TT sits down with - Bud Haley owner of Jax at the Tracks

Editor's Note: Jax at the Tracks (fmr. home of the Truckee Diner) opens its doors Wednesday a.m. for breakfast, lunch and dinner service (every day, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. — yep, a Basin restaurant serving past 9 ...revelation) ...in Truckee. Tahoeticker grabbed a couple minutes Monday with owner/Truckee resident Bud Haley who spoke of the "new day" in Truckee eating ..."a reflection of where America is right now — people need good food, local food — and a good value."

Tahoeticker: First up, your background — personal and professional — and how you ended up in Truckee.

Bud Haley: I grew up in DC in the Georgetown neighborhood. I went to school at University of Arizona and married a San Francisco girl — that brought me out West... Moved down to Newport Beach and started Promelis ('98) — a high-end gourmet market akin to the Dean & Deluca. After a few years, we had a chance to move back to Vermont. We did that for five years. We have three boys and I wanted them to experience of living back East.

Bud Haley cont'd: We lived on a mountain top and killed our TV. The kids ran around in the woods and became big snowboarders. We came out here to join the Northstar snowboard team.

BH: I'd been looking for about three years. ...And (the diner property) came together in a week. It happened really fast. I met the original developer and I said 'this is meant for me.' I put an ad on craigslist (for a chef) and got 80 of the most-qualified resumes you've ever seen.

TT: So, who made the cut?

BH: Melinda Dorn is a rockstar chef. She's also from the East Coast — then was a Montana girl for a period of time. She's been featured on the Food Network. We connected immediately, and she knew with the reset in America — to serve great American cuisine with an edge ...food that people can understand, is what it's all about. We decided to stick with simple things — everything is made in house. Nothing is bought from the big purveyors.

BH cont'd: We just won the best chili at the Truckee chili cook-off — because we did it with a jalepeno crepe topping. From our Kobe meatloaf to our burger menu to choosing omlette toppings from a (checklist), like a sushi sheet. It's custom. It's local. We've got local growers and we're going to work with the UNR (Gund) Ranch. We need to have the best product and that means sourcing local growers.

BH: When I came in here, I knew the challenges we'd face with the reputation. This old diner car is like an old set of comfortable blue jeans, but it was junked up. We got rid of all the kitschy/cheap wall decorations — and streamlined the diner car to its original form. We got some of Edison lamp lighting that's really hip right now in NYC and Boston. Those are just a couple of the touches. The experience is a heckuva lot more than what people are used to.

TT: So the space (120 tops) got a little updating, but we gotta ask about the economy and the whole 'why a new restaurant now?' of it all.

BH: I think, unfortunately, what happened with the run up in real estate — restaurants had to pay so much with debt service that drove the prices. We negotiated a terrific position here. We have a product that's significantly improved. And we provide something that someone can afford. This is a place family can go out to and afford it. I have hope for the economy. And we needed a home for home-cooked food; that's what made me want to pull the trigger.

TT: 'K, what's the etymology behind the name?

BH: Jax at the Tracks. We needed to make a departure from the diner and we had to avoid association with a diner mentality. Jax is a family name and it tied in with the location.

TT: So Wednesday's the day?

BH: We had a soft/friends and family opening last weekend. We're excited for all three services. Every day.