One of Houston’s most prolific restaurant groups has named a culinary director for the first time, marking a new era for its collection of neighborhood restaurants.
Adair Concepts has brought Diego Fernandez on board in the newly established role to develop chef-driven offerings for its restaurants including Adair Kitchen, Bebidas, Eloise Nichols, Buffalo Grille and others.
Mexico City-born Fernandez has worked in some of the most celebrated restaurants across the country, from the original Alinea in Chicago to Quince in San Francisco. Now he aims to bring an elevated culinary experience to Adair through new and creative dishes.
“I am proud to be associated with a longtime family business that not only has earned a remarkable reputation by its beloved customers but is entrenched in the fabric of our community, Fernandez said. “Those are keys to success any business would value but that are especially important to restaurants.”
A Quick Start: Fernandez’s creativity is already at work in both locations of Adair Kitchen, where he’s elevated the dinner menu with new dishes including citrus-cured snapper with watermelon aguachile; coffee-rubbed angus steak with cranberry reduction; ribeye cutlets with olive tapenade; and gemelli pasta with Italian sausage, roasted fennel, peas and triple-cream cheese.
“While the intent is to take things up a culinary notch, we will always strive for excellent, consistent and approachable hospitality,” said Adair Concepts creative director Katie Barnhart. “With Chef Diego we have both: a culinary director with one foot in the most impressive realms of dining and the other solidly planted in guest hospitality. It’s an exciting moment for us and we’re proud he's now part of the Adair Concepts family.”
The Background: The Adair family began their restaurant group in 1988 with Skeeter’s Mesquite Grill in 1988, which is now a West U neighborhood institution. Today the company’s portfolio includes six Los Tios Mexican Restaurants locations, two Adair Kitchen and Buffalo Grille restaurants, and self-made indie operations including Eloise Nichols, Adair Downtown, Bebidas and Betsy’s at Evelyn’s Park. The company is also expanding for the first time beyond its Houston roots with plans to open branches of Adair Kitchen and Los Tios restaurants in San Antonio as well as a Los Tios in Fredericksburg.
In Conversation: We chatted with Chef Fernandez about the new role and the opportunities and challenges facing Houston restaurants.
Your culinary background could allow you to do many different things. Why did taking on this role with Adair make the most sense for you right now?
It really came down to the family. I'm a pretty good reader of people and after meeting Nick Adair I saw a man close to my age with integrity, drive, and business acumen. The integrity piece tipped the scale in my decision making. I think we share the same drive—progress not perfection, be 1% better everyday at everything you do. His business acumen is something I can learn from, and perhaps in the future, help the company make the best decisions for our team, for our city, and community.
What are you most excited to implement or experiment with in this new role? Is there one thing that stands out?
The most exciting part of my role is to be able to teach and mentor. Food is simple and pure and that of course excites me. However, if at the end of my career, I was able to impact somebody to continue the culinary torch then I succeeded. The future of Houston's restaurant scene is among us, and it's up to us to inspire them.
What do you think Houston offers its culinary community that you don’t really see in other cities? What sets us apart?
Our unique blend of BBQ and Mexican food has always stood out to me. Secondly, Houston's diverse community which is reflected in cuisines such Vietnamese-Cajun, Mexican, Middle Eastern, Nigerian, Chinese, among others. Lastly, the lack of culinary elitism. There is a seat at the table for everyone from the small taqueria, neighborhood burger joint, or the fine dining tasting menu. Great food does not hide behind price point or exclusivity, it's all about flavor.
What are some of the most pressing challenges facing the restaurant industry today? How do you hope to combat these alongside ownership at Adair Concepts?
Some of the more recent challenges affecting the industry are rising costs. Typically, most restaurants, feeling the constraints of higher cost of goods, solve this issue by adjusting pricing. I think Adair Concepts has remained true to its core in offering a great product at a fair price. While yes, we have adjusted some pricing, across the board we are very price friendly. I think for us, working with our suppliers to find solutions before turning to the numbers has been primordial. Also, listening to our guests and being sensitive to how they are working through some of the same challenges we face has broadened our decision making when engineering menus.
What else would you like people to know?
As Culinary Director I'm here to honor rich Houston traditions but still trying to push boundaries. Dining at Adair can and should be exciting. I want our customers to be excited about the new flavors and dishes we're bringing. Equally as important, I want them to know we're listening. Every plate is a conversation, and their voices will shape where we go next.
Written by A.J. Mistretta
Pictured: Chef Diego Fernandez, Credit: Frances Boatwright
