HSB Executive
Sous Chef Prepares World-Class Continental Cuisine Horseshoe Bay Resort's Executive Sous Chef Charles Usener, 41, prepares fine continental cuisine with finesse and flair, yet he has never been to a cooking or a chef's school to learn the art. He learned from experience. The world-class chef-to-be began his learning experience not in a fine restaurant or a country club, but in an army mess hall, at the young age of 16. This was where his father worked as a career mess sergeant, and it was there that Usener grew fascinated with food preparation as he watched his father prepare the dishes that fed Uncle Sam's boys and girls. "He always had the number one rated mess halls wherever we lived," Usener says. "We went to Germany several times; we moved every couple of years. I was always at the stove watching Dad cook — at home and at the mess halls." Usener laughs heartily. "Dad always told me that with my appetite I needed to learn to cook. I learned from observing him all the time — basic cooking." But basic or not, it was a start in the right direction. The young Usener knew what career he wanted to pursue, and he wasted no time in exposing himself to situations through which he could master the art of cooking. When he left home he immediately started working in restaurants, where he began to improve and expand on his knowledge of foods. Eventually his quest took him to first class steak houses, then on eventually to country clubs, and it was here that he found exposure to the elegant and specialized food preparation that he wanted to learn. He worked first at the Lubbock Country Club. From there he went to the International Club of El Paso, then from there to the El Paso Country Club, where he started as a line cook under a French Chef, Phillipe Muller, and a German Chef, Warner Heineman. Both of the men were sous chefs, and it wasn't long before they started sharing their expertise and experience with Usener, who eagerly absorbed every aspect of fine food preparation. Usener wound up a top notch chef at the El Paso Country Club, where for 15 years he served up world class cuisine. At the same time, during a number of those years he owned and operated his own food venture, a unique business he named the La Jolla Tea Room, which eventually became the talk of the town. People packed the dining room and touted the elegant eatery for its fine lunches. His lunches featured a fish, chicken and beef dish every day, as well as gourmet sandwiches prepared with expensive meats and cheeses, all presented as works of art. But it was a special feature of the tea room, High Tea Time, which he presented every afternoon at 3 p.m., that put his place on the map, Usener says. For this special time, he served, in the grand British tradition, scones, petit fours, assorted tea sandwiches and exotic teas blended especially for his restaurant — all of which he presented with the same special care that went into his lunches. This was something new to the people of El Paso; it was different and the food was excellent. They came in droves. "We had all of the society people of El Paso coming to the restaurant," he says with no small amount of pride. "We had celebrities and officials from Mexico coming across the border to the tea room on a regular basis — just about every day." But after awhile Usener began to miss his family, all of whom lived in the Texas Hill Country, and wanted to live near them. "I was the only one in my family who did not live in the Hill Country. My dad lives in Fredericksburg, so I decided to look for employment out this way. I started to take a job in Fredericksburg, but I saw an ad for a chef at Horseshoe Bay, so I interviewed for the job and got it." That was 10 months ago, and Chef Usener says he has enjoyed every minute of his time here. "I like Horseshoe Bay very much," he says. "I was surprised to see such a fine place as this out in the country. I had no idea it was here. The thing I like about Horseshoe Bay is, they don't hold back on expense. We prepare everything fresh. We cut all our meats. Our fish is flown in fresh three days a week. We use certified Black Angus beef, and the very best shrimp, the very best seafood available anywhere. None of our seafood, meats or vegetables are frozen; they all come in fresh. We hand-carve our vegetable daily, and our fruit is all fresh. "At Horseshoe Bay, we have the range to be creative. As a chef you have to be creative. Between permission to be creative and the freshness of our food, we're able to produce culinary masterpieces in our kitchen. It's a pleasure to work here. We work as a team, and the attitudes are always at an energetic level. We feed off each other." Horseshoe Bay Resort employs three other top sous chefs, each of whom work under Usener. They include Teddy Wallace, Ken Richards and Chris Granger. |
