15 May 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Who’s the finest grill master in the nation? Longhorn Steakhouse is about the find out.
An El Dorado man will compete in the popular steakhouse chain’s sixth annual Steak Master Series. It’s a corporate national championship that lets Longhorn grill masters from across the country put their skills to the test.
The grill expert at the West Wichita Longhorn Steakhouse, Gerardo Contreras, is one of seven national finalists.
Inside the Longhorn Steakhouse in West Wichita, the sound of steaks sizzling is the start of another day on the grill for Contreras. He has been a grill master for ten years.
“We cook steaks, so we gotta be good at it,” said Contreras. “I mean, a lot of pride. That’s the most important thing of a business. You know, we have to get it right the first time.”
Contreras can’t begin to think how many steaks he grills on any given Saturday night, but he can tell you what he grills.
“We have filets, six or nine ounces. We’ve got sirloins. We’ve got strips, ribeyes, bone-in ribeye, which we call the Outlaw ribeye, T-bone and a porterhouse.”
Grill masters from Longhorn’s 552 restaurants nationwide are participating in the sixth annual Steak Master Series. Contreras survived four rounds of competition to make it to the national finals.
“Well, first of all, it’s an awesome competition. There’s thousands of culinary team members that participate. Everybody’s welcome to do it. We started as a restaurant level. Everybody that wants to participate in a restaurant level, they can. Then we have the regional level, divisional level, and of course, the very end, which is to final in Orlando, Florida, which it takes place on May 25th,” explained Contreras.
“I’ve worked for Longhorn for ten years, and honestly, he is the best grill cook I have ever had the privilege to work with,” said Kristy Paulino, Longhorn’s managing partner. “You know, we can feed over 600 guests on a Saturday night, and he doesn’t bat an eye or hardly break a sweat.”
This is Contreras’ fifth year competing and the first time he’s made it to the finals. The grand prize is a check for $15,000 and the title of Longhorn’s Steak Master Champion.
“You know, like I always tell my family, you always try to be the best of the best. Well, now I get the chance to prove that I can be the best,” said Contreras.