Celebrity Chefs


Introducing the 2024 Côtes du Coeur Celebrity Chefs!

 

Chef Richard Chamberlain

Richard Chamberlain

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Chef Richard Chamberlain

Chamberlain’s Steak and Chophouse

Chef Richard Chamberlain

Considered one of America’s leading chefs, Richard is the owner of Chamberlain’s Steak and Chophouse in Dallas – named one of Bon Appetit’s top new restaurants shortly after opening in 1993. Since then, both he and the restaurant have garnered stellar reviews and accolades from premier publications such as Gourmet and Zagat Guide. Richard followed this success by opening the award-winning Fish Market Grill in Dallas and Tarragon at Elk Mountain, an ultra-luxury resort in Colorado. In 2005, The Renaissance Las Vegas and Chef Richard Chamberlain partnered for the opening of ENVY The Steakhouse- one of most exclusive new restaurants in Las Vegas, Nevada. Consistently recognized by the world’s top restaurant and dining publications,

Chef Chamberlain’s awards include:

· “One of America’s Top Tables,” from Gourmet

  • “One of America’s Top Restaurants,” from Zagat Guide
  • “Award of Excellence,” from Wine Spectator

Prior to opening his own restaurants, Chef Chamberlain spent three years as the executive chef of the exclusive Little Nell Hotel in Aspen, where he received national attention for pioneering American Alpine cooking. At this time he was recognized as one of the best chefs in the country by the James Beard Foundation. Richard has also served as executive chef at San Simeon Restaurant and Ratcliff’s, both in Dallas; as well as executive sous chef at the world famous Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles; and sous chef under Dean Fearing at the Mansion at Turtle Creek.


Chef Dan Landsberg

Dan Landsberg

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Chef Dan Landsberg

The Texas Barn at Circle T Ranch


Chef Dan Landsberg

Dan Landsberg, Complex Executive Chef, joined the ZaZa team in 2011 at the helm of the kitchen for Dragonfly, housed within the Dallas property. Landsberg has recently expanded his horizon however, and implemented his creativity and leadership skills to oversee the direction of Z Resorts’ culinary programs. Chef Landsberg brings a long history in creative cuisines from some of the nation’s most eclectic restaurants which include working alongside Chef Stephan Pyles to create the cuisine for his namesake restaurant, served as a founding partner for Tillman’s Roadhouse, and executive chef roles for Seventeen Seventeen and the Atrium Café to name a few. A graduate of the critically acclaimed California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, Landsberg is a fixture of the dining scene, all while actively participating in culinary and charitable events.

Chef Kent Rathbun

Kent Rathburn

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Chef Kent Rathbun

Lover’s Seafood & Market
Lover's Seafood & Market
Chef Kent Rathbun

You would be hard pressed to find someone whose food journey comes close to that of Chef Rathbun. His fascination with food began at the tender age of 5. When most kids are learning to field a ground ball, he was obsessing over back-of- the- house prep, learning the skills and commitment to excellence that has driven his approach ever since.

He began his professional career as an apprentice at La Bonne Au Berge, a 5-Start French Restaurant in Kansas City. From there he worked under some of the best chefs in the country with stints at Mr. B’s in New Orleans, Kansas City’s American Restaurant and Milano’s, Dallas’ Mansion on Turtle Creek, The Landmark at the Warwick Melrose Hotel.

In 1999 he established Abacus, winning just about every award in sight, including Bon Appetit’s “Best of the Year” and was awarded Four Diamonds by Mobil. Soon after, he added Jaspers to his resume that featured the best of “gourmet backyard cuisine”, and another slew of awards followed. Not content to sit still – anyone whose has been around Kent knows his mind and body are in constant motion – he created a catering operation and his own exclusive line of products, designed for home cooks. In May of 2018 Kent opened his newest restaurant imoto in Victory Park.

A true Texas legend, Kent is equally well known nationally. From Presidential inaugural balls, to the premier events in football and golf, to network TV appearances with the celebrities of every stripe, Kent is one of the country’s “go-to” chefs when the focus is on great food and great times.

Finally, no one has done more for those in need. Kent and his wife Tracy contribute their time and talent to a number of organizations including the American Cancer Society, March of Dimes, Zoo to Do, The North Texas Food Bank and the American Heart Association.

