Today we’d like to introduce you to Chef Richard Chamberlain.
Chef Richard, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My Culinary Journey………..I never imagined that a high school crush would change the course of my life. As a teenager, I signed up for Home Economics for one reason-to meet a pretty girl. Cooking wasn’t on my radar, and I certainly wasn’t thinking about becoming a chef. But somewhere between learning basic recipes and spending time in the kitchen, something unexpected happened……I fell in love with cooking! After graduation, I enrolled in culinary school and started an apprenticeship working under French chefs at the 5 Star Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas. The long hours, pressure, and pursuit of excellence never discouraged me, they fueled me. I went on to work in restaurants in Las Angeles and Aspen Colorado. I became an award winning chef, earning recognition for my work in major food publications, TV Shows and eventually, a nomination for a James Beard Award, one of the greatest honors in the culinary world. My wife Lisa and I opened our first restaurant, Chamberlain’s Steak & Fish in 1993 and we just celebrated our 33 year anniversary. My story is proof that sometimes lifes greatest opportunities come from the most unexpected places. You never know when one small decision will shape your future. For me, it all started in a high school Home Economics classroom and led me to a life I could never have dreamed of. For that, I am very grateful.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My culinary career was fun, exciting and challenging. Learning my craft working under highly skilled chefs from Europe was very challenging at first. it was long hours, very stressful and tough working conditions. but when you are passionate about something that you love to do, it is really not like working at all. Running my own business has forced me to expand my knowledge from just the food and service side, to the business side. my primary focus is making sure all of my loyal service staff, cooks, server assistants, all employees, are able to provide for their families by continuing to drive the business necessary to achieve that day in and day out. One thing I have learned over the years, if you take really great care of your guest and make them feel special every time the come in, they will take care of you and your team. they become part of the Chamberlains family and its a pleasure to have such a big family to show our love to every day.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My original specialty was working in a variety of chef positions in different restaurants as I was building my career. my advice to young culinary students is to always work under multiple upscale chefs and concepts as your building your career. I originally chose to work under highly trained French chefs at the Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas. later, I moved to las Angeles to work with Wolfgang Puck at the Bel Air Hotel. my wife Lisa and I moved to Aspen Colorado in 1989 to open the world renown Little Nell hotel were I recieved a nomination for the James Beard Award for best food in the Southwest, an award that I am most proud of and considered one of the highest honors in the culinary world. At the time, I created a cuisine that I named American Alpine Cuisine. It was based around using foods and techniques from high alpine regions around the world. We later moved back to our home, Dallas, Tx and opened our first Restaurant, Chamberlains. Our Specialty at Chamberlains, Prime Beef and Fresh Seafood was inspired by growing up in south Texas and spending time on my grandfathers cattle ranch as well as fishing on the Texas coast and harvesting beautiful fish, crab, shrimp and oysters. The concept of using very fresh and high quality foods has set us apart from many competitors.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Over the last 33 years, I have seen many trends and changes in the restaurant business, At my Chamberlains Steak and Fish, We have adapted in several key ways. I realized we needed more private dining space to accommodate different size groups for both special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries and even weddings, to corporate gatherings like board meetings, seminars and training sessions. I also saw a need for a live music lounge that we opened next door that featuring great musicians five nights a week, sports on multiple TV’s and a large collection of fine cigars to enjoy. We named it the Cigar Lounge at Chamberlains and it has been a huge hit since opening. In the next 5 years, we are gearing up for the relocation of the Dallas Mavericks and the Dallas Stars teams relocating to within just a few miles from us. This will create a great opportunity to capture new audiences both before and after games. We also will continue to update our menus to reflect new trends and add new dishing from my travels around the world.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://chamberlainssteakandfish.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chamberlainssteak?utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1DQpjYJwhd/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@chefrichardchamberlain
