Oak Cliff chef Carl Harris tests running his own restaurant at Arlington's Kitchen Combine

Chef Carl Harris has been in the private dining and catering industry for over a decade. This month, he's learning what it takes to run a restaurant that's open to the public.

His background: Food was a big part of Harris' upbringing in a Black-Latinx household. He got into cooking after enrolling at UNT, using his roommates as his "guinea pigs" and occasionally selling plates of food to make extra money.

• An apprenticeship with a Dallas restaurant years later segued into his own catering business.
• He has appeared in Season 16 of the Food Network's "The Great Food Truck Race" and catered for the Oprah Winfrey Network's "Ready to Love" seasons in Dallas and Fort Worth .

What's new: The Kitchen Combine's January chef nominated Harris' Cravings for one of the February spots.

• He's worked closely with his sous-chef and two other employees to roll out and refine his brunch concept.
• And he's learning how to analyze data from a point-of-sale system, incorporate feedback from diners and time the cooking process so each group's orders are ready around the same time.
• "I've helped other restaurants, but I've never operated my concept. This feels different. There's a sense of pride that comes with it," Harris tells Axios.

The intrigue: The dishes are beautifully plated, highlighting Harris' background in upscale dining. His menu offers a new take on comfort foods like strawberry shortcake, shrimp and grits and sweet potato pie.

• Many of his existing clients have also come by Kitchen Combine this month, pleased they can get his food without having to wait for his catering.
• And, his team is getting ready for a three-course Valentine's Day dinner at Kitchen Combine on Wednesday.

The bottom line: "We've never had this opportunity to serve from a live kitchen. We've always catered or done private work, so everything is already set," Harris says. "This is going to be our test — can we really do it? Can we make it?"

If you go: Kitchen Combine is open 7am-3pm for Harris' brunch service and 4-7pm for Chef Bruce Strain's slider bar.

• They're closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.