Local culinary star Bryan Caswell has another feather to put in his quickly-filling cap: He was selected as one of the country's ten Best New Chefs for 2009 by Food & Wine magazine.
Caswell is the executive chef and owner at Reef, a hot spot on the local dining scene. he also recently opened Little Big's, a fast casual hamburger spot in Montrose specializing in beef, chicken, and mushroom sliders.
Caswell is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. While at CIA he secured a coveted six-month externship under Chef Jose Muneisa at Michelin-rated Via Veneto in Barcelona. After graduation, he apprenticed under Aurole Chef Charlie Palmer, Gotham Bar and Grill Chef Alferd Portale, March Chef Wayne Nish, and Union Pacific Chef Rocco Dispiritio.
He then progressed to a two-year stint at Jean-George Vongerichten's flagship Restaurant Jean-George, followed by a world tour of other Vongerichten restaurants in Hong Kong, Bangkok and Paradise Island.
In Houston, Caswell opened Bank with Vongerichten at the Hotel Icon before moving on to open Reef.
Food & Wine: 2009 Best New Chefs
Brian Caswell, the chef and owner of Reef and Little Bigs, has created a blog. In his words
"The food, cooking and coastal culture of the South are just a natural part of who and how I am as a person, chef and restaurateur. Whole Fish gives me a chance to do what I do best…show off: to brag about my hometown -- Houston and the surrounding Gulf Coast area -- as the best place in the world to live, work and eat."