Killen's Steakhouse

This is not a profession that you choose. It chooses you. – Norman van Aken, Chef/Owner of highly decorated Normans Executive Chef Ronnie Killen began cooking at the age of eight and never looked back. He owned his first restaurant; Killens Kountry BBQ by 23 and opened Killens Sports Café five years later. While working part time in a fine dining establishment in Houston, a desire to pursue the culinary arts emerged and a childhood dream became a reality. In 1997 Ronnie enrolled in the renowned Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Institute in London. This culinary institute has trained such noted people as Julia Child, Ming Tsai and Martha Stewart. None of these celebrities however had perfect scores on all of their disciplines as Ronnie did at the time of his enrollment. He graduated from the prestigious culinary academy first in his class and with the Honor of Distinction. Since graduating Ronnie has added numerous accolades to his resume while working as such fine hotels and resorts as: The Omni Mandalay in Irving, Texas, Big Cedar Lodge in Ridgedale, Missouri and The Ritz Carlton in Rancho Mirage, California. You cant keep a native Texan away for long and in 2003 Ronnie returned home, accepting the post of Executive Chef at Brenners Steakhouse. During his tenure at Brenners, the steakhouse was awarded the title of Best Steakhouse by the Houston Press and the Business Journal. In February of 2005 Ronnie was awarded the opportunity of a lifetime, a chance at the position of Executive Chef at the White House. He was a finalist but was not ultimately chosen. He was, however, asked by the new Executive Chef to interview for the title of Assistant Executive Chef. Chef Killen still considers this honor to be one of the highlights of his illustrious culinary career. 2005 was a banner year for Chef Killen as he was named a Certified Executive Chef by the American Culinary Federation, after only five months of examinations and practicals. This process usually takes a year or more and