On a cold and wintry day in February, 1986, Rigsby’s Cuisine Volatile opened its doors to a full house and helped usher in a new tradition of quality dining in Columbus. Customers were impressed with the quality of the food, while the atmosphere was casual and unpretentious. The original name for the restaurant signified that the cuisine would not be your standard faire. The menu was an eclectic drawing on the cuisines of southern France, Spain, Italy, and Greece. It was also volatile, meaning it was unpredictable because it changed every day, and the flavors were robust and often spicy. Over the years the focus on the cuisine became more Italian as the restaurant embraced the diverse and regional cuisines of Italy. One thing that has remained consistent over the years is Kent Rigsby’s passion for cooking with the best, fresh, in-season ingredients, where everything has the highest quality.
Eleni-Christina bakery, a small artisan bread bakery, was opened in 1994 as part of the Rigsby’s organization. The bakery makes fresh bread daily most notably the signature sourdough that Rigsby’s has been serving since the day it opened. The bakery also makes bread for several dozen other wholesale accounts. The bread from the bakery is completely natural with no preservatives or stabilizers.
On another wintry day in January 2005 Rigsby’s Cuisine Volatile closed for remodeling. It took three short weeks to completely demo the restaurant and put it back together. Reopening to a packed house as Rigsby’s Kitchen with same footprint: with about the same amount of seating, 100 seats, the restaurant now has a new rich palate of hardwood floors, chocolate-
brown leather banquets, and a new, beautiful, white marble bar in the front on High Street. Original art by local artists adorn the walls, and eclectic sounds of jazz, classical, and opera music help give the restaurant a hip sophistication without being stuffy or formal.
During a trip to Italy in 2006, Kent and Tasi Rigsby studied cooking with several local women in a small village in Tuscany. They also ate at various restaurants in small villages and cities across Italy. The trip was a revelation for the Rigsby’s because it not only affirmed the style of their own restaurant, but also provided inspiration for the future.
Over the years Rigsby’s Kitchen has garnered many positive reviews from food critics and the public alike. John Christensen, who writes for the Columbus Dispatch, has awarded 5 stars to Rigsby’s and includes it every year on his top ten list of Columbus’ best restaurants. In the 2007 and 2008 Zagat Survey’s guide to America’s 1,000 Top Italian Restaurants, Rigsby’s rated the highest of all the Italian restaurants in Columbus.