The newest business to make a move to downtown isn’t new to West Texas, just Downtown LBK. Previously only found in Wolfforth, both the beloved Tamale Lady and Chez Sami are now sharing their culture and delicious cuisine with us!

Meet Chef Jon Walter

The story of Chef-Owner Jon Walter and Chez Sami (pronounced shay sam-ee) begins on the high seas. Chef Jon traveled the world, perfecting his craft as a private chef catering to yachts sailing across Europe. It was during this time that he learned the art of French cuisine. However, French cuisine was not the first he brought to our area. 

After moving back to his hometown of Lubbock, Chef Jon opened a restaurant, also in Wolfforth, called The Tamale Lady. Following the success of The Tamale Lady, he decided to open a French pop-up restaurant–Chez Sami–taking him back to his sailing days. 

“After much contemplation of whether or not [Chez Sami] was going to work, I decided to go back to my roots and do fine dining. You have to try until you succeed. You try until you find something that works. Well, that's exactly what happened. We started to get revenue from the French pop-up, and then it grew from there,” recalls Chef Jon. 

Chez Sami’s Journey to Downtown 

Although Chez Sami is considered “fine dining,” Chef Jon made sure from its inception that his meals could be enjoyed by all. 

“We serve French food–classic dishes that are more accommodating to the American public in the sense that the portion sizes are something more along the lines that they would like. I'm taking great dishes that I know that people will love here if they're presented in the right way and giving the people what they want,” says Chef Jon as he describes the cuisine he serves.

When it comes to how the second location ended up in downtown. Chef Jon says the opportunity quite literally “fell into his lap.” The story goes: a friend reached out, the rent was good, and what better place to expand than an area of the city so desperate for more culture and cuisine?

So, the journey began.

Why Downtown? 

As so many other downtown business owners can attest to–Chef Jon is also bringing Chez Sami to Downtown Lubbock because of the community and magic of the area. 

“I love downtown. The red brick streets are so charming, and the revitalization program within the community down there, everyone's really partnering with each other to make this thing happen,” said Chef.

When Chef Jon talks about the community in downtown, his eyes light up with fondness.

“Downtown Lubbock has all the local underdogs that are what local business is in Lubbock. And it's not just a group of competitors, it's a family of the community. I do think that all these underdogs moving downtown and trying to change downtown for the better is a great thing. And I want to be a part of that,” shared Chef Jon.

And straight from the expert’s mouth, Chef admitted how excited he was to join the community of culinary professionals in downtown.  

“I want Chez Sami to be a part of the community of downtown Lubbock, to band together as brothers and sisters in the culinary world. Because all the good chefs, there's some that aren't downtown but have been, are down there, it's turned into a culinary hotspot.”

What to Look Forward To

Chef Jon has big plans for his move to downtown and the future of DLBK.

Not only is he opening a second Chez Sami restaurant, but he will also be moving a Tamale Lady food truck to the area as well! You can follow The Tamale Lady Facebook page for updates on when it makes its move to downtown and its service schedule.

And although Chez Sami will start with dinner service, Chef Jon has plans to turn the location into a one-stop-shop for all things French culinary. Following the option to stop in for dinner, the Art Deco portal to all things France will also serve as a bakery and crêperie for breakfast and lunch. Coffee and your favorite pastry, anyone? 

Chef Jon says the new additions will happen in quarterly phases. 

“We hope that Lubbock is patient with us and they understand that all those little guys down there are just trying to make it and do our best to do what's right for the community,” said Chef.

He also plans to open the eclectic, upscale-but-still-casual building to the public for events like parties, anniversaries, and more. “What we want to start to do is to create real experiences out there for people,” said Chef Jon. 

Chef Jon also plans to use his restaurant as a way to partner with the local arts and culinary communities, saying we [artists and chefs] “thrive in creation.”

Chef Jon was nominated for the James Beard Award, putting him in the running as one of the best chefs in Texas. He says he continues to apply for the award, which propelled his business forward in ways he didn’t expect. 

However, his foundation of gratitude is directed towards you–the community he serves. 

“I would like to thank the community for all of their support – for coming to me in public, at the grocery stores, for congratulating me, for cheering me on – because that is a lot of motivation and it gives me a lot of passion and purpose to do this,” Chef Jon shared. 

To follow along on Chef Jon and Chez Sami’s journey, follow the restaurant on Facebook.