In a colossal city like Austin, there are only a handful of restaurants that have a reputation as the best of the best. Austinites have a great love affair with the Southwestern cuisine of Austin’s Z’Tejas Southwestern Grill, there’s no doubt that the restaurant is at the top of the list.
But about a month ago, news broke that Z’Tejas was losing two of its greatest assets: Jack Gilmore, who oversaw the culinary operations of all nationwide Z’Tejas restaurants, and Tom Kamm, the Z’Tejas regional director of operations.
Don’t get out the tissues and cry just yet; this story has a happy ending.
Z’Tejas will survive, but it will have to prepare for some tough new culinary competition.
Gilmore and Kamm are striking out to create their very own restaurant, Jack Allen’s Kitchen, set to open mid-December.
It’s no shock that Gilmore, the man behind Z’Tejas’ cuisine, loves Southwestern cuisine because Southwest Texas is where he grew up. In fact, Gilmore honed his skills by starting out in a local steakhouse in his hometown.
“I just fell in love with food and got to work with some really talented people,” said Gilmore. “I started off in the front of the restaurant and worked my way to the back helping out in the kitchen. [From there] I got to experiment with different flavors and ingredients, first learning about them and then honoring them.”
Along the way, Gilmore said a number of people, from farmers to bartenders to family, customers and staff, all left their marks on him and have affected the way he cooks to this day.
“I learned to treat ingredients and staff with respect and to listen to my customers when they told me about my food,” he said. “If someone told me their New York strip was too tough or that the macaroni and cheese was perfect, they were usually onto something.”
Leaving Z’Tejas was something Gilmore knew he was ready to do, but that doesn’t mean it was an easy task.
“When I came to Z’Tejas, Southwestern cuisine was new to the Austin scene and was a great way use these good, old ingredients,” Gilmore said. “I had been wanting to open my own restaurant for a long time, and when the opportunity comes your way, you have to be ready. If you are sitting across from a chef who tells you he doesn’t dream of opening his own place, then you’re talking to the wrong guy.”
When Jack Allen’s Kitchen opens, the restaurant is going to embody what Gilmore says is, “Texan in spirit; local in source.”
Diners can expect both bold flavors and great food, with nothing on the menu for more than $20. Many of the items on the menu will come from local farmers, and everything will be made from scratch.
In designing the building, Gilmore said he wanted something with class but with a comfort in its style and feel.
“We want you to feel like you are at home,” he said. “If you came to my home, I’d offer you something to eat and drink the moment you walked in. [At Jack Allen’s], you can expect to feel at home.”
Menu items will include things like burgers, sandwiches, an array of appetizers, drinks and beer. And in a twist on conventional meal starters, Jack Allen’s Kitchen diners get complimentary pimento cheese when they sit down.
Scrambling to get everything in order before opening while still managing to serve a free Thanksgiving dinner to Oak Hill firefighters and their families, Gilmore is looking forward to one thing in particular at his restaurant.
“I’m ready to get back in the kitchen.”
1 comments