BRUCE AUDEN

Owner/Chef
Bruce Auden, born in North London, has a classical background in the culinary arts. At the age of 17, he moved to the United States to begin a career that has since garnered national recognition: Auden was named one of the “Ten Best New Chefs in America” in Food and Wine magazine, his restaurant Biga earned a coveted spot on Esquire magazine’s “Best Bars and Restaurants” list and was also inducted into Nation’s Restaurant News “Fine Dining Hall of Fame.” A five-time James Beard nominee for Best Chef Southwest, Auden remains one of Texas' culinary stars. With ten year's of award-winning service at Biga, Auden looked for a new venue to expand his culinary creativity. "Where we are located (the Riverwalk), we are very driven by what’s going on downtown," said Auden. "We wanted a different market, very local." With his partners, Auden created Auden's Kitchen, a casually spirited dining destination in San Antonio's growing northern community of Stone Oak.

KEITH LUDWICK

General Manager

Keith Ludwick was born in Monrovia, Liberia, grew up in Saipan, and attended boarding school in Hawaii, where seafood and native grown fruits were a mainstay. He is former manager and operating partner with Roy's Hawaiian Fusion Cuisine, owned by James Beard award winning chef Roy Yamaguchi. Bringing over 20 years of restaurant experience (Ft. Worth Petroleum Club, Yvette in Dallas, Barry Switzer's Lighthouse Restaurant) to the table, Ludwick is please to be a part of Auden's team. "Bruce posted that he was looking for someone for a new venture and I saw what he had accomplished and knew that I would very much like to do something with him," said Ludwick of his introduction to Auden's Kitchen. "Bruce has established himself and Biga as a culinary cornerstone in San Antonio and I am confident that Auden's Kitchen will uphold that same standard while being much more approachable to a larger audience."

 

PATRICIA WENCKUS

Head Chef

With over 10 years in the field of food preparation, Chicago native Patricia Wenckus held a lead position at Biga On The Banks Prior to joining the Auden's Kitchen team, "Bruce would look at the menu, walk by and taste my sauce and suggest, 'why don't you add this.' It gave me a chance to see how his brain works. He really introduced me to flavors again and to cooking," said Wenckus. A graduate of Johnson and Wales School of Culinary Arts, she received an Associate Culinary Arts degree while working at Denver's Tante Louise, serving French fusion cuisine. Wenckus later attended Johnson and Wales main campus in Providence, RI where she received a BS in Food Service Management.