Chef Kurt Fleischfresser
At age 20, chef Kurt Fleischfresser began his career at Le Vichyssoise in Chicago under Chef Bernard Cretier. He went on to perfect his culinary skills at some of the finest restaurants in the nation, such as The French Room at The Adolphus Hotel in Dallas, Enjolie at The Mandalay Four Seasons in Los Colinas, Vincent’s on Camelback in Phoenix, and La Champagne at the Registry Resort in Scottsdale.
In 1988, Kurt was invited by his friend Chris Lower to oversee the kitchen at The Coach House. Eventually, they became partners and established some of the best restaurants in Oklahoma, including The Metro Wine Bar & Bistro, Ground Floor Café (7 locations), Iguana Lounge, Earl’s Rib Palace, The Museum Café, Portobello, The Deep Fork Grill, Irma’s Burger Shack, and Montrachet (Tulsa).
In 2004, Kurt obtained full ownership of The Coach House, and in 2009, joined Carl Milam and Western Concepts Restaurant Group. The combined restaurants gross over 8 million dollars annually.
Chef Kurt has twice been invited to the world-renown James Beard House in New York City as part of the Great Regional Chefs Program, and is a two-time finalist in the prestigious American Culinary Gold Cup Competition which is the first portion of The Bocuse d’Or. In 2003, Kurt won Oklahoma’s “The Taste of Elegance” award sponsored by the Pork Producers. In April of 2009, Kurt was awarded the Medaille de Merite by L’Academie de Gastronomie Brillat-Savarin for his contributions in education in the culinary arts.
Kurt currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Oklahoma Restaurant Association and is a member of The James Beard Organization and Slow Food.