The Barbed Rose Announces New Chefs

BELLAIRE, TX, April 28, 2011 (Press-News.org) "Now more than ever, people want to know where their food comes from," says Peek. "Geographically, we're situated in a dense agricultural area, allowing us the opportunity to not only offer beautiful, just-picked produce from local farms, but also high quality, locally-grown, humanely raised pork, beef, lamb and chicken products as well." As butcher/charcuterie chef, Peek will support The Barbed Rose and Uncommon Affairs, the restaurants' sister catering business, and will oversee the creation of Schaap Meat Company, an Old World meat market set to open in Alvin in Summer 2011.

Similar to Peek, counterpart Fleming will provide handcrafted baked goods to The Barbed Rose and Uncommon Affairs, as well as oversee the forthcoming Crustco Artisan Bakery, a new Alvin-based bakery that will specialize in artisanal breads. It also is scheduled to open in Summer 2011. Both butcher shop and bakery are owned and operated by the Alvin Restaurant Group.

"We're excited to bring two very creative, very talented chefs on board with us," says owner Joe Schneider of the Alvin Restaurant Group. "Barbed Rose is a meat-driven restaurant, so partnering with Jay was a natural extension for us, allowing us the opportunity to offer our guests higher-quality meat products." Bringing Fleming on board was also a natural next step for Schneider, whose grand plan is to put Alvin, Texas on the culinary map. Peek and Fleming will work closely with Barbed Rose Executive Chef Jason Chaney, to create the butcher shop and bakery from the ground up.

Seattle-born and Houston-raised, Peek most recently served as sous chef at Houston's Strata Restaurant & Bar. Prior to that, he worked at a handful of Houston's top restaurants, including Cullen's Upscale American Grille, Bombay Palace and Kiran's. He is a graduate of the Art Institute of Houston, where he earned an Associate of Applied Science Degree in both Culinary Arts and Baking & Pastry. "We're all about eating seasonally and locally," says Peek, who is already creating buzz with his house cured bacon, kobe beef hotdogs, smoked sausage and more. "This is a natural fit for me, and for the Alvin Restaurant Group."

Fleming, a native Houstonian, comes to The Barbed Rose by way of Cullen's Upscale American Grille, where he learned the art of bread baking when the restaurant's baker suddenly departed without notice. Four years later, the dedicated baker continues to hone his bread baking skills, creating his much-talked-about pretzel buns, sourdough breads, hoagie rolls, pizza dough and more. "Baking is my passion. I get great pleasure from creating breads that people talk about, that have diners returning to the restaurant for more," says Fleming.

"Since opening in July 2010, the Barbed Rose menu has quickly become known for its enticing Gulf Coast-inspired fine dining, crated from seasonal, high-quality ingredients and locally sourced whenever possible," says Executive Chef Jason Chaney. "Both Jay and JP are very strong advocates of this cooking philosophy as well and will be relying on our local farmers for their menu inspirations."

For more information visit http://www.barbedrose.com. For dining reservations, please call 281-585-2272.