The new chef at the helm of BIN189

By Mary-Justine Lanyon

Being a chef was just one of the career paths Krista Stone was considering when she was a girl. The world could have had another singer or zoologist but food won her heart.

“I got my first job in food at Panera when I was 17,” the new executive chef at BIN189 said. “That taught me speed.”

Stone started working in hotels when she was 20 – preparing food for banquets and developing menus for the restaurants. “I fell in love with hotels and hotel operations,” Stone said. She liked the variety as it wasn’t just one restaurant – it was banquets, catering, a coffee shop as well as the restaurants on the property.

Stone was born in Spokane, Wash., but moved with her family to Katy, Texas, when she was just 3 years old. She had worked in and around Houston all her life – until recently.

Most recently she was at the C. Baldwin, part of the Hilton Curio Collection. At that hotel there was a celebrity chef restaurant.

“He would visit once in a while,” Stone said. “I ran the day to day. It was a very high-end hotel.”

It was while Stone was at the Omni Houston Westside (now the Hyatt Regency Westside) that she met Paul Medawar, who has been the general manager of the Lake Arrowhead Resort and Spa since last August. Medawar was “task force” at the hotel. Stone described that as “holding down the fort while the hotel is going through the hiring process.” She herself has done task force on and off throughout her career.

Medawar said he was at the Omni Houston Westside for two months as task force with the option to take over the hotel as the new general manager but he opted to rescind that offer.

“I was impressed with Krista’s leadership in the kitchen and the creativity she put on a plate,” Medawar said. “She inspired her brigade and empowered them to have the same creativity and attention to detail. She only puts out quality and from scratch.”

And it was for that reason Medawar reached out to Stone and invited her to interview for the job of executive chef at BIN189.

“I knew that the Lake Arrowhead Resort and Spa truly needed someone like Chef Krista,” he said. “Therefore, I recommended she interview with Aaron Radman, our director of food and beverage. He was very pleased with her interview and asked her to come meet with the team.

“Krista brings a level of perfection to the menu and has full intention to dazzle our patrons, from the bottom of the hill to our locals,” Medawar added. “We are so proud and fortunate to have Chef Krista as part of our family.”

When Stone flew out to Lake Arrowhead, she toured the property and the area. “It’s completely different from where I’ve lived before,” she said. “Houston is flat – a big city.” She lived right in the city, where it’s hot and humid.

“My first week here,” she said, “my skin was so dry. I wasn’t used to having to use lotion.”

In December, Stone said, she “uprooted” her whole life and moved to the mountain – the biggest move she has ever made. She got lucky and found a rental quickly.

Snow was a new adventure for the chef. “I learned what a berm is,” she joked.

As for Chef Krista’s approach to a menu, she said she begins by working with the existing menu to make the staff and guests comfortable. “I have to learn the demographic – what do the guests expect, what are the current reviews of the property, what is selling on the current menu.”

In addition, she said, as she makes changes she has to assess the skill level of her staff as well as the equipment available in the kitchen. “I don’t want to give them recipes they can’t handle or can’t prepare because we don’t have the necessary equipment,” she said.

Stone has been making little changes to the breakfast menu and is almost at the point where she can introduce an entirely new one “and really rock it.”

She describes her food as “approachable and delicious.” She is known for using eclectic ingredients guests may not see very often. She wants to offer flavors diners know and love with the addition of something a little new for them to try.

The chef is big on flavor pairings. “I think of a pairing I want to do and build a dish around it. I’m big on balance and contrast – contrast of temperatures, textures, flavors. I really pay attention to that. You can’t have a dish that’s all soft – you need a crunch, different textures. I love hot and cold – hot sea bass with cold mango salad.”

She has already picked up that mountain diners like tropical flavors, especially for summer – mango, pineapple.

Chef Krista said she has noticed a lot of heavy dining options on the mountain. “I like a good balance,” she said. “I like to have some lighter options.” 

Folks who frequent BIN189 in the morning can soon look forward to savoring Mom’s Coffeecake – Stone is using her own mother’s recipe. It’s made with cinnamon and lots of butter. “My goal is to have every table order one with their coffee,” she said, adding it’s definitely shareable.

The executive chef’s overall job, Stone said, is to support the staff in any way needed. She still does quite a bit of hands-on prep work. “I set the tone for the kitchen,” she said.

Looking ahead, Stone is open to the idea of offering cooking classes in the Resort’s kitchen. She is also talking with Lake Arrowhead Brewing Co. about a partnership, offering beer pairings.

While she doesn’t have much free time (she spends all her time in the kitchen), Stone does enjoy hiking and trying the other restaurants on the mountain. She hasn’t met many of the other chefs yet but would love to get together with them in a sort of “chef club.”

And while she tries to take an occasional day off, “the hotel is my baby – I have to be present. I want to see every plate that goes out.” She is focusing on consistency with the staff, providing them with the tools they need – photos, diagrams – so they can produce the same dish over and over.

“Everyone has been so welcoming,” Stone said. “I’m getting used to the small-town feel, never having lived in a small town before.”

BIN189 is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week.