The Wine Conference, Houston’s Wine Event

Carmelo Mauro

As a native Sicilian, master chef and restaurateur, Carmelo Mauro has honored the land of his ancestry by giving Texans an exploration of the true variety of Italian culinary treasures. With two highly successful restaurants in Houston and Austin, Carmelo is winning over the hearts, and palates, of Texans, with food that is true to tradition.

Carmelo was born in Taormina, Sicily, and travel was his dream from early childhood. The hotel industry gave him the opportunity when he worked his way up from bellhop to general manager. He was accepted for an apprenticeship at the Frankfurter Hoff in Frankfurt, Germany where he learned German. From there, Carmelo was sent to England to work at the Queen’s Hotel in Leeds, England, where he learned English and, from there, to the Intercontinental Hotel in Geneva, Switzerland, where he learned French. His hotel career continued with Intercontinental Hotels in Europe and Africa, the South Hampton Princess in Bermuda and the Royal Palms & Beach Club in the Cayman Isles. Including Spanish and Italian, he speaks five languages.

After working 20 years in restaurants and hotels all over the world, Carmelo moved to Houston in 1978 with his wife Hilary and opened his own romantic “Old World” Italian restaurant. In 1985, Carmelo’s expanded to Austin, leasing, and eventually purchasing, the historic “Old Depot Hotel,” the oldest standing train depot in the state of Texas. Both restaurants have been lovingly restored and are a continual “work in progress!”

Among many honors, Carmelo’s Italian Restaurant was chosen by the National Pizza and Pasta Association as their 1993 “Pasta Maker of the Year,” in competition with 42,000 other pizza and pasta operators. For his commitment to quality, he was named a 1997 honoree in the Blue Chip Enterprise Initiative, an annual program that recognizes small firms that have overcome challenges. It is a program sponsored by MassMutual, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Nation’s Business. For his dedication to community service, Carmelo was recognized by the National Restaurant Association as their 2001 Cornerstone Humanitarian of the Year. That same year, the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce awarded Carmelo’s their small business “Commitment to Community” award.

To what does Carmelo attribute achieving this measure of success? “The most important thing is to believe in yourself, know what you are doing and surround yourself with people who believe in you and want to grow with you,” he says. “Then the rest just follows.”

Carmelo’s is also helping create history by becoming a school based restaurant to teach students entrepreneurial skills. This pioneer program, the first of its kind in the nation, opened in Del Valle High School in 2001 to give students the tools they need to successfully pursue a career in business. As part of the program, a Carmelo’s Italian Restaurant was built within the school to serve as a business laboratory accompanied by a comprehensive three-year curriculum. This is all under the auspices of the Texas Restaurant Association Education Foundation whose mission it is to educate the workforce within the foodservice industry as well as provide information about opportunities and careers within the industry.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Jonathan Jones AKA Jj

Jonathan Jones, a native of La Porte, Texas, gained a great appreciation for good food at a very young age.  He is a stepson of a European cook, grandson of a butcher and was heavily influenced by neighbors who steeped him in Mexican food and culture.

Jones is best known for creating the menu and shaping the concept at Max’s Wine Dive where he received accolades from both local and national media for his culinary talents. Recently, My Table magazine named Max’s Wine Dive as one of “2006’s Best New Restaurants,” while the Houston Chronicle calls Jones the “Chef to Watch in 2007.”.

Jones is a graduate of the Art Institute of Houston and has extensive experience cooking in such diverse restaurants as Lakewood Yacht Club, Chez Nous, Ouisie’s Table, eatZi’s, Aries, Riviera Grill.  In 2002, Jones opened his own restaurant, Café Chiasso, an upscale Northern Italian restaurant.  Café Chiasso opened to rave reviews and provided Jones the platform in which he was nominated Houston’s “Best Up-and-Coming Chef” from My Table Magazine.  Jones was most recently the Executive Chef for the Cordua Restaurant Group’s Americas in The Woodlands.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Houston Dairymaids

Houston Dairymaids is a two-year-old venture from seasoned cheese professional Lindsey Schechter. Part business and part exploration, their goal is to meet artisan Texas cheesemakers, learn about their craft, and then bring the best of their products to Houston. They look for cheeses naturally made by hand, and, when possible, from unpasteurized milk.

