Meet Mark Hopkins! Mark is the chef and owner of Hops Kitchen in Gainesville. Mark opened Hops about four years ago and the restaurant has become one of the most loved spots in Hall County. Hops makes everything from scratch, all the way down to the bread and bacon.
Some of the menu items you will want to check out are the Cuban sandwich, the Pork-etta sandwich topped with sauteed greens and Momo sauce, the Bahn Mi and many more!
Mark is married to Cynda and the couple has three children. In their spare time, they love to travel, try new restaurants and are movie lovers.
We want to thank Mark for spending time with us recently and telling us more about his life and love of Hall County.
Question: Please tell us a little bit about your family.
Answer: “I am married to my beautiful wife Cynda, children are Audrey, Luke, and James.”
Q: What is your favorite dish to make at home?
A: “Easy answer, Fettuccine Alfredo. It’s different every time, but this last time was great! I rendered some chopped up bacon, added diced onions and minced garlic to the bacon fat and sweat that out, then added some sliced asparagus and sautéed that for a few minutes, then began to make my cream sauce. To my sautéed veggies I added heavy cream and a mix of mozzarella, provolone, and Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper, then let it come up to a simmer. Toss it in with the cooked fettuccine and it was ready! Delicious!”
Q: What lead you to your current career?
A: “I love to eat! Well, most of my jobs since I was a teen have been in restaurants. At this point I’ve been cooking professionally almost 20 years. I moved to L.A. about 10 years ago and decided to go to culinary school in Hollywood and make my career ‘official.’ From there, I fell in love with the farm to table lifestyle, learning from and making lifelong friendships with some of the best chefs in the country.”
Q: What are two of your favorite restaurants in our community?
A: “I love Antebellum, every time we go it’s just perfect. He has a very Southern inspired menu, and it’s put together so creatively. I’m really looking forward to Mr. St. Claire opening up his new pizza place Peyton’s Pie Co.”Also, I don’t think we’d get through the work week without Danny’s Donuts, they’re simply fantastic!”
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would it be and why?
A: “Hawaii, we’ve never been. It’s beautiful, historic, and has a super colorful, vibrant cuisine.”
Q: What is one of your favorite movies? TV shows?
A: “One of my favorite movies is ‘True Romance,’ and a favorite TV show would have be the ‘True Detective’ series, each season is incredible different and intriguing!”
Q: If you could choose anyone to have lunch with, who would you choose? Why? And where, locally, would you meet for this lunch?
A: “1980s Chevy Chase, because ‘Fletch,’ that’s why. We would eat at the country club, have Bloody Mary’s and Steak Sandwiches on the Underhill’s bill.”
Q: Where do you see yourself in five to 10 years?
A: “Well, I’d love to have a brick and mortar of my own. I’d love to do lunch, brunch, and dinner. My location now hinders me as far as kitchen size and atmosphere. As of now we only serve lunch because 1. The atmosphere is so stark and institutional I don’t feel people would want to come for dinner 2. We don’t have the size, I can’t fit a dishwasher in there, so we don’t have any plates, glasses, silverware, etc. plus the city only allows me to have 3 employees due to my sq ft.”
Q: What is something on your bucket list?
A: “Just more traveling with my wife. I’d love to see Spain, Australia, Thailand, France, America! Let’s just go, eat, drink, and be merry!”
Q: What is your go to band/singer when you cant decide what to listen to?
A: “I may be biased, but I love Zac Brown Band! Yes, my brother is in the band, but I think they’re all just incredible musicians and they all work so well together. I can listen to their stuff all day long. Sorry, not sorry.”
Q: Favorite month? favorite holiday? and best single day on the calendar?
A: “December, I love the movies, decorations, also the love and spirit in the air. Thanksgiving, family and food!! Best single day? Probably my anniversary, because I know I’ll be somewhere, doing something fun with my best friend.”
Q: What would you rate a 10 out of 10?
A: “Momo bread Tomato sandwich.”
Q: What is something you want to do when the pandemic is over?
A: “Cough in public, shake hands, hug my friends.”
Q: Who inspires you to be better?
A: “Absolutely my wife, she has and continues to make me a better man every single day. So, every day, I’m a little bit better than I was the last, that’s how good and amazing she is.”