FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Auden's Kitchen New Casual Dining Destination In Stone Oak

Chef Bruce Auden is taking familiar, simple foods and putting his spin on good eats at Auden's Kitchen, a casually spirited dining destination at the corner of E. Sonterra Blvd. and Sigma Dr. in The Plaza at Concord Park. Inspired by meals prepared for family and friends, the new eatery will feature robust selections of traditionally American cuisine sprinkled with dashes of international food favorites that have pleased South Texas palates for generations.

The kitchen has always been considered the heart of the home. It is where the family informally gathers for meals.  Hearty, memorable meals are served around the kitchen table where conversation is passed around as casually as a bountiful bowl of creamy mashed potatoes. The best parties always end up in the kitchen - sometimes they even start there. Auden's Kitchen will evoke those memories of good food, family and friends gathered to share each others company while savoring comforting food.

Creating comforting food that is uncomplicated, but infused with subtle flavor combinations has been an Auden mainstay. From his early work at Polo's in the Fairmount Hotel where pizzas prepared in a wood-burning oven offered guests a first taste of his original flavor combinations to his signature chicken fried gulf oysters served at Biga, Auden has given culinary clout to familiar foods.

"I prepare everyday food that you are accustomed to eating and combine flavors that you would not normally get," said Auden. "This is the way I cook, whether is is for guests in my restaurants or for family in our kitchen at home."

Menu selections, served for lunch and dinner, will feature daily specials and selected seasonal fare. Pizzas, chicken pot pies, baked fish, pasta dishes and sandwiches will be prepared in a wood-burning oven. Some Auden signature dishes including smoked salmon nachos, sizzling mushrooms, fish and chips and sticky toffee pudding will become new Kitchen favorites. Fresh salads, burgers and house made desserts will add to the comfort. Sunday Brunch will be served all day for those who prefer a leisurely meal with family and friends, culminating a relaxing weekend.

Lots of chalk boards with daily specials, wine lists and other edible offerings including daily baked breads and pastries will be available for dine in or take out. And an extensive, yet affordable wine list ($25 - $50) or wine by the glass, imported and domestic beer on tap and selected ales will compliment menu selections.

Perny Shea, a partner in the new venture has been creating memorable affairs for Auden's guests at Biga On The Banks (www.biga.com) for the past 10 years. "Auden's Kitchen is the perfect place for causal gatherings, corporate meetings or special events," said Shea, adding "Our new private party room can accommodate up to 80 guests and has direct access to our patio dining." A private dining room serving up to 14 seated guests is ideal for business meetings or medical groups.

For those foodies that find the heat of the kitchen invigorating, the chef's counter will offer diners a ringside seat on the front line where cooks call orders, prep plates and pull savory selections from the wood-burning oven. A community table just a few feet from the action will bring guests together to break bread and develop new acquaintances.

A team of talented restaurant professionals will join Auden in the new kitchen. With over 10 years in the field of food preparation, Chicago native Patricia Wenckus will join the kitchen team as head chef. A graduate of Johnson and Wales School of Culinary Arts, Wenckus was recently a member of the culinary team that opened Maggiano's San Antonio location and worked for J. Alexander's for more than 3 years as sous chef, assistant kitchen coach and bar manager.

Prior to joining the Auden's Kitchen team, she held a lead position at Biga On The Banks. "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.

Keith Ludwick, former manager and operating partner with Roy's Hawaiian Fusion Cuisine - owned by James Beard award winning chef Roy Yamaguchi - will join the team as general manager. Bringing over 20 years of restaurant experience to the table, Ludwick has also managed dining establishments for Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and partner Barry Switzer. "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."

Entering the restaurant, patrons will feel as if they have walked into the middle of a warm, inviting kitchen thanks to the award winning talent of designer Jill Giles of Giles Design (www.gilesdesign.com). She has taken the traditional dining space and turned it inside out, enveloping diners in the throes of a bustling kitchen.

Strategically placed banks of shelves are loaded with large-scale groupings of kitchenware: well used copper pots, stacks of pristine white kitchen towels, distressed pewter molds, vintage milk bottles, sets of crockery, tall stacks of dishes, wire baskets, giving the space a casual, friendly atmosphere.

"With the patina of years, they will tell the story of kitchens - good food, good wine, and the sensuality and romance of cooking and eating," says Giles of the fixtures that surround diners on floor to ceiling shelving racks.

Comfort food has always been the staple of diners and informal restaurants, as well as home cooking. Auden's Kitchen will bring that experience to family, friends and guests as the new neighborhood eatery becomes the place to table good food, good cheer and good times.  

Auden's Kitchen will open in late January 2010 at 700 E. Sonterra Blvd. The restaurant will be open seven days a week from 11am to 11pm Monday through Thursday; 11am to 10pm Friday through Saturday and 11am to 9pm on Sunday serving everyday food with wine and beer in an affordable and relaxed neighborhood atmosphere. For more information, call 494-0070 or go to www.audenskitchen.com.

For more information, contact:           

John G. Bloodsworth
Publicity Ranch
210.422.1546
jbloodsworthx3@grandecom.net