1 of 6
photo by Olaf Growald
Top Chef 2019
Jenna Kinard takes the trophy and Kobi Perdue wins People's Choice Award
2 of 6
photo by Olaf Growald
Top Chef 2019
Top Chef 2019
3 of 6
photo by Olaf Growald
Top Chef 2019
Top Chef 2019
4 of 6
photo by Olaf Growald
Top Chef 2019
Top Chef 2019
5 of 6
photo by Olaf Growald
Top Chef 2019
Top Chef 2019
6 of 6
photo by Olaf Growald
Top Chef 2019
Top Chef 2019
As the ominous announcement of a two-minute warning reverberated throughout the cavernous River Ranch Stockyards, the four seasoned pros scrambled across their playing field. The fans, eyes wide, mouths agape, and cowboy hats askew, fixed their eyes on the action. Some of them had their favorites, which was evident from the fog- and music-heavy intros that accompanied the pros’ entrances. But at this stage, as the action was reaching its zenith, all of the fans were focused on one question: How can anyone turn leftover pizza and wings into something worthy of a “Top Chef” title?
The playing field on this night was a stage, the pros were four seasoned chefs from various revered restaurants across Fort Worth, and the fans were the faithful foodies in attendance for Fort Worth Magazine’s ninth annual Top Chef competition. But as is the custom, these chefs were not preparing the kinds of dishes that had earned them a rightful place in the hearts and bellies of Fort Worth denizens. Instead, tasked with few ingredients and little time, they had to devise dishes that were palatable to a panel of past Top Chef winners.
“This is not easy,” veteran chef Jon Bonnell reminded the panel as they sat in a private judges’ room away from the frenetic fervor of the contest. “Listen to that crowd out there. The pressure is on these chefs.”
This year, the four pros were Kobi Perdue from Paris 7th, Keith “Button” Hicks from The Rim, Max Zubboli of Zeno’s on the Square, and Jenna Kinard of Hotel Drover. In the moments before these four took their stage beneath the spotlights, Bonnell and emcee Scott Murray amped up the eager crowd with a laundry list of the chefs’ accomplishments. The atmosphere resembled that of a football game, with fans divided into factions to support their favorite chef, and walkout songs like “Welcome to the Jungle” setting the mood as the four chefs trotted on stage to start the foodie festivities.
“I’m excited, but, man, it’s gonna be a challenge,” Hicks said, eyeing the sparse ingredients he had at his disposal. “It’s a test of your ability to withstand adversity.”
Kinard agreed.
“This pulls the rug out from under you,” she said. “We’re all so used to being in our own places, our own kitchens, and this is something entirely new with a fraction of what we normally have.”
As the games got underway, the chefs were forced to make do with a hodgepodge of mismatched ingredients, including one challenge that included capers, bison, spinach, nuts, and duck. The contest consists of two main food feats: the aforementioned “Making Leftovers into Magic” and “Thinking on Your Feet,” a challenge whereby chefs chose five ingredients but were then given an assortment of others at random and allotted a brief amount of time to design an edible dish. These dishes received mixed reviews from the judges in the back room, with 2018 winner Bria Downey repeatedly remarking, “I have no idea what this is” at the sight of several creations.
At times, Bonnell gleefully threw other curveballs at the four chefs vying for the crown, including an incident where he asked each of them to step in the spot to the left, thereby giving them a whole different set of ingredients with which to work. The chefs took each of these tests in stride, but as time wound down and the contest reached its climax, the harried professionals were dripping with sweat, clearly frazzled by hours of frantic cooking. Each of them looked delighted as the contest ended, and Bonnell bounced on stage to announce the winners.
