It should come as no surprise that Chris Tunnell became a chef. After all, his parents own a Tulsa institution called the Green Onion, a high-end restaurant known for steaks and game dishes, and Tunnell grew up “cooking in back” with his mom and dad.
Tunnell’s mother and grandmother first inspired him to enter a kitchen. He said, “Every single childhood memory revolves around sitting at the dinner table, watching my relatives peel apples to make pies. Also, the fellowship sitting around the table afterward inspired me to choose this as my career.” He also credits his stepfather Bascom, “one of the best, as far as barbecue and grilling,” for teaching him “attention to detail.”
Tunnell has been cooking professionally since age 16, when he worked for Bodean in Tulsa, a seafood restaurant and competitor to his family’s restaurant. Tunnell said it was, “one of the only AAA rated restaurants in Oklahoma, where I learned the basis of cooking, learned how to be a saucier, made all the soups and sauces.”
Tunnell was only 20 years old when he completed an apprenticeship with the American Culinary Federation at Bodean and took a job as an executive chef with the American Golf Corporation in Tulsa. From there, he moved to Reno and trained under Paul Prudhomme and Martin Yan, a duo of revered chefs working at Harrah’s.
From Reno, Tunnell transitioned south to Las Vegas, working for Mandalay Resort Group as Assistant Executive Chef on the initial culinary team for Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino.
Tunnell was working as the maitre d’ hotel at The Mirage in Las Vegas, where he “took care of high rollers after they dined in our restaurants.” In early 2006, two of those high rollers were Mike Malin and Lonnie Moore, the co-founders of L.A.’s Dolce Group, which had already launched taste-making restaurants like Dolce and Geisha House. Tunnell said, “They told me they were getting ready to open 15 to 20 restaurants over the next two years. The more they talked about it, the more interested I became.” Apparently the interest was mutual, since the duo soon hired Tunnell as the Dolce Group corporate chef.
In forging a menu, Tunnell, Malin, and Moore work together. Tunnell said, “When we start a new concept, they give me parameters, but give me full freedom to create the menu, soup to nuts.” Then he returns to Malin and Moore for final tweaking. Tunnell credits his bosses with having “the taste of the common man.” This helps when figuring out what customers will order and enjoy.
Ketchup came about after the Dolce Group decided to do an American restaurant. Tunnell said, “One of my good friends, David Jarrett, is VP of Dolce Group. He came up with the name, because, what’s more American than ketchup?” Tunnell said the concept turned into an “American grill on steroids.” Tunnell admits there are “a lot of people who have gotten in on the trend of comfort food made gourmet,” but contends, “The thing that separates Ketchup is that Ketchup is everything you loved as a kid. Tang, Kool Aid, and Yoo Hoo are all on the cocktail menu.” Since “Everybody loves hot dogs” and “Lonnie likes Kobe beef,” Tunnell created Barking Dogs, “mini Kobe hot dogs on fresh baked bread, with homemade chili and homemade ketchup.”
As for the vibe, Tunnell says, “The food is so affordable, and the environment is so much fun.” Though Ketchup has gained a reputation for hosting celebrities, Tunnell promises, “Every customer is treated like a celebrity, and every celebrity is treated like a customer.”
At Ketchup, Tunnell is aware of seasonality, but makes sure to retain some staples. There are three dishes he never expects to remove from the menu: homemade mac and cheese with shaved white truffles and Dungeness crab; Kobe beef sloppy joes, “made from scratch, put on artisan buns with melted cheese”; and Momma’s Meat Loaf, “a mixture of ground Kobe beef and Italian sausage, baked with homemade ketchup on top.”
Since Ketchup doesn’t have a dedicated pastry chef, Tunnell even designed the dessert menu, highlighted by an ice cream chocolate cookie sandwich and the American classic, “a homemade Ding Dong, with chocolate on the outside and whipped cream in the middle, covered in chocolate.”
Tunnell feels he has been “privileged enough to work with a lot of great people,” but credits his current bosses, Mike Malin and Lonnie Moore, with being his most influential mentors. Tunnell said, “Not only are they so personable, but they give a whole new perspective on what it’s like to run a company and be successful in the restaurant business.”
As corporate chef for the Dolce Group, Tunnell spends a lot of time on the road helping to launch new concepts. In 2007, when Dolce Group opened three restaurants in Atlanta and one in Reno, he was gone for six months. Tunnell said, “Each restaurant takes two to three months to get going, then I pass if off to the exec chef.” He was just in Huntsville, Alabama, a secondary market fueled by the military industry and NASA, to help open the fourth Dolce. Other upcoming Dolce Group projects include a new steakhouse-meets-small bites concept in Huntsville called Rare 120, and a Dallas sports bar/steakhouse named The Boardroom, across from the American Airlines Center.
Wherever Tunnell cooks for the Dolce Group, he’s just happy to be behind the stove, saying, “I love to cook, it’s one of my favorite things in the world, and I’m lucky that I can get paid to do it.”