Play The Texas Coast September - November | Page 11

cuisine, Chef Eddie Djilali serves up excellence
in everything he touches, whether it’s a soup,
salad, dessert, or Gulf seafood, it is “second to
none.” The restaurant’s specialty, however, is its
corn-fed Midwestern beef which is prepared
in several 2,200-degree broilers in the massive
3,000-square-foot kitchen.
Only the best of the best meats and seafood are
sourced and delivered fresh daily 6-days a week.
All are expertly prepared to each customer’s
total satisfaction. At Katz 21 it’s all about the
customer’s pleasure. Management and staff go
above and beyond expectations ensuring you
will not only have an amazingly good time but
can also enjoy an excellent meal. Whatever customers choose they’ll get the best at Katz 21.
The relationship Theo has with the staff says volumes about what he is like as a person. Some
have been with him from the very beginning. He
cares about his product and, more importantly,
he cares about his people. The mutual devotion
between Dimoloupos and his staff extends be-

yond the business, creating a tight-knit family
atmosphere among everyone who works there.
As the newest member of the Katz 21 family,
Chef Eddie is excited about his move to Corpus
Christi. However, it almost didn’t happen! After
the passing of his longtime friend Chef George
this past year, Theo made the decision to find
the best chef in the business and after looking
through hundreds of resumes one stood out
above all others, but the problem was Chef Eddie Djilali wasn’t looking for a new job.
Since 2011 Chef Eddie had been the Executive
Chef at Wildfish Seafood Grille in San Antonio.
Within a short period of time he had improved
customer satisfaction from 69.5% to 96.4%.
Chef Eddie wasn’t looking for a new job and in
fact, he actually hung-up on Theo the first time
he called. Those that know Theo won’t be surprised to learn that he then jumped in his car
and headed to San Antonio.
Not long after, Chef Eddie became friends with
and a business associate of Theo, after Theo

made him “an offer he couldn’t refuse.” He is
now the Director of Operations/Partner at Katz
21. He has definitely raised the bar for fine dining in the city. What an honor and a delight for
diners to have someone with his culinary expertise in the Coastal Bend. Thank you Theo for
making that drive!
Dimopoulos said Katz 21 wouldn’t be where it
is today without the wonderful people who help
keep the restaurant running on all cylinders.
In his praise of his staff, Theo makes a point to
mention his General Manager, Sam Carpenter. Starting out as a doorman, Carpenter rose
through the ranks to his current position and
stated that one of the many things that make
Katz 21 so special is that everyone is consistently striving toward perfection.
“What makes the staff here so exceptional is
their commitment to training, research and in
studying anything that goes into being a professional and expanding their knowledge,” Carpenter said.

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Standing L to R - Chef Eddie Djilali & Theo Dimopoulos, Seated - Alissa Pena, Sam Carpenter, Jaime Laurel Salazar & Melanie Coleman