News & Events

Bradley 3 Ranch

Hosts Well-Known Chefs

Source: Certified Angus Beef, 2011

When you get the call to host a Certified Angus Beef ^® Chef tour there is a certain excitement that is quickly followed by panic! But for the folks at Bradley 3 Ranch, their twenty plus years in the meat business lent to an effective plan and a skillfully hosted ranch visit and meal….even in the current Texas drought.

On June 20, noted Chefs from across the U.S and Certified Angus Beef ^® staff were at Bradley 3 Ranch for a tour and wonderful meal prepared by Certified Angus Beef ^® Scott Popvic. The Chefs on the tour were among some of the most innovative and rising culinary stars.

Chef Govind Armstrong is one of the nation's brightest cooking stars, noted for his commitment to market-driven California-style cuisine. Creator of the Table 8 brand of restaurants, Armstrong is currently the executive chef and owner of 8 Oz Burger Bars in Los Angeles and South Beach. He plans expansion to California, Arizona and Nevada.

Undoubtedly one of the South's most talented young chefs, Craig Deihl delights diners with his global fusion style of cooking at Cypress in Charleston, S.C. In 2010, Deihl received a prestigious James Beard Foundation nomination for Best Chef-Southeast. He was also named Chef of the Year by the Charleston chapter of the American Culinary Foundation.

Also on the tour was husband and wife duo, Cindy Hutson and Delius Shirley. They own Ortanique restaurants in Miami and the Grand Caymans. Cindy is a major influence on the Caribbean food scene and South Florida market place. Together they operate Norma's on the Beach, which has been acclaimed as the best Caribbean restaurant in South Florida by USA Today, New York Times, London Times, Chicago Tribune and Ocean Drive magazines.

Adam Perry Lang is a beef and barbecue expert who has worked his way through top rated kitchens of France and New York City. He is a consulting partner in Mario Batali's Carnevino in Las Vegas, where he sources all the beef and trains the staff on cooking techniques. His latest restaurant project took him to London to open Barbecoa with celebrity chef Jamie Oliver. He is a cookbook author and frequent guest on all the major news and foodie shows.

Anne Quatrano and Clifford Harrison have been inseparable since meeting as students at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco.

Their three ventures – Bacchanalia, Floataway Café and Star Provisions – provide the perfect outlet for their creativity and home-raised organic produce. They have received numerous kudos from Food and Wine Magazine, the James Beard Foundation and National Restaurant Association, to name a few. They have also appeared on CNN, GPTV, The Food Network and Discovery Channel.

The chefs flew into Amarillo and arrived at Bradley 3 Ranch on a “breezy” 105-degree day. Since the ranch had seen virtually no rain for almost a year, the chefs saw first hand how harsh Mother Nature can be in the ranching business.

In an effort to help the chefs understand their production system, James Henderson and Mary Lou Bradley- Henderson guided the group on a tour showing them cows grazing on dry forage, a set of corrals and weaned calves. The next stop was a visit to the herd bulls. Ranch staff, Phil Sandelin and Robert Hodge, explained their normal day – not a 9 to 5 job!

In the mean time, Certified Angus Beef ^® Chef, Scott Popvic, was back at the ranch headquarters preparing an outstanding meal. While he had never been to Bradley 3 Ranch, he commandeered the grill and kitchen masterfully. His menu included an aged, bone-in Ribeye (deemed the Certified Angus Beef ^® Cowboy steak), green bean and fennel salad, smoked brisket chili “in bone”, jalapeño potato salad, corn spoon bread and an incredible peach cobbler.

Over dinner, the discussion was lively and the chefs had the opportunity to visit with both the ranch and Certified Angus Beef ^® staff. According to Mary Lou, “I do think the Chefs left the ranch having a better understanding of the process to get food to their restaurants. The Certified Angus Beef ^® staff did a masterful job of creating a learning opportunity in a ranch setting. For us at the ranch, this provided a rare treat for us to learn about our end point consumers' preferences and needs. We enjoyed the culinary conversation and the “left-overs” were awesome!”