Chef Brian West
2015 Smoke

After three years as an instructor at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America and two seasons as the operational chef of Restaurant: Impossible, chef Brian West is back in the business of cooking for the public. On April 20, 2015, he along with two industry veterans opened Smoke: The Restaurant, an urban barbecue-themed restaurant. Although barbecue is one of his passions, that does not diminish his love for seafood and other regional favorites.
As a young leader in innovative cooking for a wide variety of genres, West pioneered modern fine dining in San Antonio when he opened Café Paladar in 2005, which featured contemporary dishes with a Latin theme and an independent opinion. Sharing and teaching the art and skill of fine cooking at CIA with young talent over the past three years, along with his time on the set of Restaurant: Impossible, he saw the opportunity to work with his protégés on a continuing basis by partnering with existing restaurants and opening new ones to provide platforms to share the wide variety of his amazing culinary skills.
West has been cooking in fine dining for over 20 years, receiving his initial training at the Art Institute of Houston. His culinary skills are wide ranging, and he was a judge for the 2014 Great American Seafood Cook-Off. He was also a contributor to the best-selling book Barbecue Lover's Texas, a must-have for all barbecue fans.