Up-and Coming Houston Chefs: Meet Five of the Youngest at the Center of their Kitchens
By Phaedra Cook Tue., Mar. 31 2015, 6:00 AM
There are no boring chefs. The very nature of the business demands creativity tempered with a heaping spoonful of practicality. Successful chefs don't just learn how to be good cooks. They must also become teachers, managers, leaders, accountants and diplomats.
The oldest is 34 and the youngest two are 28. A pair of old friends traveled along the same path for a time before their roads diverged. Two others started their careers together, with one ending up the executive chef at a restaurant the other had left years before.
What's the hardest thing for a young executive chef to learn? It's how to manage work relationships. For some, it's about learning how to train employees in a constructive way. For others, earning respect from restaurant employees who have worked there longer can be a challenge. Developing people skills can be difficult in any professional environment, but it's especially tricky in a busy, hot restaurant kitchen. Let's meet five of the area's culinary stars who are responsible not only for managing these kitchens, but for making hundreds of diners happy every single week.
Jordan Asher, Age 29
DOSI Restaurant
2802 S. Shepherd
Houston, TX
Jordan Asher is both a self-described introvert and a free spirit, which explains the journeys he's made when he's found himself between jobs. Sometimes he'd go on road trips, and on some of those road trips he'd stage in some of the best restaurant kitchens in the country. They've included Spice Market in New York, Mercat in Chicago, Canlis in Seattle, The Willows Inn on Lummi Island and Oxheart right here in Houston.
Over the course of his career, Asher has worked almost every possible restaurant position. He's been a busboy, dishwasher, server, server trainer, prep chef, line cook, sommelier and, eventually, executive chef. Developing the Korean-influenced menu at his current restaurant, Dosi, was just another thing to learn.
Everyone in Asher's Italian family is enthusiastic about food. "My mom, my dad, my grandfather -- everybody just really loved cooking. My dad and grandfather both had really nice gardens." His father taught him respect for fresh produce, preferring to cook vegetables like green beans only to al dente, while his grandmother did something increasingly rare. She made three home-cooked meals every day.
"It was unfair for her to have to do all of that, but she loved it," muses Asher. "It was true passion. I definitely picked up on that and was making full meals by the time I was 13 or 14."
He started his restaurant career as a busboy at Pappas Seafood House off I-10 East. He worked his way up the ladder there for four and a half years.
"I stopped short of getting into management," he says. "When people get into management, they don't leave for a long time." Asher realized the opportunity he really wanted was the chance to learn about different cuisines.
He pursued formal culinary training while still employed at Pappas, opting to attend San Jacinto College's culinary arts program. "I didn't have the funds to go to CIA [Culinary Institute of America] or The Art Institute. I could have done that, but I didn't think that was necessary. A local school worked well for me and I learned a lot there."
He left Pappas and went on hiatus for a few months in Montana, where one of his best friends lived. It wouldn't be the first time Asher went on sabbatical while planning his next move. "I've always been a free spirit. I don't like constraint too much. I just wanted to go see some places."
A fledgling plan to open a barbecue restaurant with his friend fizzled out, so Asher returned to Houston. A former instructor at San Jacinto College was the executive sous chef at The Briar Club and helped Asher get a foot in the door. He stayed there for eight months, then moved to the sophisticated, high-tech kitchen at Cullen's. "That was the first true, classic, formal-style kitchen I'd worked in," he says. "Cullen's is a huge restaurant. There are so many toys in the kitchen and so much high-tech equipment."
Despite the surroundings, it wasn't a good fit. He left only two months later after having problems with what he calls "micromanagement." "I had a hard time with it," he admits. "There were so many chefs in the kitchen and a lot of egos involved. I struggled with it, but I learned a lot."
Back to the wilderness he went, taking a road trip to think about things. He returned to Houston, this time landing a position at chef Charles Clark's Spanish restaurant, Ibiza. Not only was that position more successful and longer-lived, but it also allowed him to broaden his experience. No kitchen positions were available, so he signed on as a wine steward and barista. "It was very different, and I definitely felt the urge to be in the kitchen, but it was cool. I learned so much about wine and classic coffee beverages, and I was still crafting something." (In the kitchen, though, was one of our other subjects, chef Travis Lenig, now at Liberty Kitchen & Oysterette. The two would become friends.)
Clark led Asher to his next opportunity. A regular customer at Ibiza owned a hunting and fishing ranch in Colorado and was looking for a head chef. It was Asher's chance to get back in the kitchen and become an executive chef, at age 24.
