Page 87 - Senior Link Magazine Summer 2026 - Online Magazine

HONORING SMALL BUSINESSES

His first job there was at The Posse East near
UT, and his first biweekly paycheck was $496—
“just enough to cover my rent and beer.” He
went on to work at several Michelin-starred
restaurants in places like Paris, Napa Valley,
and Santa Fe.

Finn has come a long way since baking
cookies and making pancakes for his family
at age seven. He returned to his hometown
and opened The Nicolett at the height of the
Covid pandemic, a challenging time for the
whole hospitality industry, but a monumental
hurdle for someone launching his career in a
niche market. He and wife Arden purchased a
property at what seemed an unlikely location
for a restaurant. The unique building at 511
Broadway had been transformed from a
warehouse into a residence by John and Becky
Shurbet who lived there for 18 years. Finn knew
immediately it was the perfect spot for The
Nicolett. The ambience of the intimate setting
with its rough brick walls, handcrafted stone
fireplace, and exquisite greenhouse reminded
him of European hideaways and cozy urban
restaurants in New York City. Sam Stone of Bon
Appétit called it “one of Texas’ most beautiful
restaurants.”
But the real attraction of The Nicolett is the
cuisine. Finn came home with the desire to
create unique dishes using locally sourced
meat and produce. Each creation is a feast for
the palette as well as for the eyes, and roughly
80% of the items on the menu incorporate
ingredients chefs in NYC would never have
thought of using: appetizers like yucca fries
with juniper aioli, desserts like Chocolate
Elixir from the Kakawa Chocolate House in
Santa Fe, drinks like a Desert Latte, and entrees
like Hill Country Antelope. “We call it ‘High
Plains Cuisine.’ Our food is a nod to the region
and its indigenous (and often underutilized)
ingredients, presented using the cooking
techniques that are part of my journey — from
New Mexico to France.”

Finn earned his MBA from TTU in 2018 and
four years later received the Rawls College of
Business's Innovation Award for introducing
“a new form of dining to the region.” Their
website says, “The Nicolett honors the heritage
of the High Plains, while looking toward its
future with an innovative approach to food,

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