The fan texts had been tallied, and those who voted for Perdue were delighted when the soft-spoken chef took home the “People’s Choice” title. Then came the moment everyone had been waiting for. An anxious crowd held its breath as Downey took the mic and prepared to pass the torch. Following a drumroll and a dramatic beat, Downey and Bonnell announced the winner of Top Chef 2019: Jenna Kinard. A Texas native who is less than a year into her post at the Hotel Drover, Kinard has overcome ample adversity to attain Cowtown acclaim. Elated and overcome by emotion, the chef lifted her hard-earned plaque over her head as beatific expressions of relief and triumph washed over her face. And the crowd went wild.
photo by Olaf Growald
Top Chef 2019
Jenna Kinard
JENNA KINARD
97 West | Age: 28 | Hometown: Waller, Texas
Since Jenna Kinard’s last rumble on Top Chef, two years ago, the former executive chef at Max’s Wine Dive has, to borrow a restaurant term, been in the weeds. In a good way, though. She cooked with culinary personality Paula Deen; filmed a TV pilot with Deen’s daughter-in law; and shot another TV pilot that, fingers crossed, will air next year. Busy, busy, busy.
But Kinard is most excited about her new restaurant. Earlier this year she was named executive chef at 97 West, the restaurant inside the forthcoming Hotel Drover, a boutique hotel from Marriott Autograph that will be part of a $175 million redevelopment in the Stockyards; the hotel and restaurant are slated to open next year.
Q: What can you tell us about 97 West? The focus is elevated Southern cuisine. We’ll have items for people who don’t like to share, but I want to emphasize small plates. You’ll be able to try four, five, six dishes without breaking the bank. Other chefs are doing them with this type of food in Texas but not in Fort Worth, so it’ll be a super cool experience for people here. We’ll have brunch on Saturdays and Sundays. I can’t speak about the menu items just yet, but some of the dishes will be inspired by real drovers — the people who would herd cattle over long distances.
Q: I’ve never heard of your hometown, Waller, Texas. That’s not surprising. It’s a tiny town in the middle of nowhere, about 45 minutes outside of Houston. The closest gas station was about 15 minutes away, and when we bought groceries, I think we drove about 45 minutes to get to the nearest grocery store.
Q: Not much of a restaurant scene in Waller, huh? We never ate out. There was nowhere to go. So, my parents cooked every single night together. We all did. My brother and I were always tasked with making the salads and sides. Dinner was a big deal in our house, a special time for us. No TV, no phones. Just family having dinner together.
Q: What was your favorite dish? My mom’s spaghetti. I’d beg to have it at least once a week.
Q: How’d your parents take the news that you were going into the restaurant business? They were absolutely elated. Early on, I wanted to pursue acting and modeling. I thought that was going to be the end-all for me. I was great in theater and the arts and felt like I didn’t excel at anything else. I fell into the pageant world at a young age and did very well. But I was always surrounded by girls who were thinner than me. I thought I had to look like them. As a result, I dropped all this weight and stopped eating. It got to the point where I developed an eating disorder, and eventually, I had to be hospitalized. I realized at that point I had to walk away from that world, that lifestyle. So, yes, to answer your question, my parents were thrilled I wanted to become a chef.
Q: You’re married now. Where do you and your husband like to eat out? We are both into health and fitness, so we try to eat at home as much as possible. We do love pizza and pasta. I love making pasta from scratch, and my husband is getting good at smoking meats.
Q: But at what restaurants do you like to eat? We don’t really go out to eat anywhere. We love Joe T’s but mainly for the margaritas. We’re just not that exciting.
Q: I’m not buying it. You HAVE to go eat somewhere, sometime. Are you hiding something from me? OK, OK, I didn’t want to tell you this because it’s our little secret, and I don’t want to ruin it. But we really love this place called the Beacon Café. It’s this tiny restaurant at the Hicks Airfield. That’s where we love to do brunch. Their pineapple upside down pancakes are amazing. But don’t make me talk about it!
photo by Olaf Growald
Top Chef 2019
Max Zubboli
MAX ZUBBOLI
Zeno’s on the Square | Age: 42 | Hometown: Pisa, Italy
Pisa, Italy, is a long way from Weatherford, Texas — 5,481 miles to be exact. Not just a stroll around the corner. But dine at Zeno's on the Square, and you'll witness the culinary handiwork of one Max Zubboli, born and raised in — and stolen away from — Pisa by Weatherford restaurateur Monica Russo. Zubboli sheds a little light on his trip abroad.
Q: How does a chef in Pisa, Italy, wind up a chef in Weatherford, Texas?
