Profiles of notable local chefs

Kent Rathbun, Owner – Jaspers, The Woodlands

Signature Dishes

• Barbecue pork tenderloin with peach barbecue sauce and bourbon creamed corn
• Rotisserie prime rib with caramelized onions and a baby baked potato
• Slow cooked baby back ribs and creamy baked potato salad

Chef Kent Rathbun opened The Woodlands location of Jasper's eight years ago and owns several other Texas culinary locales. After opening the award-winning Abacus in Dallas in 1997, he began work on his second concept, Jasper's, based on home-cooked food and a modern outdoors theme. The first location soon opened in Plano and later expanded to locations in The Woodlands and Austin. Jasper's was named one of Esquire Magazine's Top 20 Restaurants in America and Rathbun has received numerous awards, including being the four-time recipient of the James Beard Foundation's Best Chef: Southwest. Rathbun is a seven-time participant for the pre-Super Bowl "Taste of the NFL" event, cooked for the Bush 2001 Inaugural Ball and defeated television chef Bobby Flay on Iron Chef America in 2008.

How did you get into cooking?

Rathbun grew up in Kansas City. His mother was in the restaurant business, although she was not a chef, and his father and family members were good cooks, as well. He began cooking at a local restaurant at the age of 14 to earn some money and didn't pursue cooking as a career until later.

What are some of your favorite foods?

"I love anything coming off the grill. I love grilled meat and fish. I love grilled vegetables. I love anything with a little smoke on it."

What are some ingredients no kitchen should be without?

"I think you have to have great salt. I believe a difference between a great meal and a good one is a little bit of sodium. Some people overdo it, but some people underdo it, too. I love salt, I love oils and I love vinegar."

What makes your kitchen different?

"One of the things that makes our kitchen different is that I'm very serious about all our cooks and chefs understanding the kind of cuisine we're working within. We're very anti-fusion food. I like foods from all over the world, but I don't like mixing them together."

Who has inspired your work?

"I watch all chefs. I think there's so many chefs out there. I always like to watch the guys who are really on top of their game, but I watch the young people, too, because they're under much more pressure to try new things."

Arturo Osorio, Executive Chef – Amerigo's Grille

Signature Dishes

• Steamed mussels with Manila clams and mussels steamed in a chardonnay saffron sauce
• Halibut almondine crusted with Marcona almonds and topped with roasted pepper sauce

Chef Osorio has served as the executive chef at Amerigo's Grille, one of The Woodlands' most acclaimed restaurants, since its opening in 1994. Although Amerigo's menu features primarily Italian-style cuisine, Osorio creates dishes that feature Texas' wild game and fresh seafood.

"Being selective about my ingredients is the most important thing I do in the kitchen," he said. "I import my pasta and cheese from Italy, and my seafood is delivered daily from the most reputable fish markets around.

Osorio has established close working relationships with locals farmers from whom he buys most of his local produce such as eggs.

In 2006, Osorio was named by "H Texas Magazine" in "Houston's Top Ten Chefs of 2006," and has been featured as a guest chef at fundraisers held by the Woodforest Charitable Foundation.

How did you get into cooking?

"I started as a dishwasher in 1982, then I started learning the cooking. I was brought into the kitchen and a couple of months later, I was running the kitchen. After that, I went to work as the chef at Nino's Italian restaurant."

What makes your kitchen different?

"We like to keep it clean and keep it as fresh as possible. We get our produce fresh here every day."

What are some of your favorite foods?

"I love hamburgers. I always like to cook at home for my family. I cook a lot of cold pastas for my family, like tuna salad and chicken salad. I also like soups. And I like steaks."

What are some ingredients no kitchen should be without?

"Salt, oil, spices, stock, wine and fresh herbs."

What do you love about food?

"I like to please people. I like to make people feel good about what I do."

Who has inspired your work?

"Chris McClung, the Sous Chef at Damian's I used to work for."

Osorio said working with McClung taught him how to manage a kitchen, embody a humble spirit and build a team.