The inspiration for The Bastion is deeply rooted in the extensive travels of Chef Chandra Riccetti. From fine dining restaurants around the world to intoxicating street food, forty years of international travel and a deep appreciation for the organic relationship between cooking and cultures prompted Chef Chandra Riccetti to search out the perfect location to begin a culinary adventure of her own in Fort Worth.
Located in the historic southside Fairmount Neighborhood at 2100 Hemphill Street between Hawthorne Ave. and Lilac St., The Bastion compound has four buildings and encompasses almost an entire city block. This unique property was once the Edna Gladney Home for Unwed Mothers and is designated as a Texas Historic Landmark and a protected Fort Worth historic site.
The Bastion specializes in New American cuisine created from seasonal, fresh and very local ingredients. Many of the herbs are grown on property around the patios and walkways. The food at The Bastion will reflect the best of the seasons, prepared with considerable care and creativity that is perfectly suited to the discerning diners of Fort Worth.
ABOUT CHEF CHANDRA RICCETTI:
Chef and owner, Chandra Riccetti is a graduate of the original Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris, France. Her more than twenty-five years of professional cooking experience includes stints at the three star Michelin Hotel Plaza Athenee in Paris and the three star Michelin restaurant Apicius in Paris. Chandra was the Executive Chef and owner of North Fourth Bakery Cafe in Albuquerque, New Mexico; a Pastry Chef at the AAA Five Diamond Awarded Boulders Resort in Carefree, Arizona; a Chef Instructor at CSCA Le Cordon Bleu school in Pasadena, California; and lastly the Executive Pastry Chef at the Worthington Hotel in Fort Worth, Texas. Though trained in the rigorous tradition of classical French cuisine, Chef Chandra Riccetti's cooking has been greatly influenced and broadened by living in Japan, France, and Mexico, as well as extensive travels throughout Europe, Latin America, and Asia. Incorporating culinary influences from around the world, the final result is a modernist menu combining classical French technique and the freshest local ingredients available as well as handcrafted artisan breads.
The history of The Bastion is a personal story as well...
After dating in grad school, Chandra, and her then boyfriend, Richard, went off for a post graduation celebratory trip. It was a driving and eating tour of central Italy. During that trip in June 2000, Richard proposed to Chandra in an olive grove under a 5th century castle in Gubbio, Italy. It was a gorgeous afternoon in pastoral Italy...and it was this moment that became the inspiration for the naming and the logo of The Bastion. As part of their wedding present Richard's mother, Shirl Riccetti, an artist out of Houston, painted five watercolor scenes from their engagement trip. The engagement painting is now the logo for The Bastion.
