Scott Tycer
Scott Tycer
Executive Chef / Owner, Pic Café
Owner, Kraftsmen Baking
Co-Owner, Gravitas
Scott Tycer is the executive chef and owner of Houston’s Pic Café, as well as the owner of Kraftsmen Baking, which encompasses both wholesale and retail/cafe components. In July 2005, Tycer debuted Gravitas restaurant, an American bistro for Houston located in a 1930’s era warehouse and storefront at 807 Taft Street that Antone’s Famous Po’Boys & Deli made a local landmark for generations of Houstonians. In June 2006, Tycer opened Pic., a back-to-the-basics neighborhood bistro featuring his “next wave” cuisine at a price point giving museum goers, gallery hoppers, culture vultures and the ever-multiplying residents of Houston’s eclectic Montrose district a fresh alternative to intown choices.
Tycer’s latest foodie outpost was most recently located in the same historic home made famous by his first solo endeavor, Aries, opened in November 2000 to widespread acclaim and becoming an overnight destination for modern American cuisine and fine dining in Houston. The restaurant earned Tycer extensive media praise, including a place on Food & Wine magazine’s sought-after list of “Best New American Chefs.”
Before opening Aries, Kraftsmen, Gravitas and now Pic., Tycer spent more than ten years working his way up the culinary ladder, beginning while earning money for his college education at the University of Texas, Austin. Thriving on the creative and hands-on work of the restaurant industry, he chose to pursue a culinary career after completing a degree in English literature. Tycer went on to attend the Western Culinary Institute in Portland, Oregon, where he studied the teachings of Escofier and Antoine Careme. After a short time, he realized that his interest was in the fine dining sector and secured a position under Chef Anthony Demme at Couvron, since named Gourmet magazine’s “Top Table for Oregon.”
In 1996, Tycer returned to his hometown of Houston, where he continued to hone his ability to deliver high-quality, innovative cuisine, while simultaneously establishing a system for inventory management and cost controls. Within a two-year period, he worked under Chef Todd Rogers at the former Ritz-Carlton (now St Regis), as chef tournant at Benjy’s and as sous chef at Dacapo’s, under friend Charles Clark, the co-creator of Ibiza restaurant.
In 1997, Tycer moved to the San Francisco Bay Area so that his wife Annika could attend business school at Stanford University. While working as dining room chef of the Stanford Park Hotel, he learned that Wolfgang Puck was converting Jeremiah Towers’ Stars concept into Spago Palo Alto. His persistence led to a position as kitchen manager. Soon after, Tycer was promoted to executive sous chef, taking on responsibilities for the day-to-day operations of the entire kitchen – from hiring and training to purchasing and banquets.
Tycer considers his time at Spago to be the defining work of his career. Chef Michael French acted as mentor and encouraged him to refine his skills in all the crucial areas of restaurant management and fine cuisine. In addition, frequent interaction with Wolfgang Puck, whom Tycer recalls as “chaos embodied,” taught him that restaurant success is all about bringing energy to the workplace and helping others to feed off of one’s passion.
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