I was working in a restaurant called Ir Tegame Spaghetteria in Pisa where we made the pasta ourselves by hand. Customers could watch the chefs prepare it. Monica Russo happened to be in the area and came to my restaurant and watched me cook. She told me about her restaurant (Mamma Monica Italian Restaurant), where she, too, makes the pasta fresh, and we hit it off immediately. She said she was going to open another restaurant, and would I be interested in opening it with her. So, I came to Weatherford — it was my first time to Texas, and I fell in love in with it. Weatherford and Fort Worth remind me of Pisa and Florence. It feels very comfortable here.
Q: Being from Italy, your take on Italian food must be vastly different than what is served in most local Italian restaurants. Yes, the Italian restaurants here in America are serving American-Italian food — that is another kind of cuisine. It's not truly Italian. It's made by traditional Italian recipes adapted to American taste. Our philosophy at Zeno's is to create dishes with Italian techniques and recipes using the best ingredients that Texas has to offer, combining the best of the two states. We make every dish from scratch. The focaccia is homemade, like the pasta, the sauces, and everything else. We can satisfy any kind of request — vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free.
Q: What was growing up in Pisa like? Growing up with my grandmother was not easy, but it was awesome. Your world revolves around food. You wake up, and she is cooking. You come home from school, and she was ready with lunch — and afterwards, the afternoon snack and dinner. I never ate anything packaged when I was a child. My mother and grandmother made everything from scratch. They smelled like food — good food, the smell that you will never taste again. They introduced me to the culinary arts and were probably the reason I wanted to become a chef. My father put me in school to study, but my passion was food. Instead of going to university, I started culinary school in Pisa, and then I started to work in restaurants.
Q: What type of approach do you take to cooking? I try to keep it simple. I don't use more than three or four ingredients per dish. A tomato, zucchini, a piece of fish — each ingredient has its own personality, its own taste. I don't want to cover up those flavors in heavy sauces or a lot of additional ingredients that will take away from the flavor. Simple is best.
Q: What has been your favorite experience since you and your wife moved to Weatherford? I think to move to another country is like to begin another life. Every day is a new experience. But my favorite experience has been the warm welcome and friendship we receive every day from Texans. It's unbelievable how nice Texans are.
photo by Olaf Growald
Top Chef 2019
Keith Hicks
KEITH HICKS
AKA: "buttons" | The Rim in Burleson | Age: 56 | Hometown: Huntington, West Virginia
Some people know Keith “Buttons” Hicks from his time working in downtown restaurants such as Ellington’s Chop House. Others remember him from the much-missed west side spot Ovations, where he first introduced his signature chicken and waffles. But most associate Hicks with the acclaimed soul food restaurant that bears his nickname, Buttons. After a falling out with new owners, though, Hicks left there earlier this year and joined the crew at The Rim, a newish concept from Rio Mambo owner Brent Johnson, who just happens to be the guy who hired Hicks at Ellington's two decades ago.
Q: Tell us about The Rim. It’s such a cool, cool spot. The kitchen is inside an old Airstream trailer. They actually built the restaurant around the Airstream, and then put the kitchen inside the Airstream. It’s like eating at a food trailer but inside an air-conditioned building, surrounded by good drinks, big TVs and a cool atmosphere. There ain’t nothing else like it out there.
Q: At Ovations and Buttons, you helped popularize chicken and waffles. How do you feel about it being served practically everywhere now? Oh, man — Dairy Queen, KFC, they all got it now. It’s weird, it’s really weird. I mean, I didn’t invent chicken and waffles, but I was the first to do it here, so, yeah, it’s kinda like what the what? But it’s all good. Everybody puts their own spin on it, which is exactly what I did.
Q: Your journey to becoming a chef is a little different than most. I’m not classically trained. I never went to cooking school. My first cooking gig was after I got out of the military in 1995. The mess hall where I had been stationed was in need of a cook and I needed a job. I thought to myself, I always wanted to learn how to cook.
It was not easy work. You’d get there at 4 in the morning and have to have 20 pounds of French toast ready to go when the guys came storming in ready to eat. It was go, go, go. After breakfast, it didn’t let up. Because then you’d have to turn right back around and do lunch. But I fell in love with it. I began to find my footing as a chef, tasting this, experimenting with that. I tell people I didn’t go to culinary school. I went to the school of tastebud-ology. I tasted my way through all of this.
