To Ric Rosser, creating delectable masterpieces is all about letting food “speak for itself.”
The executive chef at Saltgrass Steakhouse, based in Houston, says if not for quality-driven beef producers, the task of serving up a palatable entre many consider a staple in Texas would be far more difficult.
“We take a great piece of meat – we don’t crust it with anything, we don’t add sauce to it, we only sprinkle it with our Saltgrass steak spice and grill it the way you want it,” he says. “We didn’t create that. We’re making food simple, and that’s just good.”
After deciding college wasn’t for him, Rosser left Texas A&M to work in a fine-dining kitchen. But young and unattached, he felt the call of agriculture and headed for Lubbock for a few months of farm work.
“I quickly realized that hauling cotton and working cattle was not the glamorous life that TV projects it to be,” he says. Chalking another one up to experience, he was glad to return to the cooking job.
However, it was during that short interlude in the Panhandle that the native Texan developed an understanding and strong appreciation for rural life. “It takes a cattle rancher 21 months, about 700-plus days, to raise that animal” from conception to consumption, Rosser says. “It takes us four minutes to make that piece of meat a success or a failure, just by what we’re doing on the grill.”
The chef he worked under at the time saw potential in his young charge and provided what turned out to be valuable insight: “He told me I was pretty good at it and that maybe I should think about going to culinary school.”
A cousin was already on that course and apprenticed in Florida, so Rosser jumped on the idea. This was it at last – he went to culinary school and spent several years in fine dining – where he met his bride.
Today, when he’s not at the grill, the family man enjoys the great outdoors with his wife and children. He points out that if not for the support of family, the road to success can be difficult to travel. “A lot of chefs out there doubt themselves,” says Rosser. “But when you have somebody standing behind you it’s easy to believe in yourself.”
Saltgrass recently cooperated with the Certified Angus Beef ® brand to host a large group of international chefs at its Amarillo location for a taste of Rosser’s delicious creations. These global contemporaries had to appreciate the Texas chef’s ability to blend the latest cooking techniques with deep-rooted western flavors.
Innovativeness is refreshing in the steakhouse business, and Rosser appreciates the exchange just as much. “I’m fueled by the young chefs who are hungry for knowledge,” he says, “the ones who are ready to get up and cook with passion.”
Outside of fine dining and rustic decor, Saltgrass prides itself on providing customers with information on where their steak comes from. “I think the coolest thing is when the servers get to educate the guests,” the chef says. “They leave here with a better understanding of where their beef comes from and how it’s grown.”
When it comes to making food choices today, words like “freshness” and “homegrown” can be found at the top of consumers’ priority lists. Rosser says those concepts link to the most current consumer food trend, “thinking local.”
Informing guests about the beef and the ranchers who produce it is huge. The eager chef says he hopes that by connecting consumer to producer he can spread the word about the beef they serve and help people make more informed decisions about where and what to eat.
Rosser especially welcomes those who raise high-quality cattle for the CAB brand to visit any of the Saltgrass Steakhouse locations in five states. “I would love for those guys to come and see how we’re taking their product, putting it on a plate, and making people happy,” he says.
Efforts in the kitchen keep trying to magnify the quality that was put into producing the steaks, making sure to bring out the taste. “They’re doing a great job,” Rosser says, harking back to that comparison of time spent. He adds, “Just keep focusing on your 21 months, and we will take care of those four minutes.”
Source: Certified Angus Beef LLC