Eric Aldis New Executive Chef At The Turtle

With a desire to explore his culinary creativity more, Chef Eric Aldis left the Ritz-Carlton in New Orleans for the unlikely destination of Brownwood, Texas to become the new Executive Chef of The Turtle Restaurant. Owned by Mary and David Stanley and located in a historic building they renovated in downtown Brownwood, the restaurant is not what might be expected of a restaurant in a small central Texas town. Chef Aldis and the Stanleys felt very strongly that the restaurant had great potential to become the shining star of the Texas culinary community and thought that they, together, could reach this goal. Chef Aldis' strong focus on farm fresh products, including eggs, vegetables, herbs, and even meats has been the driving force behind the restaurant's increasing popularity throughout the state.

The restaurant features a vegetable and herb garden in its own backyard where Chef Aldis has worked to grow and maintain a sustainable source of fresh herbs and seasonal vegetables. Also working closely with the local Farmer's Market that meets just across the street from the garden, Chef Aldis has made strong connections within the community for the betterment of the farmers and for the restaurant itself.
Grass-fed beef, lamb, bison and pastured boar are hand-selected in the field by Chef Aldis. Much of the product featured on Chef Aldis' innovative menus is delivered directly to the backdoor of the restaurant. Farm fresh eggs are brought in by Novella Newman of Newman Farms in May, Texas, and a variety of seasonal vegetables are grown and delivered by Todd Price, the President of the local Farmer's Market. Another locally produced item that is featured on many of the Turtle's menus is raw-milk cheese made by Veldhuizen Farms in Dublin, Texas just a one hour drive from the restaurant. The menus at the Turtle Restaurant change with the season and the availability of product.
The Turtle Restaurant is also home to the Turtle Gelateria, an Italian ice cream shop that features sixteen different flavors of gelato and sorbetto that are made fresh, in-house by the Turtle's own Mary Stanley. The Gelateria also offers many varieties of fresh pastries and locally grown coffee and espresso.
The Turtle is constantly looking for ways to expand and continue to grow; one of the ways that Chef Aldis has chosen to do this is to open the Turtle Enoteca, a boutique wine bar next door to the existing restaurant and gelateria. Another path The Turtle has taken is to offer a complete catering service which is aided by Chef Aldis' experiences working for many large hotels throughout his career.
When Chef Eric was asked why he would move to Brownwood he always replies, "This is a chef's dream." As a native of Katy, Texas, Chef Aldis has long wanted to return to his home state and counts himself as very lucky to have found the opportunity he has at the Turtle Restaurant, "A 65-seat fine dining restaurant surrounded by ranches and farms that supply the finest Texas product imaginable? I'm living the dream."

Contact: 

Mary Stanley
The Turtle Restaurant
325-646-0141