Our Chef de Cuisine:
Curt Sassak

A 39 year old native of the Washington D.C. Metropolitan area, Curt attended Baltimore’s International Culinary College graduating with an associate’s degree. He spent his formative years working in top establishments of the D.C. area such as the Four Seasons hotel, L’auberge Chez Francois and working under acclaimed French chef, Yannick Cam at El Catalan.

In 2000 Curt left the D.C. area to take over as executive chef of the Stanhope Park Hyatt in New York City, a four star, four diamond hotel. During his tenure in New York City he was the guest chef of numerous TV programs, featured in a number of newspapers and publications and was the host chef of the James Beard house as well.

In 2003 Curt moved abroad to work in acclaimed establishments in India, Cairo, Dubai, Maldives, Hong Kong and Australia.

His specialty is Contemporary Mediterranean cuisine with emphasis on simplicity and freshness whose motto is, “do the simple things, but do them well.”

The Turtle History
          
When opening the restaurant almost five years ago, owners Mary & David Stanley had long been frustrated in their attempts to procure locally produced beef, lamb and venison. It seemed illogical to them to see these animals in the fields each day and still be forced to purchase them from as far away as New Zealand.
It has taken a lot of dedication to grow connections with local producers. Mary and David, wishing to reduce the distance that food travels to reach the table, design their menus to feature items within their seasonal availability. Fresh field greens and vegetables come from many local growers.

There are Three doors to the restaurant.
The first is the restaurant proper.
The second leads to the Gelateria, and door number three leads to the Enoteca.   

Mary Stanley is the Gelato Artisan for the Turtle Gelateria , she crafts well over sixty different flavors of gelato and sorbetto to fill the 16 pans of the gelateria’s mahogany and brass gelato case. The Stanleys work closely with Way-Out Wineries and Texas Hill County Wineries to promote their winery tours. From time to time Mary will create gelato and sorbetto made with wines from these wineries.  
Popular flavors include Brennan Winery Muscat with DeLeon Melon, traditional Italian flavors, and innovative combinations such as jalapeño peanut brittle, locally grown honey lavender or the strange but wonderful Syrah gorgonzola pear.
But most of the time you will find more standard favors like chocolate hazelnut or lemon.
           
The Turtle regularly hosts many private functions and caters weddings, parties and many other occasions. Student musicians from the nearby Howard Payne University are often a part of these events with professional performances and unbeatable ambiance.
           
Mary and David Stanley are members of Slow Food, USA, Chef's Collaborative, and The Texas wine and Food Foundation.  
The idea behind the naming of the restaurant is the turtle is a slow, but an admirably persistent, creature with renowned longevity. The Turtle Restaurant is also a GO TEXAN restaurant. Both the restaurant and gelateria have been featured in regional press such Texas Highways, Edible Austin, Edible Dallas Fort worth, as well as appearing in the books, Treasures of Texas and Ladies Day Out. The Turtle Enoteca is the latest project of the Stanleys showcasing wine from Texas and Italy. The Enoteca invites you to compare wine from the two “countries.”  Twenty wines are available from the nitrogen dispenser by the glass or taste so you have no excuse to try something unfamiliar. There is a delightful menu of small plates and thin crust gourmet Italian pizzas. The Turtle Restaurant received Wine Enthusiast Magazine 2009 Award: Award of Distinction for having one of America's top wine lists and being a wine friendly restaurant. The Wine Enthusiast Restaurant Awards are based not on the size of a restaurant’s wine list, but on the quality of its overall wine program.
        
The Turtle is located in historic uptown Brownwood, Texas, fourteen miles from the geographic center of the state – the physical Heart of Texas and the northern gateway to the Texas Hill Country.