Top Knot, the new modern American restaurant with Asian roots that features shareable plates with market ingredients and flavors from Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Japan, will host Guest Chef Philip Speer for the final installment of the summer on Monday, August 28th.
Top Knot’s Uncommon Ramen Series started in 2015 as a limited-run guest chef pop-up. Guest reaction to the series was so positive that the restaurant launched a monthly series and christened the last Monday of the month “Uncommon Ramen”. The 2017 series has seen a varied roster of guest chefs, from Hai’s own Founder and Owner, Chef Tyson Cole, to BBQ legend, Aaron Franklin.
Philip Speer will tell you that his career began, in earnest, when at 27 he was hired as the restaurant’s pastry chef. Known early on for his savory and sweet desserts, the culture of collaboration at Uchi coupled with his own need to push the envelope allowed for Speer to have input on all menus, and not just desserts. This love of Uchi culture and his personal drive led him to take on the role of Culinary Director in addition to his Executive Pastry Chef duties.
During Speer’s tenure at Uchi he has racked up four semifinalist nods in the James Beard Foundation Outstanding Pastry Chef category as well StarChef.com Rising Star Pastry Chef in 2012 and a listing among Zagat’s National Power Players 2014. Speer has received awards in the Austin Chronicle, the Austin-American-Statesman and Texas Monthly as well as national recognition in Bon Appetit, Food + Wine, Cooks Illustrated, and U.S.A. Today. This year, Speer opened Bonhomie, an Austin-based French-American bistro serving direr favorites with a twist.
A portion of the proceeds benefits Promise of Peace Gardens.
