Celebrity chef John Besh, owner of Lüke restaurants in both San Antonio and in New Orleans, will be here  Monday, August 15, as the guest chef and star of the KLRN Chef Series.

The award-winning chef, whose cooking show airs on KLRN-TV, will bring the flavors of New Orleans here as he presents from 7 to 9 p.m. at the St. Anthony Hotel, 300 E. Travis St.  He’ll do a cooking demonstration based on recipes from his cookbook “My New Orleans: The Cookbook.” Then, those in attendance will dine on a multi-course, authentic Southern meal.

Tickets are $150 a person or $1,800 per table. For more information, call 210-270-9000 or click  here.

Check out a new video podcast from the CIA, with Steve McHugh, executive chef of Lüke San Antonio.

During the podcast, McHugh speaks about his experiences working with chef John Besh (owner of Lüke in New Orleans), the process of opening Lüke here in San Antonio, and the myriad of culinary resources that exist within this city.

“San Antonio is a tourist destination for people seeking history and culture,” says McHugh. “Within the last 10 years the city has also become a culinary destination. What visitors find when they eat in the restaurants here is cuisine rich with Latin and German influences.”

Steve McHugh of Luke featured on CIA video podcast.

McHugh partnered with Besh, a renowned New Orleans chef, to open Lüke on San Antonio’s River Walk in 2010.

Thirteen years earlier, he had graduated with his associate degree in culinary arts from The Culinary Institute of America’s flagship campus in Hyde Park, NY—the same program Besh completed in 1992.

McHugh also takes the opportunity to reflect on how his CIA education prepared him for the challenge of working alongside Besh. In addition, he speaks about the CIA expanding its San Antonio offerings to now include a full associate degree program in culinary arts, and what the college’s presence means for the city.

“I think the CIA opening up here in San Antonio is going to do a lot for the city,” says McHugh. “Having these students and graduates available right here to bring into our restaurants is a great asset to all of us.”

The first class for the CIA San Antonio associate degree program starts on August 22, 2011. For more information about the program, or to learn more about upcoming admissions information sessions, visit www.ciachef.edu/admissions/texas/culinaryarts/aas.asp.

To view the video, connect here to YouTube page.

John Besh (center) talks with guests at Lüke.

For the past week, chef John Besh has been in San Antonio helping the staff at his restaurant Lüke, 125 E. Houston St., get ready for a big opening night party on Thursday.

The River Walk brasserie, a sister of Besh’s Lüke in New Orleans, opened late last month, just in time for Thanksgiving.

An elbow-room-only crowd welcomed the celebrated chef and author of “My New Orleans: The Cookbook,” who divided his time between talking with the crowd and stopping to pick up a dish or direct a guest to one of the food stations.

“It’s a blessing,” says Besh of the success of Lüke thus far. “This is a bigger space but the spirit, the soul of the original Lüke is really here.”

Sautéed shrimp for a tasty Shrimp and Grits at Lüke.

What surprises have Besh encountered in getting acquainted with the local palate?

“I was surprised at how popular some of the things we have on the men have been. Like the choucroute (sauerkraut and sausage) and fresh oysters. ” And, “the Croque Madame and Croque Monsieur sandwiches outsell our burger,” he says.

It’s been a lot of work for Besh during the past week. Try telling that to his sons, though, who are back at home in New Orleans. “They think I’m off at Schlitterbahn or (Fiesta Texas) or Sea World,” the chef says with a laugh.

Besh’s business partner, Stephen McHugh, is chef at at the local Lüke.  The restaurant is open daily for lunch and dinner. For information, call 210-227-5853 (LUKE).

Stephen McHugh is chef and co-owner of Lüke on the San Antonio River Walk.

Award-winning chef John Besh’s new River Walk restaurant, Lüke, has opened for dinner.

His business partner and chef is Stephen McHugh, who worked with Besh as sous chef at Lüke in New Orleans. The casual restaurant specializes in  “Old World” style specialties, with a full menu as well as daily blackboard offerings.

Menu items include pâtés, Fried Oyster Salad, Berkshire Pork Cracklins, Mesquite Smoked Pork Ribs, Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo, Shrimp and Grits, Matzo Ball and Roasted Chicken Soup. Dinner items include fresh Gulf Coast fish, schnitzel and choucroute garnie: house-made sauerkraut and homemade bratwurst and slow-cooked pork.

The restaurant will be open 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Thursday for Thanksgiving. Lunch will follow in near future. Both lunch and dinner menus offer an “Express” entrée list for those on the run. Steaks, duck confit, burgers and sandwiches, as well as a collection of  wursts, served with skillet potatoes and mustard round out the menu.

The restaurant is at 125 W. Houston St. For reservations call 210-227-5853 (LUKE).

Chef and television personality John Besh will open Lüke San Antonio, the sister restaurant to his Lüke New Orleans, in mid-October. Chef Steven McHugh will head up the culinary team at River Walk restaurant at 125 E. Houston St.

The Franco-German brasserie with elements of a gastro-pub and a beer house will pay homage to traditional Old World cuisine while showcasing robust local flavors to satisfy the soul as well as the palate, according to a press release for Lüke San Antonio.

John Besh, New Orleans chef and television personality, opens Lüke San Antonio in October.

Besh chose San Antonio for his first restaurant outside of Louisiana, in part, because of the bond the city shares with Besh’s native New Orleans, according to the press release.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, San Antonio became a second home to many former New Orleans residents. Some of them worked in Besh’s Louisiana establishments before the storm hit.

McHugh, who has long worked as a chef in the Besh family of restaurants, plans to honor the culinary customs of French and German cuisines. His menu will draw the many German influences of the San Antonio area and features such regional delicacies as Texas-raised beef and quail, as well as some of the nostalgic brasserie menu items that Lüke’s sister restaurant in New Orleans has become famous for, such as house-made pâtés, duck confit, herb-roasted chicken and creamy pasta dishes, as well as some seafood. These will be featured alongside San Antonio-inspired delicacies such as veal barbacoa, locally made cheeses, Hill Country produce and Texas wild boar.

“It’s the French version of American comfort food with a San Antonio kick,” says McHugh.

The restaurant will be open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. for lunch and dinner.