Chef John Tesar

John Tesar

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Chef John Tesar

Knife

Knife_201

Chef John Tesar

In the midst of an influential culinary career spanning nearly four-decades, Executive Chef and Partner John Tesar takes a classically trained chef’s approach to steakhouse cuisine at Knife Dallas, a sophisticated destination for in-house dry-aged steaks sourced from nearby Texas farms. “For years, I thrived as the European-trained seafood chef,” Tesar explains, “so for Knife, I travelled to steakhouses around the country to find out how I could change and elevate the game.” Opened in May 2014 in the Highland Dallas hotel, Knife finds its drive from the products it sources through partnerships with nearby Heartbrand Beef and 44 Farms and the innovative, classically rooted techniques it employs in the kitchen, as well as the science behind its up-to-240-day on-site dry-aging process.

The success of Knife stems from Tesar’s distinct leadership philosophies. “It’s all about carrying on those classic traditions while keeping your mind open for growth and new experiences,” he says, valuing purity, hard work, style, and integrity. With the expansion of the Knife steakhouse brand throughout Texas and the country, as well as the introduction of Knife Burger and Knife butcher shops—first debuting in Plano, TX’s Legacy Food Hall in autumn 2017—Tesar relishes the enthusiastic support his concept garners from staff, guests, and critics. “To identify, execute, and multiply a niche like this is truly a treasure,” he says.

Prior to reinventing the Texas steakhouse landscape, Tesar enjoyed a lengthy career in fine dining that stemmed from his upbringing in Manhattan and the Hamptons. Inspired by his mother’s cooking, Tesar picked up a job in a Hamptons pub during the summer, when he would head to the laid-back enclave to surf and skate, and progressed naturally towards a career in food. With classical French training from Paris’s La Varenne Ecole de Cuisine, Tesar worked at Westhampton’s Club Pierre, a premium French eatery, for six years until ultimately purchasing it. In addition, he furthered his craft throughout the ‘90s at iconic NYC restaurants including 13 Barrow Street, 44 & Hell’s Kitchen, Vine, and Supper Club—at which he worked alongside celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain—before leaving New York City behind in the early 2000s to join chef Rick Moonen in Las Vegas at RM Seafood.

With its blossoming food scene, Dallas drew Tesar to Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek in 2006 to lead the high-end establishment as executive chef, rapidly garnering two five-star reviews. He later went on to open Spoon Bar & Kitchen to bring premium seasonal seafood to central Texas in 2012, meanwhile consulting on numerous DRG Concepts properties including Dallas Chop House and Dallas Fish Market, as well as on The Cedars Social, The Commissary, and more. Spoon gained immediate recognition as one of the best new restaurants in the world by Condé Nast Traveler, Bon Appétit, and Esquire, and Tesar’s visionary consulting worked helped shape the Dallas food scene.

Shifting his culinary focus to become an authority on steak, Tesar took on his steakhouse project in 2014 with the caveat that it be different from the rest—a distinction he achieved by investing in long-term dry-aging inventory and by contemporizing the classically stuffy steakhouse atmosphere into an intimate and engaging, product-driven experience. Recognition for Knife Dallas includes Eater National’s “Most Anticipated Openings,” Esquire’s “Best New Restaurants,” Zagat’s “Hottest New Restaurants,” Maxim’s “America’s Best Steakhouse Specialties,” D Magazine’s “Best Steakhouse in Dallas” 2015 and 2016, Gayot’s “Top 10 Best Steakhouses” 2017, and a feature on Esquire Network’s “Restaurant Revolution” program.

On the heels of Knife’s success and national recognition, Tesar has taken on the fast-casual dining scene with his burger stand spinoff project in 2017, Knife Burger, located at Legacy Food Hall, and opening soon in Fort Worth, with additional locations on the horizon. Continuing with the momentum, Tesar is heading to the West Coast, bringing his new seafood concept Outer Reef to the Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa in Dana Point, CA. Outer Reef will pay homage to Tesar’s critically-acclaimed seafood restaurant Spoon Bar & Kitchen (Dallas, TX 2012 -2014) with a selection of favorites from its menu including crudo, caviar and fresh shellfish, as well as select meat offerings from his steakhouse concept Knife.

