French, Italian, American and Pacific,” he said. “There is a market for people wanting to try something new, but just don’t know what it is until you offer it to them.”

Chef Joel says the menu is based on what he likes with a touch of British influence. The Beef Wellington is one such dish. “I don’t know anyone in Washington who does Beef Wellington,” he declared. “It’s a special dish, and I’m excited to see the response to it.”

Childs and team extended their philosophy of excellence and excitement to the wine list, as well.

“My goal was for us to have the largest glass-pour wine list in Snohomish County,” he said. “I like to go into a restaurant and have a glass of wine and Washington has a lot of local wines we want to showcase. I also like sitting down after work and having a glass of wine and something to eat. People can do that here at 16Eleven.”

Childs said he wants to build community.

“Food and wine are experiences we want to share,” he said. “We want our guests to become our friends. We’ll put a smile on their face with our experience and we’re hoping they’ll come back to a place they know is welcoming with delicious food.”

16Eleven hours are Monday – Thursday 4 PM – 10 PM. Friday and Saturday 4 PM – Midnight. Closed Sundays. You can learn more, see the menu online and also make a reservation or simply walk in at 1611 Everett Ave, in downtown Everett, Wash. The full bar and lounge area also opens at 4 PM. Reservations are encouraged but walk-ins are welcomed, as well as large parties. Parking is available in their lot on Wetmore along with many on-street and nearby public garage options.