Today we’d like to introduce you to Travis Bugge
Hi Travis, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Here’s a short glimpse into my life, starting at the beginning of my career:
Like many other culinary students, It all starts with Mr. Bourdain. He was the man whose life experience I was after. Coming home early from high school, his show was on before my shoes were off. The places he would visit! Oh, the comfort of people gathering around food made with such an intense love, that even their unpredictable and sometimes unfavorable day of work would melt away after a bite and some conversation. It soothed me. If I was asked the question ‘what do I want to do for a career’ or ‘what studies interested’ me by aunts or uncles, I would point them in the direction of Anthony. I begged my friend’s dad for a job at East Side Pies, applied to the Culinary Institute of America, and left home only to come back and dive into the developing food scene.
During my first winter break at the CIA, I worked for free at Uchiko. The following summer I spent my externship at Wallse, a michelin-starred restaurant in Greenwich Village, where I learned the importance of lemon, flaky salt, and very good olive oil. Upon graduation, I took a low-paying job at Uchiko as the youngest in the kitchen. From Prep to Lead, my limits were pushed, broken and expanded upon month after month. I met my mentor there, a Korean-American who refined my skills and kindled creativity. When he asked me to join him in opening a new restaurant, I happily followed him to Old Thousand.
You ask anybody. Opening a restaurant is hard. I won’t go too far into it to keep this short. I met a lot of motivated individuals, learned flavors of Chinese cuisine, and saw all the moving parts of a new project. I couldn’t get enough apparently, which is why I accepted the job to be on the opening team of The Brewer’s Table, a New American Restaurant/Brewery on Austin’s east side circa 2018. The chef at the time introduced me to the beautiful world of whole grains, and the importance of local vegetables and the meaty flavors and textures you can imbue them with using a wood-fired grill. But, after a year, money became too tight, and the menu changed. Chefs changed. The dining room emptied. Looking for something else, I headed to Barley Swine.
Augusta Passow and I have been colleagues for years before joining, having worked together at Uchiko and Old Thousand. When she offered me the job, I gladly accepted. For the next 2 ½ years, I was learning more than just the sweeter side of food. I was learning what makes a successful, constantly changing business run in a growing city.
I left Barley Swine in 2021 to pursue my goal of opening a restaurant in my hometown of Austin, Texas.
Enter Castel: A name taken from Castell, Texas on the Llano river where much of my lineage can be traced back to. What will become a brick and mortar restaurant in Austin, Texas has started out as an In-Home Tasting Menu service, where we prepare and serve seven courses right in front of our clients eyes from the comfort of their own home. This style of intimate dining brings the qualities of Austin’s fine dining scene to the host’s door, and allows us to build a connection with future guests. Hearing their feedback directly keeps us on track for becoming one of Austin’s new darling restaurants. Ultimately we aim to bring up a kitchen culture and team focused on guest experience and well crafted food rather than smoke and mirrors and showmanship. The best way to achieve that goal is through grass roots efforts and honesty, I figure.
Castel will continue to put forward intimate dinners, and now with the help of Austin establishments such as Fierce Whiskers, our hospitality may be shared with the public as well! So please join us for these unique popup experiences as we build our team and set our sights to become an Austin Restaurant staple!
Castel currently provides a seven-course tasting menu for private dinner parties of up to twelve guests. Globally inspired & locally sourced right here in Austin, Texas.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It hasn’t! Harnessing my passion into something useful has taken ages, with so much help from coworkers and colleagues alike. There have been amazing teams I’ve worked with, but there also were kitchen cultures I’ve been part of that were unhealthy or aggressive, and It’s taken plenty of missteps and effort to find a better way to work and live more kindly! The long hours, bad diet and high stress of restaurants are few of many challenges cooks and chefs wrestle with through our careers.
When my wife Leanna and I started Castel, I found quite quickly I was not a natural business man! After spending a decade cooking professionally, I found myself inept at marketing so I definitely have had to work on that. Luckily, Austin has such a great community for small business, and plenty of folks who love good food!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I run an In-Home private tasting menu named Castel. Castel hosts pop-ups with collaborating restaurants and businesses, as well as offers an In-Home seven-course tasting menu serving up European fine dining with inspirations from all over the globe.
Castel is known for its Spaetzle, a traditional german fresh pasta picked up in a cream sauce with braised rabbit.
Another signature dish is the Issam Rocher, a northern Thai spiced sausage emulating a Ferrero Rocher!
I am most proud of these two dishes, which are unlike any in Austin. Despite the Hill Country having been settled by German people, there isn’t much German food here, especially in the fine dining scene. I am really happy to provide this to Castel’s Clients.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
Google has so many useful tools for organization and promotion (reviews, drive, spreadsheets etc.)
Tock and square are very intuitive for handling Castel’s reservations, payment, and guest notes.
I ride my bike around town; running errands and jamming out while breaking a sweat. It means my meals are guilt-free!
I love reading, but typically not cookbooks! I frequent those ‘take a book, leave a book’ mini-libraries some neighborhoods have while I’m out on my rides.
Pricing:
- Seven-course In-home tasting menu: $135 per person
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.castelatx.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/castel_atx/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550560576908
Image Credits
Reagan Williamson
Kayla Burton
Sav Shrestha
Leanna Lam