Through the farmer’s markets, cheese tastings, and their work with area chefs, they hope to share their knowledge and experiences while expanding the offerings of specialty foods to our community.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Scott Tycer (photo by Julie Soefer)

Scottt Tycer is the owner and Executive Chef of the new restaurant Textile located in The Heights neighborhood of Houston. Tycer is also the owner of Kraftsmen Baking, the premiere artisan bakery in the Houston market encompassing both quality wholesale and retail café components, and Gravitas Restaurant, an American Bistro located in a 1930’s warehouse and store front at 807 Taft Street.

Formerly, Tycer was owner and Executive Chef at Aries, which opened in November 2000 to widespread acclaim and become an overnight destination for modern American cuisine and fine dining in Houston.  The restaurant earned Tycer extensive media praise, including a place on Food & Wine magazine’s much sought-after list of “Best New American Chefs” in 2003.

Before opening Aries, Kraftsmen, and Gravitas, Tycer spent more than ten years working his way up the culinary ladder. He began his career while earning money for his college education at the University of Texas, Austin.  Thriving on the creative and hands-on work of the restaurant industry, he chose to pursue a culinary career after completing a degree in English literature.  Tycer went on to attend the Western Culinary Institute in Portland, Oregon, where he studied the teachings of Escofier and Antoine Carême.  After realizing that his interest was in the fine dining sector, he secured a position under Chef Anthony Deme at Couvron, since named Gourmet magazine’s “Top Table for Oregon.”

In 1995, Chef Tycer returned to his hometown of Houston, where he continued to hone his ability to deliver high quality, innovative cuisine, while simultaneously establishing a system for inventory management and cost controls.  Within a two year period, he worked under Chef Todd Rogers at the former Ritz-Carlton (now St Regis); as Chef Tournant at Benjy’s; and as Sous Chef at Dacapo’s under friend Charles Clark, the co-creator of Ibiza Restaurant.

In 1997, Tycer moved to the San Francisco Bay Area so that his wife Annika could attend business school at Stanford University.  While working as dining room chef of the Stanford Park Hotel, he learned that Wolfgang Puck was converting Jeremiah Towers’ Stars concept into Spago Palo Alto.  His persistence led to a position as kitchen manager. Soon thereafter, Tycer

Accepted a promotion to executive Sous Chef, taking on responsibilities for the day-to-day operations of the entire kitchen – from hiring and training to purchasing and banquets.

Tycer considers his time at Spago to be the defining work of his early career.  Chef Michael French acted as mentor and encouraged him to refine his skills in all the crucial areas of restaurant management and fine cuisine.  In addition, frequent interaction with Wolfgang Puck, whom Tycer recalls as “chaos embodied,” taught him that restaurant success is all about bringing energy to the workplace and helping others to feed off of one’s passion.

Plinio Sandalio (Photo by Tracy Tesmer)

Plinio Sandalio was born in Bolivia and moved to the US when he was 8. In Bolivia Plinio grew up on his grandmothers cooking. When Plinio moved to Houston he was introduced to the vast cuisines of all the cultures that make Houston so vibrant.

After high school, Plinio got a full scholarship to Rochester Institute of Technology. There he attempted to major in Mechanical Engineering. 2 years into his college engineering studies he dropped out and moved back to Houston to pursue a new career. Plinio enrolled at the Art Institute of Houston and studied Culinary Arts, graduated in 2005 and started working in different kitchens, jumping back and forth between savory and sweet. “My savory and sweet experience is present in my desserts, where I am not afraid to use a little salt or bacon.” Says Chef Plinio Sandalio.