Never one to slow down, Tesar continues to grow the reach of his consultancy in addition to his expansion of the Knife brand, the development of a television show, and the 2017 launch of his cookbook, Knife: Steakhouse Meals at Home, which features endorsements by talented chefs. A four-time James Beard “Best Southwest Chef” semifinalist, two-time contestant on Bravo’s “Top Chef,” and winner of Food Network’s “Extreme Chef,” Tesar’s national media presence also includes appearances on “The Today Show” and “The Early Show” as well as coverage in The New York Times, Food & Wine, New York Magazine, and more.

When he finds free time among his busy schedule, Tesar often fills it by attending food festivals around the world to meet new people, work with new chefs, and learn new culinary techniques. An avid traveler, he naturally gravitates to the beach and the slopes to fulfill his lifelong appreciation for surfing and snowboarding.


Chef Gerard Thompson

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Chef Gerard Thompson
Rough Creek Lodge

Chef Gerard Thompson

Chef Thompson’s talents and culinary interpretations of rustic American and wild game cuisine have garnered national attention, and his philosophy is simple… “Make the meal memorable.”

Imaginative menus featuring the absolute best ingredients are created daily. Tomatoes grown specifically for Rough Creek, locally grown organic micro-greens and specialty products like fresh grits from a small Alabama mill all reflect Gerard’s detail-driven style. He’s received superlative reviews nationally by the Zagat Survey, Bon Appétit, Gourmet, and Food & Wine, and recently was awarded a perfect score from the North American Restaurant Association. From his open kitchen, he challenges his guests (who he refers to as “adventurous and open-minded”) with innovative rustic American cuisine and the result is one of the best restaurants in the country.

CRITIC’S PRAISE
“Our much-anticipated dinner was the unquestioned highlight of our stay”
“Thompson turns out some of the most consistently excellent cuisine I’ve tasted”
“The restaurant alone is worth a stay.”

ON THE ROAD
Chef Thompson is requested for guest appearances all over the country. Upcoming appearances include Côtes du Coeur,t the Granbury Wine Walk and the Texas Food and Wine Festival.

Chef Eric Dreyer

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Chef Eric Dreyer

Monarch Restaurant

Monarch

 

Texas native Eric Dreyer has received numerous accolades from diners and critics alike since the beginning of his culinary career at age 20. Chef Dreyer’s pursuit of a culinary career started after he spent some time working with high-end catering firms and restaurants in California. His passion and talent for cooking were quickly identified by the chefs he worked for, encouraging him to consider exploring it further. Shortly after, Chef Dreyer enrolled at the California School of Culinary Arts in Pasadena. His career in luxury hospitality began at The Ritz-Carlton, Marina del Rey in 1999, where his rotation through a variety of culinary departments helped master his craft. In 2001, Jer-Ne Restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton Marina del Rey was opened with James Beard award winning chef Troy Thompson at the helm. Dreyer took his passion for food to a new level and was promoted to Sous Chef of the famed establishment. Chef Dreyer led several fine dining kitchens and ultimately returned to his Texas roots in 2005 as Chef de Cuisine of The Grand Hyatt DFW. In August of 2007, Dreyer was recruited to return to The Ritz-Carlton and alongside Dean Fearing, opened his namesake restaurant Fearing’s. For the next 11 years, Fearing’s restaurant received many accolades and Dreyer Co-Authored the Texas Food Bible cookbook and was named Best Rising Star Chef by Culture Map Dallas. In 2018, Dreyer took on a new role as Executive Chef of Promised Land, Oprah Winfrey’s Estate. A year later, Dreyer returned to Dallas and opened Hall Arts Hotel. In November 2020, Dreyer was recruited by What If Syndicate group as Executive Chef to open Monarch Restaurant, the 49thfloor gem in downtown Dallas’ National Building. Outside of the kitchen, Eric lends support to various charitable organizations nationwide and is dedicated to supporting and raising awareness of the Dallas area’s farmers and artisans.

Chef Janice Provost 

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Chef Janice Provost

Parigi

Parigi


Chef Luciano Salvadore

Luciano Salvadore

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Chef Luciano Salvadore

Calabrese

Calabrese Southlake