Chef George W. Brown Jr.

GEORGE

My love of food began when I was a child, waking up to my grandmother’s amazing home-cooked breakfasts. Just as they do in the finest hotel restaurants, she would take my order in the evening, then prepare it the next day. With meals like her signature Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, English Peas, Cream Gravy and Biscuits as inspiration, I decided to pursue a career in cooking. My first job in a restaurant was not very glamorous — I was a dishwasher for IHOP, and later became a cook. Next, I took a job in the army, where I learned how to cook for large numbers. However, I hungered for the opportunity to create quality dishes, to really learn to cook. After working for Master Chef Victor Gieliese, a disciplined, hard-nosed German chef, I realized there was a culinary world out there about which I knew nothing. I began to work for free, making salads to prove myself, and was accepted into the Culinary Institute of America (CIA).

Before beginning GEORGE Catering, I worked for The Mansion on Turtle Creek, and Baby Routh; and later became the Sous-Chef for Café Maxx, working with Chef/Owner Oliver Saucy. After living in Florida for six months, my mentor, Kent Rathbun, asked me to move to Dallas and help him rebuild Melrose Restaurant, which we did. Next, we worked together for Dani, a struggling catering company that ran the restaurant and catering operations for the Dallas Museum of Art. We quickly renamed the restaurant 1717. As the Executive Chef, I gained the opportunity to develop my style; and in 1997, I was recognized as one of Food and Wine Magazine’s Best New Chefs. In 1999, Katie and I saw the opportunity to start GEORGE Catering — and the rest is history.

What really excites me about food today is finding the perfect products, and using them in my cooking. I love using seasonal products, and understanding when and where to use them. As my style evolves, I now prefer simpler cooking methods and fewer ingredients, letting the food speak for itself. Looking back, I understand that my family’s love language was always food — cooking it, serving it and watching people enjoy it. Food gives people a reason to come together, and gives us something to talk about. Over the years, we have gone on many wine and food trips to visit farms and learn where the best products come from. As chefs, I think we have to continue to excite ourselves, and pass that excitement along to those for whom we cook. In the GEORGE Restaurant days, the inside cover of the menu said, “Food is Life,” but after reflecting on my beliefs and where I have been, it probably should have said, “Food is Love.”

—Chef George W. Brown Jr.