Grady Spears grew up immersed in Texas ranch life, paying his dues as a cattleman in the Fort Worth stockyards before discovering his true passion for cooking. A twist of fate at The Gage Hotel in Marathon—where he was managing the restaurant—led him into the kitchen when the cook abruptly quit. From that moment on, Spears devoted himself to perfecting what he proudly calls “cowboy cuisine,” a style that melds rustic chuckwagon traditions with fresh Southwestern flavors.
A founding chef of Reata Restaurant in both Alpine and Fort Worth, Spears helped establish its signature Texas-centric concept. (The restaurant’s name pays homage to Edna Ferber’s novel Giant, also a 1950s Academy Award–winning film.) Over his 30-plus-year career, he has opened multiple ventures, including The Burning Pear in Sugar Land, The Nutt House in Granbury, and Horseshoe Hill in the Fort Worth Stockyards. He’s equally at home in small towns, having briefly run Grady’s Line Camp in Tolar and, more recently, settled near Bellville as the events chef for Texas Ranch Life in Chappell Hill.
Spears’ menus revolve around hearty favorites—think bock-battered quail, roast cabrito, venison ribs, chicken chili rellenos, and from-scratch desserts like apple crisp and goat’s milk cajeta. His influences trace back to seasoned chuckwagon cooks Guy Lee, Tom Glasscock, and Cliff Teinert, mentors who inspired his 1999 cookbook A Cowboy in the Kitchen. Critics consistently praise his straightforward, unpretentious approach. Gourmet highlighted Reata’s perfectly marbled ribeye steak, while National Geographic Traveler praised his creative spins on cowboy fare.
Now planning a new spot called the Silver Saddle in Bellville, Spears will serve staples like chicken fried steak, fried steak, and homemade biscuits. Meanwhile, he continues to guide Texas Ranch Life’s evolving menu, with an expansion on the horizon—and more cookbooks to come—proving that this self-described “cook” still has plenty more chapters to write in his Texas culinary tale.
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