Chef Plinio Sandalio worked in a variety of kitchens, all of which greatly affected his style in cooking and baking. Some of these kitchens include: Rickshaw (Sous Chef), Noe (Pastry Chef), Soma (Sous Chef), Gravitas (Pastry Chef), Textile (Pastry Chef)

While working with Chef Robert Gadsby, at Noe, Plinio competed on Iron Chef America as Chef Gadsby’s Sous Chef.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Robert Gadsby

At Bedford restaurant, Executive Chef Robert Gadsby enjoys the perfect stage on which to showcase his Progressive American cuisine in a fun, upscale environment.  Building upon his European culinary background, he infuses his dishes with evocative tastes from around the world and the best American flavors and ingredients in a singularly unique presentation — a signature style that began more than three decades ago.

Leaving his hometown of Bedford, England, Gadsby first trained for his career more than
30 years ago at Westminster College in London.  He then moved to Italy to study with the renowned Gualtiero Marchesi, and later he traveled to France and apprenticed with the legendary Alain Chapel, Joel Robuchon and Alain Ducasse.  With a solid foundation in classical French and regional Italian cuisine, Gadsby furthered his culinary education in Japan, Singapore and Thailand.

Gadsby moved to the United States in 1985 and graduated summa cum laude from New York University with a degree in Business Administration and Restaurant Management.  He also worked under Barry Wine at the Quilted Giraffe, Tom Colicchio at Mondrian, and Thomas Keller at Rakel.  After moving to Los Angeles, he continued to work with Thomas Keller as Sous Chef at Checkers Hotel, followed by Executive Chef positions at Xiomara and Luna Park.

He opened the eponymous GADSBYS in 1995, which became a true expression of his culinary and business prowess.  From the plates on the table to the GADSBYS logo, everything was handpicked or designed by the Gadsby family.  Larry Lipson of L.A. Daily News called GADSBYS “one of the most aesthetically expressive small dining rooms ever encountered in Los Angeles.”

With the launch of Noé Restaurant & Bar at the Omni Los Angeles Hotel in 2003, Gadsby redefined the notion of hotel dining winning accolades from top critics worldwide.  Gadsby and Omni Hotels expanded the concept to Houston in 2004 where he quickly won the hearts, minds and stomachs of Houston’s culinary community.  In its first year, the restaurant was awarded “Best New Restaurant” by the Houston Press and My Table magazine; “Best of the Best” by Robb Report and the Houston Chronicle; and Robert Gadsby received “Chef of the Year” honors from My Table.

Gadsby split with Omni in 2007 to work on his own venture – Bedford.  As Executive Chef and Owner, Gadsby continues to blend traditional world cuisines with modern eclectic flavors to create dazzling menus.  By using only the finest and freshest meat, fish, poultry and produce, his menus constantly evolve to take advantage of the best possible ingredients.  His attention to detail emanates throughout the entire restaurant and has raised the dining standard throughout Houston.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Randy Rucker

Randy Rucker is passionate about food & wine and all that it inhabits.  His drive to find the freshest ingredients and to uphold them so that their natural integrity is not lost is only one example of his dedication to his career and his craft.  His respect for classic techniques and his quest to find new and exciting ways to re-introduce food is a story that can only be experienced through his cuisine.

His style is unique to Houston, upholding southern classics and integrating new and exciting techniques have made him one of the most exciting chefs to watch in the state of Texas.  Randy credits is mom for getting him interested in the art of food and celebration and he knows with out her he would not be the cook he is today.  “Food is simply an interpretation of the moment or the season and should be taken seriously but having fun with your food is something everyone enjoys.  I run my kitchens with the highest level of integrity and passion because with out those two factors you have nothing!”  Randy sources out the best and only the best from local and nationwide farmers and ranchers ensuring the guest the best possible experience.  Randy gained his respect for raw ingredients at fairly young stage in his career.  Being exposed to some of the world’s best products and surrounding himself with people who have the same mentality that he believes in have shaped his philosophy about food and culture that he continues to share with others.  Using modern techniques such as sous-vide (cooking under second closure) cooking, liquid nitrogen applications and the use of hydro-colloids has created a new avenue for discovery and exploration.  Randy uses techniques that are unique to Houston and strives to expose new techniques to others because he believes that the more we know the more we can accomplish.