Before he left Houston, Asher spent a month staging with chef Chris Shepherd at another Clark concept, Catalan, to learn more about charcuterie. (Shepherd later went on to open Underbelly and became the first Houston chef to win a James Beard award since 1992.)
Asher remained at High Lonesome Ranch in Colorado for four years, initially serving farm-to-table cuisine with a heavy Western influence. There was a greenhouse for fruits and vegetables and an ample supply of cattle and sheep from the ranch. Along with the position came a lesson. "I screwed up a lot as far as managing goes. I pissed off people. I'm a lot more relaxed now. I try to stay more positive and don't lose my cool. I express disappointment but don't get angry. I see mistakes more as learning experiences now rather than disasters."
Business was slow in the winters, and Asher would take those opportunities to hit the road again, staging at notable restaurants around the country. Over time, he found his heart turning toward Houston again. "I was facing a crossroad. Was I going to be in Colorado forever, or did I need to go back home? It was a tough decision. I enjoyed the serenity and beauty of Colorado -- the easy life. No traffic, no commotion and it was just gorgeous. But I needed to do what was best for my family and girlfriend [in Houston]. "
What Asher wasn't willing to do was come back without a good opportunity already lined up. After passing on a few positions, he accepted an offer to work as chef de cuisine with chef Mark Cox at Mark's American Cuisine. (His former coworker Lenig from Ibiza was finishing up a three-year stint there and let him know about the opportunity.) Asher admires Cox and considers him a mentor. "The guy is the most professional chef I've ever been around. He's straight business, always about the craft, always about getting better, looking to learn, looking to do something new. Even at his age, he's still in the kitchen every day, filleting fish and coming up with new recipes."
Considering all of Asher's professional connections, the opportunity to be the executive chef at Dosi came about in a strange way -- through a -Craigslist ad. "I was just scoping out the scene to see what was going on in town, and this caught my eye. I went and talked with An [Dosi's owner] about what his vision was. We both started seeing eye to eye. It was a natural fit."
Asher resists labeling Dosi as "Korean fusion." "It's New American with a Korean undertone. 'Fusion' sounds outdated. Now [cuisine] is about being very genuine, focused and precise. Fusion is the opposite. It's like being scattered around, taking all sorts of stuff from everywhere. It's fine if you want to do that. It's just two different worlds."
"The hardest thing in this business," says Asher, "is the commitment to losing most of your personal life. I'm very independent, and it might be harder for people who have big social circles and families."
By Phaedra Cook Tue., Mar. 31 2015, 6:00 AM
There are no boring chefs. The very nature of the business demands creativity tempered with a heaping spoonful of practicality. Successful chefs don't just learn how to be good cooks. They must also become teachers, managers, leaders, accountants and diplomats.
The oldest is 34 and the youngest two are 28. A pair of old friends traveled along the same path for a time before their roads diverged. Two others started their careers together, with one ending up the executive chef at a restaurant the other had left years before.
What's the hardest thing for a young executive chef to learn? It's how to manage work relationships. For some, it's about learning how to train employees in a constructive way. For others, earning respect from restaurant employees who have worked there longer can be a challenge. Developing people skills can be difficult in any professional environment, but it's especially tricky in a busy, hot restaurant kitchen. Let's meet five of the area's culinary stars who are responsible not only for managing these kitchens, but for making hundreds of diners happy every single week.
Jordan Asher, Age 29
DOSI Restaurant
2802 S. Shepherd
Houston, TX
Jordan Asher is both a self-described introvert and a free spirit, which explains the journeys he's made when he's found himself between jobs. Sometimes he'd go on road trips, and on some of those road trips he'd stage in some of the best restaurant kitchens in the country. They've included Spice Market in New York, Mercat in Chicago, Canlis in Seattle, The Willows Inn on Lummi Island and Oxheart right here in Houston.
Over the course of his career, Asher has worked almost every possible restaurant position. He's been a busboy, dishwasher, server, server trainer, prep chef, line cook, sommelier and, eventually, executive chef. Developing the Korean-influenced menu at his current restaurant, Dosi, was just another thing to learn.
Everyone in Asher's Italian family is enthusiastic about food. "My mom, my dad, my grandfather -- everybody just really loved cooking. My dad and grandfather both had really nice gardens." His father taught him respect for fresh produce, preferring to cook vegetables like green beans only to al dente, while his grandmother did something increasingly rare. She made three home-cooked meals every day.
"It was unfair for her to have to do all of that, but she loved it," muses Asher. "It was true passion. I definitely picked up on that and was making full meals by the time I was 13 or 14."
He started his restaurant career as a busboy at Pappas Seafood House off I-10 East. He worked his way up the ladder there for four and a half years.
