CHELSEA, MI — Nate Wegryn has one goal in mind: to work at actor Jeff Daniels’ new music venue and restaurant in Chelsea “until I don’t work anymore,” he said.
The restaurant passion runs in his family. His 5-year-old son continuously builds LEGO sets of what he wants the restaurant to look like.
What’s his latest gig? Crafting the menu at Daniels’ new spot.
Wegryn, 31, is the executive chef at JD’s Stage Bistro, 117 ½ S. Main St., a short distance from Daniels’ Purple Rose Theatre.
He joined the team in October 2025 and wants the menu to be suitable for everyone.
“The idea really is to make something that’s fun and approachable and elevated,” Wegryn said.
Although still an ongoing project, menu items will include wood-fired pizzas, house-made pasta, steak, vegetables and seafood. The seafood will be sourced from Motor City Seafood Company and Fortune Fish & Gourmet.
He also hopes to work with Agricole Farm Stop to source produce. To Wegryn, community involvement with the restaurant is key.
“We really want to get involved in the schools and give back to the community as much as we can and really try to create a special place for everyone, for families, for children, for couples going out on a date night, for people coming to listen to music,” Wegryn said. “We really just want to create a one-of-a-kind memorable, very intimate music venue as well as a comfortable, fun restaurant.”
His gastronomic philosophy is similar to Daniels’ Chelsea-focused vision for the venue.
JD’s Stage Bistro is currently under construction and will open in April, Aaron Vermeulen, business partner and principal at architecture firm O|X Studio, based in Ann Arbor, previously said.
The spot will accommodate a 130-person music space, 100-person restaurant, 60-person newsroom and 30-person vinyl room.
Wegryn first heard about the new restaurant’s endeavors a few years ago but only joined the team last fall.
His culinary career is also not exactly linear.
Wegryn, who grew up on Ann Arbor’s west side, studied business at the University of Alabama from 2012 to 2016. He “didn’t really have a direction” and chose to move back home and begin working in restaurants.
Despite not knowing what job he wanted, he developed a passion for cooking after exposure to a myriad of cultures via food.
“My parents always cooked good food, but it was never, I wasn’t exposed to all the different cultures and flavors that I was until I moved out and saw everything for my own and really woke up and got excited about it,” Wegryn said.
He worked at several businesses, Zingerman’s Bakehouse and the now-closed Westside Barbecue. He developed a passion for “simplicity” while at Westside Barbecue.
“It’s cool when you can take something so simple and end up with something that’s so special,” Wegryn said.
He also opened his own catering business in 2019.
Following his initial restaurant stints, he earned a culinary arts degree from Oakland Community College in 2023.
Wegryn was part of the opening team at The Dixboro Project in 2021. He worked at the restaurant for almost three years, eventually becoming a sous chef, before leaving to take on other projects, including helping to open Echelon Kitchen and Bar in February 2025.
At Echelon, Wegryn was the executive sous chef.
Why has he remained in the culinary world for so long? There is “always so much more to learn,” Wegryn said.
“Even some of the best chefs in the world, you could take them to a different part of the world, and they wouldn’t have any idea what’s going on,” he said.
He also enjoys the hospitality aspect of cooking and notes the dining experience trumps the food.
“You get to take care of someone, and you get to give them a special experience,” Wegryn said.
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Dining and Cooking