Randy’s professional experience begin in Rhode Island where he attended Johnson & Wales University and then migrated west to what he says was the most defining moment in his career.  Randy spent time in Big Sur, California  working with chefs like Matt Millea  and Craig Von Foester which developed his passion for raw ingredients such as artichokes, sea urchin and wild mushrooms, which would be delivered to the back door of the restaurants by the farmer or the forager.  After a couple of years in California he returned to Houston and excepted a job as chef de cuisine for John Sheely at Riviera Grill in the Sam Houston Hotel (now the Alden) and spent time with Mark Cox as his sous chef at Mark’s American Cuisine.  Randy then made the trip to the capital of Texas, Austin, to work as sous chef at Zoot Restaurant before making the move back to Houston to work with Tim Keating at Quattro at the Four Seasons Hotel.  Randy has also been lucky enough to spend some time in some of the nations best culinary kitchens such as Tru Restaurant in Chicago and Clio Restaurant in Boston.  In December of 2005 Randy opened, laidback manor, with his hero and mother, Bootsie.  At laidback manor, Randy received numerous awards and accolades from national press including Food Arts Magazine and The Wall Street Journal, and he was awarded best new chef, best chef and best new restaurant from local publications.

Since the close of laidback manor Randy has spent time with Cordua Restaurant Group as corporate R&D chef and operated an underground supper club dubbed as “tenacity” which opened the door to his present position as chef of The Rainbow Lodge in the Heights area of Houston.  Recently, he was rewarded with the first four star review in almost 9 years from Alison Cook at The Houston Chronicle and also received four stars from Modern Luxury Magazine.  At The Rainbow Lodge, Randy has been given the opportunity to have an onsite garden & citrus grove which has molded the way he cooks on a daily basis.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Monica Pope - T'afia

“As a chef, I have spent the last 15 years cooking in one place – Houston, Texas.  My cooking style has developed organically from certain fundamental truths:  first, what grows together goes together, and, second, that food simply tastes better when you eat where your food lives.”

Monica Pope is the Executive Chef and owner of t’afia, the Midtown eatery that celebrates all things local.  She is a 2007 James Beard Award Nominee/Best Chef Southwest and the only Texas woman chef to be named a Top 10 Best New Chef by Food & Wine Magazine (1996).

Chef Pope is currently working on her first book, entitled Eating Hope and Other Things I’ve Had to Stomach, an insightful, poignant and humorous look at a woman’s place in the (restaurant) kitchen.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Clive Berkman

Clive Berkman, author of Creating Empty Bottle Moments: Cooking with Clive is known as the chef, manager, and owner of one of the finest restaurants in Houston. Under his guidance, the restaurant achieved many accolades, including The DiRoNa Award and Travel and Holiday magazine’s Dining Award. It was one of only three restaurants in Texas to win Wine Spectator magazine’s Grand Award.

A native of Johannesburg, South Africa, Berkman began his culinary career in the South African Army as a kosher chef. Upon leaving the army, he attended chef training at Cassio College in London and traveled to the vineyards of Germany and France to learn the art of winemaking. After completing his education, Berkman relocated to New York and later moved to Miami, where he met his mentor, Victor Broceaux, director of research and development for Restaurant Associates. They worked together to open Reflections on the Bay in the Miami Marina.

While in Miami, Berkman worked as service director for Banker’s Club of Miami and later as part of a regional team for Club Corporation of America, operating several clubs in the Miami area. In 1982, he moved to Houston and began his illustrious career at Charley’s 517. Berkman helped create Charley’s wine cellar and hosted themed vinter dinners with proceeds donated to various charities. He also helped carry the restaurant through the oil market crash of the mid-80’s with creative pricing strategies.

In 1997, after a fire destroyed the restaurant, Berkman reopened it as Clive’s. He also owned and operated Crème de la Crème Catering and a special events company, True Concessions.

Berkman is known for his humor, warmth, creativity, and love for people. He currently provides private cooking classes and group demonstrations, creating empty bottle moments whenever possible. Berkman lives in Houston.

Update: Clive Berkman will not exhibit this year.

Popularity: 8% [?]