Hans Limburg, Greg Reggio, Gary Darling
Hans Limburg is of Dutch descent. He was born in Indonesia, grew up in Holland, and moved to the United States when he was sixteen. This multicultural influence provided a professional strength that he carried with him to fine restaurants in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Los Angeles and Lake Tahoe. At Harrah's Lake Tahoe he was executive chef, in charge of seven award-winning restaurants. Limburg is also an active member of the Research Chefs Association.
Greg Reggio is a native of New Orleans who began his career in the industry as an apprentice under Warren LeRuth in New Orleans. He started as a chef, and then his management and training skills led to the position of Director of Training for all Copeland's restaurants. For his formal education, Reggio attended the University of New Orleans School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism as well as an affiliate school of the American Culinary Federation. On the practical side, he trained under such experts as Gary Darling and Beany McGregor to hone his culinary skills. Reggio serves as a director on the Board of the Louisiana Restaurant Association. He was also the Louisiana Restaurant Association - New Orleans Chapter President in 2007.
Gary Darling came to Louisiana from Los Angeles in the late seventies after extensive travel honing his talents in Europe, Mexico and the United States. He opened his own restaurant, Cafe Rani, in Covington, Louisiana attracting critical acclaim.
In 1983 Gary was tapped by his mentor, Chef Warren LeRuth, as consulting chef for restaurateur Al Copeland for development of Copelands Cajun American Cafe. In addition, Gary was responsible for product development as Vice President of R&D and charged with leading the company's diversification into foodservice manufacturing. Darling served as president of the New Orleans Chef's Association from 1980 to 1982 and head instructor of the Associations apprenticeship program. In 1983, Darling was named New Orleans' Chef of the Year. He is also an active member of the Research Chefs Association.
The Buds
In 1990, these three energetic and creative chefs, joined together to form an experienced culinary and restaurant development team. The company's mission was clear: To develop and operate unique restaurant concepts and to provide a wide array of consulting services to the industry. The Taste Buds created Zea in 1997 with their first location in Harahan, Louisiana. It immediately gained popularity within the community and acclaim from restaurant associations. From their award winning recipes and “Best New Restaurant” awards from Gambit Magazine Readers Poll and New Orleans Magazine, the Taste Buds had another hit on their hands. There are currently five locations in the New Orleans area. Zea Rotisserie & Grill also has locations in Lafayette, Covington and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Mobile and Birmingham, Alabama with franchise locations in Albuquerque, New Mexico and Plano, Texas.