Meet Bill Crites, founder of soon-to-open Buenos ‘Dillas
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Changing of the guard
Wichita’s new generation of chefs is young, passionate and earnest, and they’re focused more on sustainability and creativity than their predecessors could be.
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Wichita’s “new guard” of chefs are passionate young men and women who are local celebrities.
For them, food is an art, a passion and a career, not just a job. They’re not competitors but colleagues. They’re pumped about local vegetables. They’re friends with local farmers. And they’re leading Wichita on a new culinary course. Read about Bill Crites below; read about more of the new guard here.
Bill Crites
Job: Founder of soon-to-open Buenos ‘Dillas restaurant, 410 N. Hillside
Age: 37
Training: Texas Culinary Academy/Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts
Restaurant resume: Executive chef at Hooray Ranch in Kingman, Dempsey’s, and 37 West at Koch; sous chef at Olivia in Austin, Texas.
How did you become interested in cooking? “My grandmother was a professional taste tester for several large national brands. She had a wonderful palate and was a great cook. I first became interested in cooking while spending time visiting with her and my grandfather in Chicago as a child. By age 6, I was extremely interested in cooking but didn’t explore it seriously until my 20s.”
What makes Wichita a special place for dining? “The dining public seems genuinely interested in new and exciting options; the more that our city grows, the more I seem to notice this. Additionally, we are fortunate to have people who seem to really want to support anything that’s good.”
One thing you’d like to change about Wichita’s restaurant scene: “It would be neat to have a few areas in town that are mostly just restaurants. Like an area where you could head to for the evening and basically just walk from place to place but have a rest time for a few hours hopping around from place to place.”
Favorite Wichita restaurant besides your own: La Chona, 3415 E. Harry
Your philosophy on your job: “Start with the best ingredients and then just don’t mess them up.”
This story was originally published October 31, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
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