KIMBERLEY BRUNNER
Hannah's On Main
| Dean Brunner
Fredericksburg, TX
Kimberly’s life-long passion has been cooking for people and the incredible allure of restaurants. From her favorite toys as a child, part-time job as a teenager, college major, and choice to attend and graduate from New England Culinary Institute in Montpelier, Vermont, Kimberly’s life-long dreams included fine culinary skills and restaurant ownership. To that end, Kimberly has continually sought to gain and refine all the skills necessary to become a successful Chef and Restaurant Owner. Her experience in this quest includes employment with two hotels, a private club, and just over a half-dozen free standing and corporate restaurants. She has been involved in opening three restaurants including Cuveé Bistro, Market, and Wine Bar in Fredericksburg, Texas. Kimberly has been a Junior Member of Les Dames d’ Escoffier, won several recipe contests including a division of the Vermont Veal recipe contest, and been on the French Room Culinary team that won countless awards and designations both nationally and internationally during her tenure there from 1996 till 2000. The most notable was the 1999 Zagat Survey designation as #2 Restaurant in the nation. Le Bec Fin in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was the premier restaurant that year.
Kimberly’s restaurant career began as many do as a teenager in the front-of-the-house as a bus person/dishwasher, waitress, and then hostess. During college and culinary school Kimberly relied on this experience to provide supplemental income as well as gain further knowledge in other facets of hotel, restaurant, and catering customer service. These experiences include: event sales, preparation, execution, labor management, follow-up services, cash control, beverage cost and control, and employee and guest theft prevention techniques.
Kimberly’s sojourn in the back-of-the-house is similarly, if more impressive. For the nine months prior to beginning culinary school she was second restaurant cook and lead catering cook for a very popular restaurant in Waco, Texas. It was normal for Kimberly to coordinate the purchase for, preparation of, and execution of at least 4 large Weddings or other functions every weekend. On her first internship at the University Club of Dallas, Kimberly mastered basic and advanced techniques in Spa Cuisine with a very International influence. With prior exposure to butchery and meat fabrication, Kimberly also had opportunities in honing those skills there. During her tenure at a three and a half star, high volume restaurant that specialized in fresh food (Patrizio), Kimberly was responsible for working a station in the kitchen (involving the execution of over a dozen menu items) while also supervising a six to eight person production crew. She also assisted in specials and new menu item development, plate design, inventory procedures, and sanitation management. Within five months of her employment with Accolades in Addison, Texas, Kimberly was promoted to Sous Chef (the Executive Chef’s assistant). Before assuming this role, she took the opportunity to refine techniques in meat and fish butchery and portion fabrication, wood-fired grilling in a production setting, sauce creation, and vegetable side-dish creation and execution. Skills as a Sous Chef were gained in the areas of: employee hiring, supervision, labor time management, discipline, and dismissal. At the dismissal of the beverage director, she also took over the fifty placement wine list and has assumed responsibility for the research associated to, creation of, and purchasing for the restaurant’s impressive wine list. Kimberly’s efforts on behalf of this restaurant were instrumental in achieving the Dallas Morning News four and a half star rating it received.
During these years Kimberly fostered a passion for really good breads and developed her own sourdough starter from an organic red grape fermentation. She read voraciously and practiced techniques at home in small apartment kitchens while working many long hours as a line cook. During her time at The French Room, in the Hotel Adolphus, Kimberly was encouraged to pursue the art of baking and fine pastries…and served as Pastry Chef there for three years. In that time she was responsible for the creation and execution of weekly specials, daily specials, and the creation, maintenance, and execution of a twelve item standard menu. She increased dessert sales by 15% to ninety-five percent. The French Room is a Five Star, Four-Diamond fine dining restaurant.
In late 2002 Kimberly moved to Fredericksburg with her Husband Dean, and daughter, Hannah. Kimberly and Dean were hired to be the Chef talent for Cuvée Bistro, Market, and Wine Bar. They were jointly responsible for the design, equipment acquisition, and opening inventory for the kitchen. Kimberly planned, prepared, and executed an Artisan Bread program utilizing unadulterated and organic flours and grains, natural yeasts, purified water, and other fresh, natural ingredients. Most notably, her breads were mentioned in a German publication that likened her products unto the writer’s village bakery. Kim regularly and aggressively assisted in many aspects of the business including maintaining a food cost of 24% or less. The Brunner’s skills on behalf of this business have been noted in many national publications including Gourmet Magazine but have also been mentioned in French, and Canadian publications.
