Reata Restaurant is a Texas cuisine-based restaurant and event production catering service. It was founded in 1995 by Al Micallef, now with outlets in Alpine and Fort Worth, Texas. The Restaurant has operated its flagship location in the old Caravan of Dreams building since May 2002.[1] Reata also produces a line of gourmet bakeware and a cookbook – "Reata: Legendary Texas Cooking".[2][3][4]

Reata Restaurant
Company typePrivate
IndustryRestaurants
FoundedIn 1995 in Alpine, Texas
HeadquartersFort Worth, Texas
Key people
Mike Micallef, President
Al Micallef, Founder
ProductsFood service
Number of employees
175
Websitereata.net

History

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The name Reata, Spanish for rope, was inspired by the novel Giant by Edna Ferber. In 1996, Reata opened its second location[5] in Fort Worth, Texas, on the 35th floor of the Bank One Tower. Following the F3 tornado on March 28, 2000, Reata was hit and forced to close.[6][7][8] Within six weeks, the restaurant was rebuilt and became operational in the original location that was hit by the tornado. In January 2001, the restaurant was once again forced to close and re-opened in May 2002 in the building previously known as the Caravan of Dreams.

In February 2001, between the time Reata had to close in the Bank One Tower and reopen in Sundance Square, Reata started a catering division with a 3,000 sq. ft. commercial kitchen called Reata on the Road. In 2002, Reata opened a facility called Reata at the Rodeo, located in the Amon Carter Exhibits Hall, to serve the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo. In 2007, Reata took over the operation of the Backstage Club at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, renaming it Reata at the Backstage Club. In the fall of 2008, a cookbook authored by Mike Micallef was released called "Reata: Legendary Texas Cooking".[2][3][4] This cookbook is sold through Amazon and the Reata Store. In January 2010, Reata opened a Mexican cuisine-based restaurant at the Fort Worth Stock Show, and Rodeo called La Espuela.[9]

Chefs

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Notable chefs that started their careers at the Reata include Grady Spears,[10] Tim Love, Brian Olenjack,[11] and Tod Phillips.[12]

Locations

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  • Reata Fort Worth Sundance Square, Fort Worth, Texas[13]
  • Reata at the Rodeo (operated during the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo)[14]
  • Reata at the Backstage Club (operated during the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo)[15]
  • LaEspuela (operated during the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo)[16]
  • Reata Alpine, Alpine, Texas[17]

References

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  1. ^ "Reata at Sundance Square - Architecture in Fort Worth".
  2. ^ a b "Reata, Mike Micallef, Book - Barnes & Noble". Search.barnesandnoble.com. Retrieved 2010-02-13.
  3. ^ a b Micallef, Mike; Hatch, Julie (November 2008). Reata: Legendary Texas Cooking (9781580089067): Mike Micallef, Julie Hatch, Laurie Smith: Books. Ten Speed Press. ISBN 978-1580089067.
  4. ^ a b "Reata by Mike Micallef - Hardcover - Random House - Read an Excerpt". Random House. Retrieved 2010-02-13.
  5. ^ "Reata Restaurant History: Founding, Timeline, and Milestones". www.zippia.com. 2020-08-27. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  6. ^ "Fort Worth Tornado: A Year Later". Durangotexas.com. Retrieved 2010-02-13.
  7. ^ "Fort Worth Tornado - May 28, 2000". Fortwortharchitecture.com. Retrieved 2010-02-13.
  8. ^ "Dallas Dining - Up in the Air - page 1". Dallasobserver.com. 2000-10-05. Retrieved 2010-02-13.
  9. ^ "Reata to offer lower-priced fare at new restaurant at 2010 stock show - Fort Worth Business Press". Fort Worth Business Press. 2009-10-19. Archived from the original on 2011-07-11. Retrieved 2010-02-13.
  10. ^ "Grady Spears, Executive Chef/Co-Owner, Reata, in Alpine and Fort Worth, TX". Restaurant Hospitality. 1999-05-01. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  11. ^ "Olenjack named executive chef at Bird Cafe". Fort Worth Business Press. 2019-09-06. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  12. ^ "News & Recipes". Reata Restaurant. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  13. ^ "REATA RESTAURANT, Fort Worth - Downtown Fort Worth - Restaurant Reviews, Phone Number & Photos". Tripadvisor. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  14. ^ "REATA - Backstage". www.fwssr.com. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  15. ^ "Will Rogers Memorial Center's historic Backstage Club becoming available for year-round use - printed from North Texas e-News". www.ntxe-news.com. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  16. ^ "La Espuela". www.fwssr.com. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  17. ^ "Reata Restaurant - Alpine". www.opentable.com.