A few lucky Texas senior citizens will be able to eat food created by a James Beard Award-winning chef.
Stephan Pyles is joining Buckner Retirement Services as the chief culinary advisor for several of their senior living centers, said a public relations director for the organization.
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Pyles has cooked for six United States’ presidents and seven first ladies. He won a James Beard Best Chefs in America Award in 1991 and was the first Texan to join the Beard Foundation’s Who’s Who of Food and Wine in America. Pyles was also nominated 12 other times for James Beard awards and started the following restaurants:
- Routh Street Café (Dallas) – Closed in 1983
- Baby Routh (Dallas) – Turned into Social House
- Star Canyon (Dallas) – Closed in 2003
- Stephan Pyles (Dallas) – Closed
Some of the chef’s famous dishes include a bone-in cowboy ribeye and a chocolate-pecan cheesecake brownie, according to Eater Dallas.
Buckner manages Parkway Place in Houston, Buckner Villas in Austin, Calder Woods in Beaumont and Buckner Westminster Place in Longview and Ventana by Buckner in Dallas. The award-winning chef will now be able to help concoct delicious meals at these locations.
Buckner previously worked with Pyles in 2019 to create an elevated dining experience for the opening of Ventana by Buckner. This positive relationship led to Pyles’ new role.
“After almost four years with Ventana, I have developed an incredible respect for Buckner and have been made to feel part of the family. Therefore, I was thrilled at the opportunity to get to expand my work with more of their communities,” Pyles said.
The chef’s hometown is Big Spring, Texas and he is the “father of southwestern cuisine.” He was previously a restaurant owner, cookbook author, educator and philanthropist.
Pyles is excited to take on this new challenge.
“Seniors seem to have a greater sense of community than most other age groups. They seek a place to gather where they can nourish both their bodies and their souls with good food. I’m honored to help facilitate that,” he said in a news release.
Pyles is also going to partner with Buckner’s culinary teams to work on their menus to fit the season and include more local tastes. The menus will include some fan-favorite dishes from the chef’s 23 restaurants.
Pyles plans to have international tastings and craft new mocktails for residents. The chef will also be a part of several special events at the Buckner centers this year.
“The resident response to our announcement was phenomenal,” said Charlie Wilson, the President of Buckner Retirement Services. “While we have always been proud of the dining experience our communities offer, I am excited to see how a phenomenal chef of Stephan Pyles’ caliber is able to provide even more variety with an emphasis on fresher and more locally sourced ingredients.”