This just in from Tesar’s handler, Terri Provencal.
Five-Star chef, John Tesar returns to Texas staking his claim with
Tesar’s Modern Steak & Sustainable SeafoodMay 17, 2009—Texas may not have been the most likely place for an east coast kid who grew up in the Hamptons to settle but that’s exactly what he’s doing. Notable five-star seafood chef, John Tesar announced today he would open Tesar’s Modern Steak & Sustainable Seafood this August in the Woodlands, Texas approximately 30 miles north of downtown Houston. The chef says his roots are submerged deeply in the ocean he grew up near and always will be: “I identify with the sea there so completely and it’s companionship with our modern steak concept though I look forward to opening my first eponymous restaurant in Texas. Texas and Texans have been kind to me. I lived in Dallas for three years and loved it. Came back to New York for less than three months and found I missed it,” said John Tesar.
Tesar, a 2009 James Beard semi-finalist for Best Chef: Southwest has seen crowds gather for his fare and his commitment to sustainable food sources when he revamped the menu and restaurant into three distinct dining areas at the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek. Nationally lauded restaurant critic, John Mariani wrote Chef Tesar brought “New York edge to Texas swagger,” when he named the Mansion Restaurant one of Esquire’s Ten Best New Restaurants of 2008. Since his early 20”s Chef Tesar has created his own restaurants and reinvented others for some of the best chefs, hotels and resorts from New York, Lake Tahoe, Las Vegas and Dallas. “I’ve been asked many times to brand my name, but timing is everything, and this is the time. Tesar’s will be a special place,” Tesar commented.
Fresh from his success in Dallas, Tesar looked to investors who believed in modern gastronomy for his next adventure. “Planning this concept has been intense,” Tesar says. “Plenty of investors showed interest, but I needed to find the dedicated ‘sustainable’ backers. We take from flora and fauna without regard to maintenance; even poisoning it with the chemicals we use to make ‘earth-foods’ grow. But, people care more about what they eat now and my customers are desirous of the locavore and sustainable movement,” states Chef Tesar.
Tesar tapped David McCarble the sole proprietor of David Development and David Restaurant Group for backing and partnership. “That it only took three months was remarkable and rewarding and I think the residents of the Woodlands will be very pleased once we’re open. In the race for commerce we forgot to be human.” says Tesar. “I asked John to consult on my Steamboat Springs project and in a nanosecond I knew we would be great partners in my burgeoning restaurant group,” commented David McCarble.
Tesar’s Modern Steak & Sustainable Seafood will parlay the chef’s talents with a varied menu loaded with organically grown, super “green” selections using side-by-side comparisons of grass and grain-fed beef and earth-easy seafood. “Modern Steak is not only tastier it’s healthier.” Tesar’s will provide an education and journey through choices, flavor profiles and health options. “I’m currenttly engaging ranchers who practice these newer, cleaner modern ways of raising and aging cattle. My entire menu will be 100 percent sustainable created with a zero-waste food ethics in mind. This will also include our hamburgers served at our outside burger bar,” Chef Tesar informs. Tesar’s will have plenty of options and price points for diners including a bar lounge menu, raw bar, chef’s room and main dining room with whole fish choices. “Whole fish will be a principal part of our menu. It’s an amazing way to taste the true flavor of the sea and the quality of finfish,” informs Tesar.
McCarble and Tesar say they hope this to be the first of many restaurants. “Diners are searching for modern thoughtful cuisine everywhere, and the demand is high,” states Chef Tesar.
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About John Tesar:
John Tesar grew up in the Hamptons with a passion for cooking stirred by his mother’s family meals. During college, John was further inspired after working for several restaurants in the Hamptons and made the choice to leave New York University to go to Paris and study French cuisine at the esteemed La Varenne Ecole de Cuisine. He returned to the Hamptons and bought his first restaurant at the age of 24. Although John was experiencing a successful career in the Hamptons he pursued his dream of opening a restaurant in New York City.
After rolling up his sleeves in the kitchens of New York’s hottest, trendiest restaurants, John opened his first New York restaurant, 13 Barrow Street and received glowing reviews. Next, he opened Vine restaurant on Wall Street and managed 44 & X Hell’s Kitchen, which landed him a spot on The Today Show, Rosie O’Donnell Show and The Food Network.
John moved west to experience a different taste of the culinary world after September 11th. He joined East-West Partners Tahoe Mountain Club as corporate executive chef. He led the culinary program for three luxury golf courses, an upscale lakefront restaurant and the creation and design of a mountaintop resort.
In 2003, celebrity chef Rick Moonen wooed John back to New York by offering him an opportunity as executive chef for his highly acclaimed restaurant rm seafood. With John at helm Moonen was able to expand his restaurant operation into Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay Hotel Resort & Casino. John was then sent to Las Vegas to oversee the operation of the 15,000-square-foot-restaurant, including an 80-seat fine dining room replica of rm seafood in New York.
John was named Executive Chef of the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek in 2006 bringing with him “stylish, contemporary American cuisine prepared with European techniques.” He achieved five-stars for the Mansion Restaurant by the Dallas Morning News food critic, Bill Addison and noted Modern Luxury Dallas freelance food critic Dotty Griffith. D Magazine’s food editor, Nancy Nichols named The Mansion Restaurant one of the Ten Best of 2008. He has appeared on The Today Show and cooked for the James Beard House twice in 2008. Under his leadership Esquire named the Mansion Restaurant one of the Best New Restaurants of 2008.
In addition to the chef’s numerous awards and accolades, John Tesar was a semi-finalist for the 2009 James Beard Award; Best Chef: Southwest and is one of five chefs in the country on Share our Strength’s Taste of the Nation National Culinary Council. Under his leadership on Sunday, May 17, 2009 Taste of the Nation Dallas tripled their proceeds over 2008.
About David McCarble:
DAVID DEVELOPMENT began in 2000 under the helm of David McCarble, II a thirty-year veteran of commercial retail leasing and build-to-suit properties. David C. McCarble is the founder and sole owner The corporation has been building retail centers with nationally accredited companies such as Blockbuster Video, Ace Cash Express, Amegy Bank, Gamestop, TMobile and Sprint, to name a few. David McCarble, II is licensed in Texas and Florida, with a background in Mortgage Brokering and Property Management, along with extensive experience in high-rise, strip center leasing/development and multi-family.
DAVID RESTAURANT GROUP is the parent company for several restaurant locations in Houston and Colorado. Routt 66 Roadhouse, located in Steamboat Springs, Co., is the first concept John Tesar consulted with David McCarble on. Tesar created the menu for Routt 66 Roadhouse at the Steamboat Grand Hotel, a five-diamond retort, will be located at the base of Mt. Werner Ski Mountain and set to open this summer.