Q: How’d you know you made the right decision? Because I worked, all the time. I can’t think of a time when I wasn’t working. I worked in a few places in California, including one of Wolfgang Puck’s restaurants. In Fort Worth, I worked at Ellington’s Chop House, Mambo’s Cantina, Sal’s Italian Villa, the Gunsmoke Grill & Saloon, behind the original Fuzzy’s Tacos. That was a cool place. I remember it was named by the Dallas Morning News as one of the top 10 new restaurants that year. It was the only place in Fort Worth to make the list.
Q: Buttons was the game-changer. Man, we had so much fun in the early days. Here was this upscale soul food restaurant, bringing in people of all ages and races and economic backgrounds, and no one batted an eye at each other. It was such a cool, welcoming atmosphere. I remember [then-] Mayor Moncrief came in one night and said, “Thank you for what you’ve done for the city of Fort Worth.” I won’t ever forget that.
Q: Favorite restaurants in Fort Worth? Asia Bowl on the west side. It's a cool little spot that not a lot of people know about. Joe’s Pizza on Sycamore School Road. Out of all the Joe's around here, their pizza is the best. And of course, Waffle House. That’s my date night, man!
photo by Olaf Growald
Top Chef 2019
Kobi Perdue
KOBI PERDUE
Paris 7th | Age: 30 | Hometown: Grand Prairie
If there was an underdog in this year’s Top Chef competition, it was Kobi Perdue, a low-key chef who has quietly made a name for himself in Fort Worth food circles. But don’t let his modesty fool you. For the past six years, the Fort Worth Culinary School grad has been honing his skills at two of the city’s top restaurants, Bernard Tronche’s twin French spots, Saint-Emilion and Paris 7th; Perdue is now executive chef at the latter. That’s no easy feat, considering the notoriously prickly nature of French cooking. Meet this force to be reckoned with.
Q: What was the very first thing you ever cooked? Back when I was a kid, my mom showed me how to make a French rolled omelette with chives. I can still remember how it tasted. I remember sitting at the table eating it. It was good — simple but delicious.
Q: Do you come from a family of cooks? My mom was always in the kitchen, and I was always in there, too, helping her out. We had a lot of fish fries at my grandma’s house. We fished a lot and hunted a lot and ate whatever we caught.
The funny thing is, when I was a kid, maybe 4 or 5 years old, my cousin and I would talk about having a restaurant together. I never thought anything of it. Then when I was 16, I entered the Tri-County Cooking competition in Hudson Oaks, and I wound up winning first place overall. It was then I thought, I might have something here.
Q: What were your winning dishes? A little stuffed mushroom for an appetizer, balsamic glazed chicken with rice pilaf for an entrée, and for dessert, a chocolate mousse parfait. Not bad for a kid.
Q: What was your first restaurant job? This place in Granbury where my dad ate all the time, a Thai restaurant called Ya Ya’s. That means “grandma.” My dad knew the owner and told her I needed a job, and she put me to work. It’s actually where I learned the most about working in a restaurant. I did everything from washing dishes to food prep to waiting tables. She made me do everything, and I’ve always been grateful for that.
Q: You work in the restaurant industry when you’re in high school; you miss out on being a high schooler. Yeah, that’s true. My friends would go out and party, and I’d go to work. Over time, my friends’ list became shorter and shorter. It was one sacrifice after another. You do this for a living; you make a lot of sacrifices.
Q: You and your family live in Benbrook. Where do you eat in Benbrook? I don’t eat in Benbrook. Nothing over here except Benbrook.
Q: Where do you go? My wife and I really like Thai food, so we eat at Thai Terrace a lot. And Thailicious. For Vietnamese, Pho Hung off Camp Bowie. I’ve been a fan of Blaine [Staniford] over at Grace for a while. We go to Jon Bonnell’s places. He’s a friend of my wife’s family. I’ve known him since I was in high school.
Q: Has your cooking changed over the years? I’d say it’s gotten a lot simpler. Not dumbed down but more focused. Less ingredients but more attention toward them. I see a lot of younger chefs overload your palate with all kinds of things on the plate, all kinds of accents and ingredients. To be honest, you don’t really need all that stuff to make a good dish.