JACK GILMORE
Z Tejas
9400 A Arboretum Blvd.
Austin, TX 78759
(512) 346-3506
www.ztejas.com
When Jack Gilmore first started working with Z Tejas 13 years ago, he brought with him a wide range of culinary skills and a passion for new and innovative cooking techniques.
Gilmore began his culinary career working with “old school” Cajun chefs at the Pelican Wharf restaurant in South Padre Island, Texas. Seeking new challenges, Gilmore relocated to Austin and worked at Louie’s Backyard, a seafood restaurant. While there, Gilmore opened a Louie’s Backyard in Baton Rouge, La. After several years with the restaurant, Gilmore relocated to Arizona to learn from classic chefs of the region.
In a move that continued to diversify his culinary background, Gilmore returned to Texas in the mid-1980’s to work under Master German chefs in Fredericksburg. According to Gilmore, this experience improved his skills and helped shape his culinary vision. “Put together everything you have learned and use it,” he says. “Be humble when it does not work out and glad when it does.”
Thirteen years ago, Gilmore returned to Austin to work at Z Tejas. With an emphasis on creativity and new ideas, Z Tejas was a perfect fit for Gilmore’s unique background.
“The Z Tejas menu is a product of many influences. Growing up in a coastal border town of South Texas, my meals came from the fresh seafood of the Gulf of Mexico and fields full of fruits. I remember experiencing many layers of flavors,” explains Gilmore. “As I experienced cuisine from the Asian-influenced Pacific coast, the Rio Grande, Texas Hill Country, and desert Southwest, it had a powerful impact on my cooking style. The wonderful flavors that come out of our Z Tejas kitchens are the fusion of flavors and cooking techniques complemented by my experiences in Louisiana and the wonderful foods of my youth.”
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As executive chef, Gilmore is responsible for conceptual and recipe development, menu strategies and implementation of bold new combinations such as sizzling cast-iron skillet dumplings and ancho-rubbed pork tenderloin. Gilmore works with chefs from each Z Tejas restaurant to perfect their menus.
“Z Tejas cuisine is a marriage of flavorful traditional ingredients coupled with contemporary twists,” says Chef Gilmore. “Everyone in our kitchens understand that this is what makes Z Tejas unique.”
Gilmore enjoys spending free time with his wife, LuAnn, and their two sons, Bryce and Dylan. His hobbies include spending time in his kitchen at home, water skiing with his sons’ athletic programs.
Z Tejas continues to set itself apart by being a chef-and-food driven restaurant company committed to creating bold new combinations with traditional ingredients originating from the South, Southwest and West Coast, and takes pride in its Southwestern cuisine influenced by these areas as a true culinary experience. Z Tejas owns and operates 10 restaurants in the United States located in Austin, the Las Vegas area, Orange County California, the Phoenix area, Salt Lake City and the Seattle area. For more information, visit www.ztejas.com.
