S
itting across from Joel Rhodes,
general manager of Drake’s Yoke,
as he talks about his life, you will see
a man who has hit bottom, only to
fight his way back to the top again.
Part of the restaurant industry for
18 years, Rhodes would be the first
person to tell you that he loves to talk
and that his love of gab is one of the
reasons why he got into the industry.
Well, that and his mom.
“My parents split when I was
13 and I spent a lot of time with
my mom. I would do what she was
doing, whether making tortillas or
dropping off enchiladas at the local
fire station or Craig’s Music, or doing
what mom does. I spent time with
her and realized that I was pretty
decent at this. I didn’t get serious
about cooking until I graduated from
culinary school [at Auguste Escoffier
School of Culinary Arts in Austin].
I went to school and slept on my
cousin’s couch for 10 months while
my wife and daughter were here, and
drove back and forth on the week-
ends. My wife was a big reason why
I stayed down there, because I knew
what she had sacrificed.”
Rhodes has served in various
capacities in the restaurant indus-
try. He started as a teen as a host at
Applebee’s. He eventually wanted to
increase his cash flow, so he became
a server.
“I started doing some kitchen
shifts, washing dishes and learning
how to prep. I did that for a number
of years. I opened Chili’s when it
came around and opened Cotton
Patch,” he said.
Rhodes went on to be the execu-
tive chef of Copper Creek, and when
it closed down he became the food
service director at Northside Baptist
Church.
During the majority of his adult
life, and unknown to the people
around him, Rhodes was battling an
addiction that cost him years of his
life, and a few run-ins with the law.
“I started drinking in high school
here and there. I was never a big
drinker, but I got to a point in my life
where when I was drunk, I wanted
to be sober, and when I was sober,
I wanted to be drunk. For me, I
became a functioning alcoholic.