By Larry Tucker
Executive Chef Tyler Brown is using his culinary talents to bring tastes from throughout the world to East Texas, specifically to Wood County.
Brown is the owner of Fusion in the Woods Catering and is currently the chef behind the tasty meals being served at the Mineola Civic Center for local service clubs, banquets, RV rallies, and private dinners.
Since settling just south of Quitman in the Clear Lakes area, Chef Tyler Brown has a big house and plenty of room to grow many of the vegetables and spices he uses for his dining creations. Brown further uses spices he has gathered from countries all over the world.
It’s a Family Affair
Chef Tyler Brown was raised in the DFW Metroplex, growing up in the Bedford and Watauga communities and graduating from Grapevine High School at the age of 17. It is also the home to his wife, Ragan and their six children who are Dylan (19), Zach (14), Abby (13), Leah (11), Ian (8), and Ryker (18 months).
The Browns are expecting their seventh child and fourth son very soon. “I guess you could say it is easier to raise a kitchen staff than to hire one! My wife is a baker, and she loves to make bread. She has a business she does out of the house,” noted Brown. The Brown children are all home-schooled.
Chef Tyler Brown got his professional start just out of high school after spending a year at Texas Culinary School in Austin. But he soon felt the call from Uncle Sam.
“I went to the recruiter to join the Army, Brown said. “I weighed in at 320 pounds, and they said, ‘There is no way you are going in this man’s Army.’ So I asked them what did I have to do. They said, ‘Based on your height, you must be less than 220 pounds.’ I simply told them, ‘Okay, I will be back. Don’t tell me I can’t do something, because I will prove you wrong.‘ And three months later, I returned and weighed in at 217 pounds.”
You’re in the Army Now
Chef Tyler Brown went into the Army, going through basic training prior to being sent to training at Fort Lee in Virginia for cook’s training. “We cross-trained with the Marines. On our very first day, we had two Army sergeants and one Marine gunnery sergeant stand up in front of the class. The first asked who had been in the restaurant business. A few raised their hands. Next question was concerning anyone who had been to culinary school. Just three of us raised our hands,” Chef Tyler Brown explained. “They asked of the three, who wanted special training. I was the last one with his hand still raised. I was taken back to a kitchen, where the officer pulled out this little box of old recipe cards. He pulled one card out and asked me if I could cook it. I told him I sure could. He asked if I could cook a few of the other recipes, and I told him yes. He said, ‘Excellent, you have passed AIT.’”
We spent the next nine weeks cooking whatever we wanted. They were basically training me for the military culinary arts team, which I got to participate in when I got to my duty station in Europe. First, you compete against other Army teams, and then, if you advance, you face the other branches of service teams.”
Variety is the Spice of a Chef’s Life
Chef Tyler Brown has had a broad range of experiences as a professional chef. “I have worked in the metroplex, managing the kitchen at the Fort Worth Convention Center and also a couple of mom-and-pop type restaurants. I was also the executive sous chef at a facility in South Dallas called the Paper Plate, which made between 12,000 to 15,000 meals a day feeding charter schools. In addition, I co-owned a British restaurant in North Richland Hills, and while there, we won second in the nation and first in Texas for our fish and chips recipe.”
Working at the Mineola Civic Center, Chef Tyler Brown noted the largest number of people he has cooked for has been 490. “The largest number I have cooked for in the past was probably at Irving Bible Church, when we cooked for 2,200 at a women’s Christmas party.”
Brown said he had been “blessed” to cook for a few celebrities. His favorite was former Texas Ranger pitcher Jose’ Guzman. “I fed Texas Governor Rick Perry twice, and one of the weirdest was Yakoff Smirnoff.”
Chef Tyler Brown further used to run an event known as “Pay it Forward.” “What we would do is get local lesser-known charities, bring them together, collect a bunch of donations, have a live auction, and give each of the charities a platform to speak to inform others of what they do,” Brown commented.
Besides being at the Mineola Civic Center, Chef Tyler Brown will serve from a private dinner for just two people to serving hundreds at larger functions. Brown and his staff can serve from weddings to company and chamber of commerce events. “We can offer an extensive menu for an elegant wedding or a catered company event. We can provide a custom menu just for your event. We further offer a unique home dining experience where we bring the restaurant to you,” encouraged Brown. “We can help you enjoy a three, four, or five-course dinner cooked and served in the comfort of your own home.”
Fusion in the Woods
The Fusion in the Woods brand also offers cooking instructions, including one-on-one lessons, as well as group cooking lessons in the culinary or cooking demonstrations for any size gathering. Brown also takes his talent to pop-up events all over East Texas.
One of Brown’s larger clients is Stitchin’ Heaven in Quitman. “They have blocks of ladies come into town for various quilting retreats. We were also honored to serve at Deb Luttrell’s retirement party,” Brown said.
Chef Tyler Brown is expanding Fusion in the Woods to make more of his creations available to the public. “Our latest offering is we have three merchandising refrigerators around Wood County. We have one at Marketplace on Main in Quitman, one in Mineola at Gene’s Photography, and a smaller one at the Game Store in Mineola,” Brown said. “We do single portions and double-sized portions and then individual snack portions. This makes it more convenient for those in town.”
What the Future Holds
Chef Tyler Brown plans to be in Wood County for many years. “People are always asking if I own a restaurant. I really want to open a fine dining establishment here in Wood County eventually, but for the time being, this is what I do,” Brown suggested. “I still need to get the catering business where it is more self-sustaining. And being the chef I am, I want to make sure everything is perfect. The best advice I ever got from another chef is to remember you are only as good as your last meal. Don’t rest on your laurels.”
Cooking is Brown’s passion. “I have more than 300 cookbooks at home. I study, I watch videos, and I keep up with trends. I have ingredients from all over the world that you can’t find anywhere else in Wood County,” Brown expressed. “My true passion is real authentic interior Mexican food. All the different states in Mexico have special dishes, and it is just fascinating.”
On his craft Brown explained, “This is my dream job. I have been doing this since I was a kid. I was writing little recipe books and selling them to my teachers when I was only six years old. It has just simply been a blessing.”
Chef Tyler Brown also gives back to his military family in Wood County. “I am proud to be operations officer on the board of directors for They Got Your Six Foundation (a military support organization),” Brown said. For information on Fusion in the Woods, you may contact Chef Tyler Brown by phone at 903-328-1500, by email at cheftyler85@yahoo.com, or you may visit his website.