Reata’s GM leaves to join chef Marcus Paslay at Fort Worth Tex-Mex restaurants
Russell Kirkpatrick, the 18-year general manager at Reata Restaurant, has left Reata to join chef Marcus Paslay’s makeover of Mercado Juarez Cafes, he said Tuesday.
Kirkpatrick is a co-founder of the annual Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival charity event.
Kirkpatrick will be operations director for the two Mercado Juarez restaurants in Fort Worth and Arlington, he and Paslay said.
In a farewell to Reata on Facebook, he wrote: “They say that all good things must come to an end. ... I have been blessed for over 18 years to call this amazing place my home.”
He thanked the Micallef family and Reata owner Mike Micallef.
“Now can join the long list of alumni that have spent some time at this iconic restaurant,” Kirkpatrick wrote.
Paslay, owner of Clay Pigeon, Piattello Italian, Provender Hall and the forthcoming Walloon’s, bought the 42-year-old Mercado Juarez restaurants this spring and announced plans to upgrade the food and drink choices while keeping the legacy recipes.
Paslay, an Arlington native, started out in the business working for Kirkpatrick at a now-gone Johnny Carino’s Italian restaurant in Mansfield, he said.
“He is a great person and a great restaurant operator,” Paslay said.
This story was originally published June 14, 2023 at 8:39 AM.
