Kate McLean, Age 30 Tony's, 3755 Richmond
Tony's, one of the oldest and most acclaimed fine-dining restaurants in Houston, celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Restaurateur Tony Vallone has proven that the word "institution" does not have to equal "boring" and more than once has brought vibrant young chefs into the kitchen.
The executive chef these days is Kate McLean. She was the first female sous chef and became the first female executive chef as well when Grant Gordon left to head the kitchen at restaurant Vallone's in the Memorial City area.
(Gordon later left Vallone's, and announced in 2014 that he was opening a new restaurant with Paul Petronella of Paulie's and David Keck of Camerata at Paulie's. Soon afterward, he committed suicide after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. It's still a deeply felt, painful loss for everyone who knew the bright young star. McLean declined to discuss her time working with him.)
McLean says her relationship with food goes all the way back to when she was a toddler. "I remember being left in my high chair in a dark kitchen with a nanny with peanut butter and honey Ritz crackers. She'd left a little cottage cheese on one of them and I was pissed. I think that's my farthest-back food memory."
As an adult, McLean still has a strong relationship with food and high expectations for what a meal should be like. "I love getting hungry. I'd rather skip a meal if I can't sit down and really enjoy it. It's hard for me to just walk around and eat."
It wasn't until she was pursuing a marketing degree at the University of Colorado that she considered cooking as a career choice. The summer between her sophomore and junior years, she worked in a kitchen at a lodge. "I had so much fun with the people I was working with. I loved the work. I like hard work, and I like stress." McLean realized she'd discovered her true vocation.
Upon returning to school for her junior year, she got a job flipping burgers. She worked at that for nine months, finished college and then moved to Seattle. There she got a job at Dahlia Bakery making sandwiches. It shared a kitchen with fine-dining establishment Dahlia Lounge next door. McLean started moving up the chain, from line cook at lunch service to the hot line at dinnertime.
She moved to Hawaii to join friends there, and got a job at a fish restaurant called Postcards Cafe on the island of Kauai. She stayed for two years. Developing dinner specials turned out to be enjoyable, creative work. Working in south France, though, may have been the most beneficial in helping McLean hone her culinary skills.
"My godmother buys antiques from France, and she stayed at a family-owned bed and breakfast [near Avignon] that had a kitchen. They needed help. I applied, and I was in France a month later working for this English family." The chef's father was a Michelin-starred chef and had trained him in the same manner. McLean learned a lot. "It really made me step up my fine-dining game, and I realized that I really love fine dining -- the precision and the beauty of it."
Five months later, McLean returned to Houston and an industry executive arranged for her to have coffee with Tony Vallone. McLean's vivacious, energetic personality and work experience proved appealing, for she was asked to create a tasting menu for him and other higher-ups at Tony's the next day. She says, "They told me, 'Everything needed more salt and pepper, but do you want the job?'" The answer, of course, was yes. At age 26, McLean became a sous chef at one of the most respected restaurants in the United States.
She worked under Grant Gordon for three and a half years and, at age 29, was promoted to executive chef. "I feel very blessed," she says. "Mr. Vallone is the coolest guy I've ever met. I feel very lucky to have him as a mentor. He has a cool way of talking with people. He's very charming but to the point. I've learned how to be nice but get what we want and not settle for less quality. He's also very generous, and it seems like he's always helping somebody."
One of McLean's more difficult lessons has been learning to swallow her pride. "In the beginning, about half of the chefs were hard to work for," she explains. "I knew if I just put my head down and did whatever they said -- even if it made me mad or seemed to not be right -- it would be worth it."
Another challenge for her was winning over employees who had worked at Tony's much longer than she had. "It was hard coming up here. I was constantly trying to prove myself. It feels so good now to have done it and be someone they respect."
Interestingly, McLean sees being a woman in the industry as an advantage, not a disadvantage, and isn't afraid to use her femininity as a tool to get the job done. "I think we have a lot of power. It's not that big of an issue. It's about how hard you work and your personality. Being a woman is empowering. If I need to get something done, I just smile the right way and it gets done. I use that."
McLean has advice for other young chefs who also want to move up through the ranks. "You just have to work hard. Never give up. There are times you'll want to give up and say, 'Oh my God, why am I doing this?' but don't settle for that. Those moments will always pass, and you'll be much happier for it."
