A New Chef Takes the Reins at Boot Ranch

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More news from Boot Ranch, the luxe private golf club and residential community we’ve been following in the Texas Hill Country: a new toque in the kitchen. Boot Ranch chef (and Abacus alum) chef Aaron J. Staudenmaier left the ranch in October to return to Dallas to join Tracy Rathbun and Lynae Fearing in Lovers Seafood and Market which opens in the next few weeks. Fredericksburg pastry queen Rebecca Rather filled in during the transition while Boot Ranch management sought out their new executive chef – Casey McQueen. McQueen is now at the helm of the Boot Ranch kitchens, overseeing the clubhouse dining room, outdoor bar and grill and catering activities.

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Casey McQueen, 

McQueen comes from the role of executive chef of a luxury Florida yacht company lauded as Palm Beach’s number one wedding and corporate event venue. (Which bodes well for residents looking to host a family wedding or company party in Boot Ranch’s spectacular setting!) He began his culinary career in Washington, D.C., in an apprenticeship under James Beard award-winning chef Ann Cashion, and was executive chef at Jax Kitchen, a Zagat-rated restaurant voted “Best New American Cuisine” in Tucson, followed by serving as executive chef at the Stone Canyon Club in Oro Valley, Ariz., a posh private golf club and residential development similar to Boot Ranch.

During his time at the Stone Canyon Club, McQueen worked with both Boot Ranch’s current club director, Todd Huizinga, and the food and beverage director Tara Osborne. At the request of members at Stone Canyon, the two recruited McQueen from Jax. They tapped McQueen again when the position arose at Boot Ranch.

“Casey created a very successful culinary program at Stone Canyon with approachable gourmet menus, themed dinners, cooking classes, wine dinners, and private catering,” said Huizinga. “He knows the art of balancing an ever-changing menu with the favorite standards,” he added.

McQueen’s realm will be Boot Ranch’s posh club complex with its open-air pavilion, four pools, outdoor bar and grill, guest suites and the dining room, private rooms and terraces, and spa of a 55,000-square-foot clubhouse set high on a bluff overlooking the development’s gorgeous golf course, water features, and array of housing options for residents.

Boot Ranch's clubhouse overlooking golf greens and fields of wild flowers in the spring.

Boot Ranch’s clubhouse and guest suites overlooking golf greens and fields of wildflowers in the spring.

Here’s a look at the clubhouse’s main dining room which is downright baronial with huge ceiling timber beams from British Columbia:

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There’s an impressive wine room, too. Boot Ranch is just 5 miles outside of Fredericksburg in the heart of Texas Hill Country near some of the state’s best wineries including Becker, Pedernales Cellars, and Flat Creek Estates. The Hill Country appellation is now reportedly the second largest American Viticultural Area and covers an area of over 9,000,000 acres:

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And decks off the clubhouse where drinks come with an amazing view:

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Boot Ranch has miles of trails, a lovely fishing pond, sport courts, a trap and skeet range, and, now, lake amenities under development too, but the best known feature is the Hal Sutton-designed, 18-hole, 7,250-yard championship golf course that is ranked among the top in Texas by Golf Digest and is routinely named as one of the prettiest in the state:

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All of which is enjoyed by owners of several residential options including estate custom homesites from 2 to 18 acres priced from the low $300,000s to $2.5 million; homesites of less than 2 acres starting in the high $200,000s that come with customizable architectural plans for homes that start around $1 million; interests in Sunday House shared ownership compounds with a central gathering house, master cottage and two guest cottages; and, the newest, condominium-style two and three-bedroom home project which will break ground next month, in which units begin at $825,000.

Here’s a look at some of the Boot Ranch homes, done in the Hill Country vernacular that looks so perfect in the setting. An estate home:

Boot Ranch home

A “Sunday House” fractionally owned complex that can accommodate a large family or several couples:

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Overlook cabins:

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And a rendering of the latest option called Village Homes at Metzger Park, comprised of buildings that are three homes under one roof: a “penthouse” top floor abode and two smaller units on the first floor:

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Boot Ranch will be the setting for a Texas Monthy showhouse, which will open in the spring. For more info, contact the Boot Ranch sales office.

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