A former Lion student and award-winning chef recently spoke to East Texas A&M University students about his journey through Commerce and what led him to become one of the most notable chefs in America.

Stephan Pyles visited with music students—as well as students, faculty and staff from other areas of the university—on September 9 in the Cheryl Childers Lewis Concert Hall, where he gave excerpts of his forthcoming memoir and answered questions from School of Music Director Elizabeth Janzen and guests in attendance.

Pyles, a fifth-generation Texan, grew up in the west Texas town of Big Spring. An avid singer, Pyles attended East Texas State University (now East Texas A&M) in the early 1970s as a music major. He credits a trip to Europe following his junior year with igniting his passion for haute cuisine. More than 50 years later, Pyles now boasts more than 20 successful restaurants and several cookbooks to his name.

During his talk, Pyles stated that going to ETSU for college was a chance to get far away from home and experience something new. He also credits former legendary East Texas State choir director Charles Nelson with drawing him to the vocal program in Commerce.

“I was enamored with Dr. Nelson,” Pyles said. “His perseverance and beautiful baritone voice that shone through even though he suffered from polio were big inspirations for me.”

Pyles said he bonded with Nelson later in life over their shared history with culinary arts; Nelson was a line cook in the military in his younger days.

Early on in his career, Pyles was invited to the Great Chefs of France Cooking School in California, where he worked as an assistant to legendary chef Julia Child. Pyles says that it was initially very intimidating to work with such a notable figure in culinary history, but he developed a warm friendship with Child that lasted until her death in 2004.

Although his original path in life changed course, he says that it was a choice he doesn't regret. Pyles' love of good food has made his career choice easy to swallow.

“Life without passion is not a good life to live at all,” Pyles said. “You have to love what you do.”

Janzen, the School of Music Director, said that it was an honor to welcome such a high-profile former student to speak with current students about what's possible after college.

“It was a great honor conversing with Chef Pyles; his eloquent writing about his life experiences and his insightful comments on music, service, and the culinary arts were both enlightening and entertaining,” Janzen said. “We were exceptionally proud to showcase a distinguished former student such as Chef Pyles and share his wisdom with our current students.”

In 1991, Pyles was honored with the prestigious James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Southwest. Pyles' restaurants include the Routh Street Café, Star Canyon and his self-named Stephan Pyles Restaurant, which led to Pyles being named “Chef of the Year” by Esquire Magazine after it opened. Additionally, he also hosted “New Tastes from Texas with Chef Stephan Pyles,” an Emmy-winning series on PBS.

In 1995, he was recognized as an East Texas State University Distinguished Alumnus.

Learn more about the School of Music at East Texas A&M.