"I stopped short of getting into management," he says. "When people get into management, they don't leave for a long time." Asher realized the opportunity he really wanted was the chance to learn about different cuisines.
He pursued formal culinary training while still employed at Pappas, opting to attend San Jacinto College's culinary arts program. "I didn't have the funds to go to CIA [Culinary Institute of America] or The Art Institute. I could have done that, but I didn't think that was necessary. A local school worked well for me and I learned a lot there."
He left Pappas and went on hiatus for a few months in Montana, where one of his best friends lived. It wouldn't be the first time Asher went on sabbatical while planning his next move. "I've always been a free spirit. I don't like constraint too much. I just wanted to go see some places."
A fledgling plan to open a barbecue restaurant with his friend fizzled out, so Asher returned to Houston. A former instructor at San Jacinto College was the executive sous chef at The Briar Club and helped Asher get a foot in the door. He stayed there for eight months, then moved to the sophisticated, high-tech kitchen at Cullen's. "That was the first true, classic, formal-style kitchen I'd worked in," he says. "Cullen's is a huge restaurant. There are so many toys in the kitchen and so much high-tech equipment."
Despite the surroundings, it wasn't a good fit. He left only two months later after having problems with what he calls "micromanagement." "I had a hard time with it," he admits. "There were so many chefs in the kitchen and a lot of egos involved. I struggled with it, but I learned a lot."
Back to the wilderness he went, taking a road trip to think about things. He returned to Houston, this time landing a position at chef Charles Clark's Spanish restaurant, Ibiza. Not only was that position more successful and longer-lived, but it also allowed him to broaden his experience. No kitchen positions were available, so he signed on as a wine steward and barista. "It was very different, and I definitely felt the urge to be in the kitchen, but it was cool. I learned so much about wine and classic coffee beverages, and I was still crafting something." (In the kitchen, though, was one of our other subjects, chef Travis Lenig, now at Liberty Kitchen & Oysterette. The two would become friends.)
Clark led Asher to his next opportunity. A regular customer at Ibiza owned a hunting and fishing ranch in Colorado and was looking for a head chef. It was Asher's chance to get back in the kitchen and become an executive chef, at age 24.
Before he left Houston, Asher spent a month staging with chef Chris Shepherd at another Clark concept, Catalan, to learn more about charcuterie. (Shepherd later went on to open Underbelly and became the first Houston chef to win a James Beard award since 1992.)
Asher remained at High Lonesome Ranch in Colorado for four years, initially serving farm-to-table cuisine with a heavy Western influence. There was a greenhouse for fruits and vegetables and an ample supply of cattle and sheep from the ranch. Along with the position came a lesson. "I screwed up a lot as far as managing goes. I pissed off people. I'm a lot more relaxed now. I try to stay more positive and don't lose my cool. I express disappointment but don't get angry. I see mistakes more as learning experiences now rather than disasters."
Business was slow in the winters, and Asher would take those opportunities to hit the road again, staging at notable restaurants around the country. Over time, he found his heart turning toward Houston again. "I was facing a crossroad. Was I going to be in Colorado forever, or did I need to go back home? It was a tough decision. I enjoyed the serenity and beauty of Colorado -- the easy life. No traffic, no commotion and it was just gorgeous. But I needed to do what was best for my family and girlfriend [in Houston]. "
What Asher wasn't willing to do was come back without a good opportunity already lined up. After passing on a few positions, he accepted an offer to work as chef de cuisine with chef Mark Cox at Mark's American Cuisine. (His former coworker Lenig from Ibiza was finishing up a three-year stint there and let him know about the opportunity.) Asher admires Cox and considers him a mentor. "The guy is the most professional chef I've ever been around. He's straight business, always about the craft, always about getting better, looking to learn, looking to do something new. Even at his age, he's still in the kitchen every day, filleting fish and coming up with new recipes."
Considering all of Asher's professional connections, the opportunity to be the executive chef at Dosi came about in a strange way -- through a -Craigslist ad. "I was just scoping out the scene to see what was going on in town, and this caught my eye. I went and talked with An [Dosi's owner] about what his vision was. We both started seeing eye to eye. It was a natural fit."
Asher resists labeling Dosi as "Korean fusion." "It's New American with a Korean undertone. 'Fusion' sounds outdated. Now [cuisine] is about being very genuine, focused and precise. Fusion is the opposite. It's like being scattered around, taking all sorts of stuff from everywhere. It's fine if you want to do that. It's just two different worlds."
"The hardest thing in this business," says Asher, "is the commitment to losing most of your personal life. I'm very independent, and it might be harder for people who have big social circles and families."
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