Into Z’frying pan

Alicia Robinson

To hear Danny Stevens’ credentials or taste his food, you’d never

guess he’s not a native of California, or at least a sunny southern

state.

A Connecticut native who now surfs almost daily near his home in

Huntington Beach, Stevens recently took over the kitchen at Z’Tejas

Southwestern Grill at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa. He had been

the sous chef there for about two years before his promotion to

executive chef last fall.

One of 11 such restaurants in the west and south, the local

Z’Tejas is a large place, with 245 seats and about 65 employees. It

has been at South Coast Plaza for about three years, and Stevens has

been with it the whole time. Its cuisine blends southwestern food

with Asian, Pacific Northwest and Louisiana influences.

Stevens is what people call a self-starter. He taught himself to

surf after moving to California three years ago, and he learned to

cook by watching people with culinary skills.

“I started [in restaurants] when I was 14 years old,” he said. “I

needed a job, I got a dishwashing job and I paid attention. It looked

really interesting to me as a kid.”

Since his promotion, Stevens has been focusing on the consistency

and quality of his dishes, and he’s created some new specials,

including pan-seared California sea bass served with yellow tomato

coulis and fresh crawfish tails.

Among his favorite ingredients are various kinds of peppers,

especially chipotle, but he likes to be creative, and the company has

allowed him to do that.

His creativity has played well with customers, who have given

great feedback, Z’Tejas general manager Matt Smyth said.

“With Danny coming on board as the chef, the food has turned

around tremendously,” Smyth said. “Danny’s done a phenomenal job with

the kitchen.”

It’s a high-pressure job, but Stevens said he’s able to take it in

stride because of teamwork.

“Since becoming executive chef, I think I’ve built a really good

crew around me, and I’ve got some great soon-to-be chefs,” Stevens

said. “You’re only as good as the people you have around you.”

While both Stevens and Smyth feel the restaurant is in a good

position now, both are looking ahead. Stevens would like to learn

more about the business and management side of the restaurant, and

Smyth wants to work on bringing people in to try Stevens’ food and

taking care of them well once they’re there.

“We have a really large restaurant, and we have a lot of seats to

fill,” Smyth said. “And that’s my job.”

Z’Tejas Southwestern Grill is at South Coast Plaza, 3333 S.

Bristol St., Costa Mesa.