Z’Tejas Southwestern Grill, today announced the return of award-winning chef, Leo Madrigal, one of Z’Tejas’ original executive chefs, as the new Chief Executive Chef. The decision to bring back Chef Leo illustrates its commitment to the Z’Tejas’ culture of serving unique, flavorful, Southwestern-style dishes using the freshest ingredients.
“For more than 20 years, Chef Leo has played a significant role at Z’Tejas right from the beginning when the first location opened on 6th St. in downtown Austin more than 25 years ago,” said Gary Manley, General Partner at Z’Tejas. “We welcome Chef Leo’s return to Z’Tejas. His passion and talent for creating unique, fresh dishes with Southwestern and Mexican flavors, combined with his years of knowledge of the Z’Tejas brand, is going to enhance the overall dining experience for our restaurants.”
“I am proud to return to Z’Tejas and help revitalize the place I called home for many years,” said Chef Leo. “I believe in the mission of Z’Tejas general partners namely Gary Manley, Mike Pottorff and Mike Stone, to make Z’Tejas a destination for guests to enjoy an unforgettable and consistent dining experience when they visit any of our restaurants.”
Prior to returning to Z’Tejas, Chef Leo acted as a consultant and helped with other restaurant concepts including opening the Hoody Burger Bar in Dallas and Salty Sow Restaurants in Austin and Phoenix. He will be based in Scottsdale, Arizona.
In 1989, the first Z’Tejas was born in an old Victorian house on Austin’s historic 6th Street. Taking flavors from Spanish and Mexican cuisines and combining them with inspirations from Arizona, Louisiana, California, New Mexico and Texas, Z’Tejas created a rich blend of flavors that we’ve come to celebrate as Southwestern cuisine. For more information about Z’Tejas, visit: http://ztejas.com.
