Meet the Chef:
Christopher A. Besa

My culinary background began forming at a very young age. I am a native Texan, born in San Benito, TX. San Benito is in the southern tip of Texas and has a very tropical climate. Palm trees and citrus groves cover the land, while wild parrots inhabit the trees. I spent the first five years of my life there, followed by the next three in Laredo, TX. Upon entering the third grade, my family relocated to Natalia, TX., a small town of about 1,000 people located 30 miles south of San Antonio. It was here that I would spend most of my young life. My parents, Andrew and Stella Besa, were both very hard-working people with strong family ties in San Antonio. They grew up there, and had many family members in the area. I have two brothers, both older, Tony and Andy, who still live close to home. When the family relocated to Natalia, it was quite the adventure. My parents had owned a piece of land there for quite some time. It had a one-room cabin on it, and the family would gather once or twice a year to visit and continue grooming the raw land that had been uninhabited for who knows how long. Large live oak and hickory trees covered the property that we would eventually settle and build a home on. The small cabin eventually turned into a two-story home fabricated over time by the whole family. Due to the fact that everyone on both sides of the family had a hand in making “El Cadillo” what it was, it was a common gathering place. It has been host to countless parties, weddings, and especially Easter celebrations, some years with hundreds of people attending.

With such a large extended family that was always getting together, I became exposed to many different styles of cooking, as well as helping my mother get ready for the guests that would be arriving. As is commonplace in South Texas, the fusion of cultures and food go hand in hand. It is like no other place to experience the meld of food and life. There are many different influences including Mexican, German, French … the list goes on and on. It is really an interesting place to learn how to cook. My first experiences cooking began with my family, of course. My brothers and I would often cook dinner for everyone because both my parents worked. I remember cooking Mom chicken soup as an 8-year-old kid when she was sick, and hearing her surprised response. “This is really good.” I also remember my grandfather, Andres Besa, who taught me the art of grilling and barbecue. By the time I came around, he was getting on in years. Due to that, while the others were working hard on the building of our home, he and I would cook lunch and dinner for the crew. His secrets are with me today, and will never be shared. When I prepare a properly cooked piece of meat or vegetable hot off a wood-fired grill, I think of Grandpa each time I barbecue.

As I entered high school, I began cooking professionally in restaurants, at about the age of 15. I continued in the restaurant business through high school, working at various places in the area. As I neared graduation, academia became more important than cooking. I graduated as salutatorian of my class, and accepted a scholarship to one of the most highly respected private colleges in San Antonio. I studied Biology and Animal Science, and never considered cooking as a career. Though I still worked in restaurants to help pay for school expenses, I wanted to be a veterinarian. I had worked with animals all my life because my family always had farm animals, but it was always very difficult to get any vet experience. Doctors sometimes see volunteers as more of a liability, with dog and cat bites, not to mention the mass and power of farm animals.

With this strange cooking and veterinary background, I set out on my adult life. I have been very fortunate to always work with very talented professionals in both the culinary and veterinary fields. I eventually moved out of the San Antonio area to Kingsville, TX, home of the King Ranch and an agricultural college with the curriculum I needed to pursue Vet Medicine. I was 20 years old and at a place that had all I needed … except Betty. Betty Jean is my wife, and the driving force in my life. We had been together all through high school, and this was the first time we had spent much time apart. We always knew we would be together, but didn’t know how long we would have to wait. We would eventually get married on February 15, 1997, three days after my 21st birthday. About six months prior, I had accepted work on a cattle ranch. My bride and I would begin our lives together on 1,000 acres and a little farm house. We have not been apart much since. We have now been together for more than half our lives with no end in sight. A variety of veterinary and culinary jobs would follow. We eventually found ourselves back in the San Antonio area, and occasionally we would work together, as my wife is a baker by trade.

I found my self constantly wanting more from work. At that time, I was doing well as assistant ranch manager for what was, at the time, the largest organic beef producer in Texas. While this could have been a permanent career, I felt the need to pursue Veterinary Medicine full-time. It was in late 2003, when I began working on finding a job at a veterinary college. It was to be WSU in Pullman, Washington, where I accepted a position as a laboratory instructor. While my abilities more than met the criteria, it was other aspects of my employment there that would lead me to turn my back on Veterinary Medicine completely. I then found myself at age 31, starting over. I worked where I could to pay the bills, and had already purchased a home. This made it difficult to just pick up and go back home to Texas. My wife and I tried our hand at running a catering business for about a year. But the seasonal population of the area made it difficult to survive. Things were really tough for a while, and I eventually got on at a new restaurant that seemed to have some potential. It was short-lived, as I was laid off in early 2009 due to financial difficulties in the company. I continued working where I could to make ends meet, but could not find any full-time work.

It was at this time that I began looking back into ranch and farm work. I responded to an ad in our local newspaper requesting a farm hand. I met with MaryJane and came out to the farm for a trial run, while continuing to look for work. It was probably a couple of weeks before MaryJane asked if I would join her full time on the farm. Eventually, I began cooking for her, and am very happy to be doing so. It is very difficult to find an employer that legitimately cares. MaryJane and her family care about their employees and their business. I have only been here five months, but have had the opportunity to use a lot of my skills. I enjoy the variety I get at my job. On any given day, I may be doing anything from carpentry, to artwork, to fencing, or cooking for our B&B guests. I am the type of person that enjoys a challenge, and not knowing what tomorrow brings. MaryJanesFarm provides me with a lot of opportunities to express myself. It seems that the culinary part of the B&B is providing guests with a unique experience. I try to give that to our guests. I am about more than just feeding people; I am about expressing myself through food. I especially enjoy the fresh items in the garden; it is really any culinary professional’s dream. Fresh herbs, berries, produce, and fruit spill out of the garden at an alarming rate. I do my best to mix and match these items for our guests — it’s a no-holds-barred food fusion experience. I often hear, “Where did you come up with that?”, but I don’t always have an answer. With nearly 20 years of professional cooking on my record, the food tells me what to do. It is important to make each dish as superb as possible, not because of who I’m cooking for, but because my name is on the dish. I always pretend like I’m cooking for my wife, and I always want to serve her the best food as beautifully as possible.

What does the future hold for me? That is a question I have not yet answered. While my experiences and employment here have all been positive, for me, my life in general still seems to be up in the air. After leaving my job on campus, this is the first job I have had in the area that seems to have any potential. I am hopeful that the opportunities provided for me here will aid us in making the important decision of staying in the Northwest or returning to our native Texas.