800.798.7098   •   563.556.4200
200 Main Street   •   Dubuque, IA 52001

Meet The Team: Troy Tucker

Troy_Tucker_Meet_The_TeamName:  Troy Tucker
Title: Sous Chef, Caroline’s Restaurant
Hometown: Cincinnati, OH

1. How long have you been with Hotel Julien Dubuque?

Three years.

2. What path brought you to Hotel Julien Dubuque? Please share a little bit about your professional background and what led you to this industry?

I started as a busboy when I was a little kid and worked my way up.  Back then it was the long-haired, Slayer/Metallica guys in the kitchen, throwing pans and wielding sharp knives, while the gentle piano music floated in from the dining room.  I worked my way up to opening my own restaurant, Bella’s, in Mt. Carroll, IL which was a five-year venture.  I had kept in contact with Dwight Hopfauf who had been the GM at a property in Rockford, IL where we both had worked.  He became the GM at Hotel Julien which kept Dubuque on my radar.

3. What are you most passionate about professionally?

I’m passionate about creating beautiful, tasty, balanced dishes made from the best products available.

4. What are you passionate about personally? What is your favorite way to spend a free weekend?

My two little beans, Isabelle and Cash are my passion.  My favorite way to spend a weekend (Monday and Tuesday) involves any activity we do as a family.  Lately, it has been cooking together.  Most recently we prepared sushi, one of their favorite foods.

5. What are some of your favorite things to do in the Dubuque area?

There are always interesting things going on in Dubuque.  I love exploring them with my girlfriend.

6. What do you love most about Hotel Julien Dubuque?

I love the team I work with and the rich history of the hotel itself.

7. What is your personal motto?

“Life is not a rehearsal.”

8. Describe your typical workday.

My days are full of creating and preparing, teaching and learning, dodging hot stuff and sharp stuff and generally just trying to make it fun for everyone.

9. Please share a go-to fun-fact about yourself.

I like to work on clocks.  I have clocks from here to Mt. Carroll, IL.  I have old clocks and new clocks, electric clocks and wind-up clocks, big clocks and little clocks, alarm clocks and pendulum clocks…  You get the picture!

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