- Tim Love
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Tim Love (November 11, 1971) is a well-known Texas chef, best known for his creations of urban western cooking (see Cuisine of the Southwestern United States ), and his restaurant "The Lonesome Dove Western Bistro" (named for the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Larry McMurtry, "Lonesome Dove") in the historical Fort Worth Stockyards in Texas. Donning a cowboy hat instead of the usual chef's toque, he has become popular with Fort Worth's rising culinary scene and a proponent of enhancing the status of Fort Worth cuisine over its neighbor to the east, Dallas. Love defeated Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto in a 2006 "Chile Pepper" battle on Iron Chef America. In 2009, he appeared on Top Chef Masters, but came in third in his first heat, thus ending his run on the show.
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Biography
Born in Denton, Texas, Love’s career as a chef began in a kitchen in Knoxville, Tennessee, where he worked to earn extra money while completing his degree in finance and marketing at the University of Tennessee. Love began volunteering in various kitchens between shifts in an attempt to gain experience and knowledge in the culinary arts. Since running his first kitchen at Kiva Grill, an upscale southwestern restaurant in Knoxville, Tennessee, Love has lent his signature style to diners at the Knoxville Radisson and hotels throughout the Southeast. Upon his move to Colorado, he soon became chef at the Uptown Bistro in Frisco, where he was awarded the Taste of Breckenridge Grand Award three years running and the Taste of the Mountains every year. Prior to opening the Lonesome Dove in 2000, Love served as Executive Chef at Mira Vista Country Club in Fort Worth and as a chef at Reata, one of the Fort Worth's premier restaurants.
His Fort Worth eatery, The Lonesome Dove Western Bistro, has garnered critical acclaim and spawned a second location which opened in New York City. Love has been featured in publications such as the New York Times, New York Post, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Morning News, Texas Monthly Magazine, CNN, D-Magazine, Southern Living and has received a James Beard nomination for his Food Network documentary, “Cowboys on the Trail.”
In 2006, Chef Love opened his second restaurant, Duce, in Fort Worth, Texas. Straying from his wild game approach, Duce features a modern European cuisine modeled after the success of such Gastro Pub eateries in Spain and Great Britain. Featuring a tapas influenced menu, and cuts of meat from Latin America and Europe, it also segues into an after hours club featuring live contemporary jazz music and popular dj's from the D/FW metroplex DJ area.
In late 2006, Chef Love opened his third establishment and the sister to his popular Fort Worth franchise, The Lonesome Dove Western Bistro NYC. Located in Manhattan's Chelsea district, it features a smaller, more intimate dining room than his Fort Worth establishment, yet the same "Western Saloon" feel that permeates both venues. Occupying the space next door to the Lonesome Dove Western Bistro NYC is Justin's, popular hip-hop icon Sean Combs' (aka P-Diddy) restaurant and nightclub.
Love's Lonesome Dove Western Bistro NYC closed in March 2007 after six months of dismal reviews, including less-than-favorable critiques by the New York Times[1] and New York magazine[2]. The abrupt close came as a shock to many, but Love insisted it wasn't due to bad reviews. "The Flatiron District venue was reasonably popular despite mixed reviews, but it closed after six months when, Mr. Love says, he got a substantial offer for the remainder of the lease. The offer equaled what he'd have made in three years there, so he closed shop in Manhattan and is already planning another Lonesome Dove in Aspen, Colo."[3]
Love sold Duce - his Fort Worth tapas bar-turned-modern steakhouse - to a Chicago-based chef in April 2008. [4]
At the 2011 SoBe Wine & Food Festival, Tim Love told reporters of his plans to open a new Love Shack burger joint, and a global taco restaurant representing 10 different ethnic groups.[1]
Trail drives
In 2003, Love celebrated his James Beard House invitation as a “Rising Star” and the 100th birthday of the late James Beard with his first annual trail drive. He traveled from Fort Worth to New York City with his horses and crew, stopping at local farmer’s markets along the way to pick up indigenous ingredients, which he used to prepare the dinner at the James Beard house. [5]
In 2004, Love set out again for his second annual trail drive. This time, the trail moved westward in honor of his invitation to participate in the American Express Celebrity Chef Tour. Love and his kitchen crew stopped in various cities along the way to visit local farmers markets and prepared dinners benefiting Spoons Across America, a charity that supports children’s culinary education. This dining and fundraising adventure was captured by the Food Network for a one hour special, “Cowboys on the Trail,” (moderated by Country Music star Trace Adkins) further establishing Love as one of the foremost pioneers of western cuisine.
Personal life
Love is married to Emilie Love, whom he met working in Colorado at the Uptown Bistro in Frisco. They have three children, Tannahill, and twin girls, Ella and Anna. The family splits time in Fort Worth, Texas and New York City. When away from the kitchen, Love can be found coaching his son's baseball team, writing articles for the western magazine "Cowboys & Indians" as well as a column for Maxim Magazine on wild game.
References
External links
Categories:- 1971 births
- Living people
- American chefs
- People from Texas
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