Cynthia Long, executive chef for Nick’s Quorum Bar & Supper Club, has always had a love of food and cooking; in her family, cooking was a way to show love.
Long grew up in a tiny town in Pennsylvania called Jenkintown, which is a half-square-mile. Cooking came naturally to her. “Both of my sets of grandparents cooked. Everyone in my family loves to cook, and they love to eat. I have recipes from the moms of the kids I went to high school with. We always ate no matter what house we were at. I never thought I would do anything else,” Long said.
At 17, Long attended culinary school at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island. After graduation, she went to school at New York Institute of Technology for Hotel Restaurant Management. She cooked in New York, Russia, and Atlanta at hotels and restaurants, eventually becoming a culinary director in New York. When COVID-19 hit, she shifted gears, becoming a personal chef. This was out of necessity; restaurants were closed, and one of her good friends was in the office all day with no food options. So, she started meal prepping for her friend and other clients.
Long’s passion for cooking has set her on a journey that’s involved learning many different techniques. “A lot of people want to get into cooking because of celebrity chefs on TV, but it’s hard work and a skill. Culinary school isn’t necessary for everyone, but if you love the craft, you can be good in the field. The passion needs to be there. There must be an appreciation for the fundamentals of cooking,” said Long.
In the fall of 2023, she was asked to become the head chef of Nick’s Quorum by Culinary Director Marvin Woods, who was impressed by Long’s vast knowledge of different elements of cooking.
“Cynthia embodies the full definition of ‘Chef d’ Cuisine.’ The translation of the word chef is ‘chief.’ You can’t be a chief unless you can master the position,” Woods explained. “She is far superior to most chefs. She’s a master in pastry and cake design. She’s also a master in savory food, including gluten free, vegetarian, vegan, and a fantastic bar mixologist, who makes bitters and flavorings from scratch. She’s a rare breed, and few are like her.”
Nick’s Quorum is tucked inside the Hilton hotel across from the CHI Health Center. The Quorum is fashioned after Wisconic supper clubs, which were popular during Prohibition and often situated on the outskirts of towns. Since it was a club, they required memberships so they could serve alcohol—the loophole being that they weren’t technically selling it, but giving it to the members. There isn’t a membership needed at the Quorum today—but hints of nostalgia like the “Immediate Seating” neon sign out front pay homage to supper clubs that had similar roadside signs. The Quorum name is inspired by Omaha’s Saint Nicholas Claim House of 1854, which was a restaurant inside the Saint Nicholas Hotel in downtown Omaha.
Woods describes the Quorum as a “Classic steakhouse with a Midwest comfort. We have oysters Rockefeller. We have some old-school dishes. We are trying to do classic food with a new spin.”
The music sets the mood, making the dining experience fully immersive. DJ Josh One created a unique mix of music that changes throughout the night from jazz to more eclectic and upbeat mixes, adding to the ambiance.
Seated for dinner, a relish tray of pickled vegetables is served with trout dip like those at the supper clubs of yore. Although the relish tray is a flash from the past, it’s also a more modern approach, appealing to those with a gluten-free diet.
Long’s favorite menu item is the prime rib. “We have a rolling guéridon cart, and we slice prime rib table-side. All the prime rib comes with Yorkshire pudding and horseradish. The Yorkshire pudding is bone butter made from bone marrow,” Long said.
Broaster chicken is another popular item. A 24-hour salt brine preps the poultry, then it’s dropped in a broaster until crispy and moist and served with an Asian-influenced slaw and Korean dipping sauce.
Nick’s Quorum also has a fish fry every day, using Brickway beer for the fish batter.
Everything at the Quorum is hand-crafted and made in-house, including vegetable stock for soups. The au jus is made from freshly roasted bones that cook overnight, and all the sauces are made from scratch. The béchamel for the oysters is made from scratch with Absinthe.
The Quorum has an elevated brunch every day of the week that includes items like shrimp and grits, chicken and waffles, steak and eggs, breakfast tacos, Butterfinger waffles, and many more sweet and savory items.
Desserts are Long’s passion. “My strength is in pastries. We have a chocolate torte, a sweet potato crème Brulé, and a Profiterole Cream puff with strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries in a pastry cream. Butter brickle ice cream was invented in Omaha, so we wanted to create a homemade butter brickle here. The butter brickle ice cream tops the apple crumble,” Long said.
Long takes pride in cooking for her customers at Nick’s Quorum. “I enjoy feeding their souls and taking care of people,” she said.
Nick’s Quorum Bar & Supper Club is located in the Hilton Omaha at 1001 Cass St. For more information and reservations, visit Nicksq.com.
This article originally appeared in the July/August 2024 issue of Omaha Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
