chef bios




 


Executive Chef Todd Artigue

Todd’s passion for cooking began at home with his family. Being raised in south Louisiana by a Cajun French father and an Irish mother, fine food was an integral part of Todd’s heritage and culture. Todd was raised hunting, fishing, gardening, and preparing food according to the seasons. Todd began his hospitality career in 1984. After nine years in the bar and restaurant business, Todd began cooking professionally at The Olive Garden in Kenner, Louisiana and was part of the opening team of the second largest opening in company history.

 
In 1994, Todd began working at Maximo’s Italian Grill, a fine dining Northern Italian Restaurant in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. While working at Maximo’s, Todd began pursuing a degree in Culinary Arts.
 
In 1997, Todd moved his family to Baton Rouge, Louisiana and completed his Culinary Arts degree at the Culinary Arts Institute of Louisiana.
 
While studying at CAILA, Todd began working at the Camelot Club, Club Corp of America in downtown Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
 
After graduating from CAILA, Todd worked as the Sous Chef under Chef John Folse at White Oak Plantation in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Todd prepared food for on and off site catering events and assisted Chef Folse with live demos.
 
In 2000, Todd returned to CAILA as the Kitchen Lab Instructor and taught the application of French method and technique to culinary arts students.
 
In 2002, Todd became the Market Chef at Maxwell’s Market, a gourmet market in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
 
In June 2006, Todd moved his family to Texas and became the Sous Chef at The Cliffs Resort at Possum Kingdom Lake. In September 2009, Todd was promoted to the position of Executive Chef at The Cliffs Resort.

 

 

 

 

 



 

Executive Chef Bryan Skelton

Bryan joined The Retreat from White Bluff Resort where he was the Sous Chef of the Lighthouse Restaurant. He is a 1999 graduate of the culinary apprenticeship program at El Centro College in Dallas. Bryan did his apprenticeship at the Harvey Hotel-DFW and Adams Mark- Dallas. He stayed with Harvey Hotel until joining Double Diamond in 2005.
 
Chef Skelton was born in Texas, but raised on a farm in rural Iowa and considers both to be the primary influences on his personal cooking style. He developed a love of fresh quality ingredients growing up on his family’s farm where they raised livestock and kept a garden and orchard that provided fresh produce all summer and through freezing and canning supplied them in the fall and winter. Bryan moved to Dallas in 1993 and was quickly drawn into the thriving restaurant culture. His years with Harvey Hotel gave him a love of Southwestern cooking and a commitment to the highest standards of service and quality. He considers his culinary style Texas cuisine as it is a fusion of Latin, Asian and southern cuisines with classical cooking technique.
 
Bryan lives in Whitney, Texas with his wife Amanda who is a college instructor and involved in theatre. He has two daughters; Ashley,12 and Hayley, 9, who both want to be chefs when they grow up. Chef Skelton enjoys camping, gardening and following the Dallas Cowboys in his spare time.

 
 

Executive Chef Mark Lazo

We would like to welcome Mark Lazo as the Executive Chef for Eagle Rock Resort. Mark has been working with the Food & Beverage department since last summer. He comes to us with over 30 years of professional experience including restaurants in the northeast region. He received his degree from the Culinary Institute of America and is designated as a Certified Executive Chef by the American Culinary Federation. Mark has trained with professional chefs such as John Makin, Wolfgang Puck, Roger Verge, Patrice Bouley and Daniel Boulud. He will make a great addition to Eagle Rock and we look forward to seeing what he will bring to the table.