By Chris Himmel, Owner, Himmel Hospitality Group
Fifteen years. That’s a long time for a friendship let alone a partnership in an industry built upon cost controls, overhead and revenue enhancement. For more than fifteen years our Grill 23 & Bar family has partnered with Brandt Natural Beef, the Brandt family and our distributor Cambridge Packing Co to build one of the truly special beef programs found anywhere in the country. Together, long before it became industry standard, we made a commitment to raise all of the beef for our restaurant without the use of hormones or antibiotics and to source exclusively from one single family-owned ranch that shared our passion for producing the most consistent, highest quality, 100 percent source-verified natural beef on the market. We elected to enter into a long-standing partnership with a mission to create, from farm to fork, some of the most flavorful beef found anywhere in the world. Fifteen years and hundreds of thousands of steaks later I’m proud to say that the finished product speaks for itself, and while I truly value all our vendor relationships there is no family I value more or am more proud to call our partners than the Brandt family. It’s fitting then that the final stop along the “Himmel Hits the Road” cross country culinary road trip should lead our HHG team to Brawley, CA (about 15 minutes from the US-Mexican border) for a visit to Brandt Cattle Co and a very special dinner hosted at the home of Bill and Sue Brandt.
The winding road from San Diego to Brawley twists its way through rugged mountains, along the border with Mexico and down into the lush, fertile, green fields of the Imperial Valley. The valley is literally a man-made oasis having been established by the Army Corp of Engineers during the early 1900’s when they implemented natural irrigation sourced from the Colorado River into the valley and created a region rich in sunlight and fertile soil. Imperial Valley would become the epicenter for producing a good share of the country’s produce, and the small city of Brawley would establish itself as the perfect backdrop for the Brandt family to raise some of the finest cattle found anywhere.
Upon arriving to town we’re greeted by Brandt Cattle Co’s Director of Operations Scotty Chapman who oversees the family’s feedlot. Scotty has been a close friend of mine for the past five years having spent weeks together hunting Elk in Swan Valley, Idaho. He lets us know that the Brandt’s have planned a dinner at the Cattleman’s Club in downtown Brawley to welcome us to town so with no time to waste we park the RV, drop our things and head straight over to the club to meet the family. The Stockmen’s Club is a private club established for the Imperial Valley’s many cattle ranchers, and upon arrival we are struck by the incredible history living on the walls throughout the club that tell the stories of three generations of ranching throughout the region. Lining the walls of the main dining room are the “family brands” of every ranch family, past and present, throughout the history of the valley and it really gives you a sense for how much pride the Brandts and their peers have for the legacy of their livelihood.
We are treated to a dinner of Brandt Beef Sirloin Steaks with all the fixings along with some of the best Pork Ribs I’ve ever had and, like everyone else, I throw in the towel after second and third helpings. Together with some great conversation and a few adult beverages we top off the night with a night cap back at the RV and head straight to bed to rest up for what will be a full day’s schedule touring the entire Brandt Beef operation with my good friend Eric Brandt.
I’d remembered the night before that Mark Brandt, head of farming operations for the Brandt family, had told me that they had a large Duroc Pig that was bullying the others in the pig pen and that by the morning the ranch hands would be turning that pig into our breakfast before our tour of the Brandt Cattle Co feedlot. Sure enough upon our arrival the next morning we are welcomed by freshly prepared Carnitas with homemade Tortillas, Rice and Refried Beans and Salsa which the ranch hands let us know “is so spicy that it won’t wait to hurt you the next day, it’ll hurt you tonight”!
We enjoy our breakfast listening to Bill Brandt, owner of Brandt Cattle Co, give us some family history as well as insight into what makes Brandt Beef so special. Bill was a pioneer in the beef industry, at the forefront of the prime beef movement and was one of the first ranchers to begin raising Holstein Cattle for beef production. He and his counterparts were the first to utilize cattle previously deemed worthless by the market (Holstein Cattle had always been used for dairy production and males were typically discarded, dispatched or sent immediately out for Veal production by dairy farmers throughout the United States). Through experience and hard work he managed to build an operation made up of over 100,000 head of cattle regarded to be some of the healthiest, highest quality and most sought after cattle in the country.
Among thousands of acres of fields throughout Brawley, Mark Brandt and his farm team raise the alfalfa that is mixed with corn to create a natural diet for Brandt Beef’s animals. Walking the fields with Mark you get a sense for his wealth of knowledge and begin to understand that his families commitment to sustainability is not only applicable to their cattle operation but also to their agricultural division. It is important for them to conduct their family business as responsible stewards of the land and Mark is a shining testament to that principle.
We finish up our tour of the Brandt’s ranch with Eric Brandt taking us through the details of the processing operation. Eric takes a hands-on approach to processing, inspecting each animal and hand-tagging the “best of the best” exclusively for Grill 23 & Bar. By exerting a high level of control over cattle selection and harvesting practices, Brandt Beef is at the forefront of implementing the most humane techniques of animal husbandry known today. We’re especially excited when Eric shares with us plans for the future of Brandt Beef, and, while we cannot divulge any family secrets, we can tell you that the future looks brighter than ever for one of America’s pioneering ranch families. I couldn’t be more excited to see all of their hard work and diligence pay dividends in the future.
Having spent the past five years hunting Elk at Osterkamp Ranch in Idaho with Eric, Mark and Scotty I wasn’t a bit surprised when upon our arrival back to the feedlot we were invited to do some hunting right on the ranch for Eurasian Dove which are a species invasive to the Imperial Valley. Our bounty of birds weren’t out of the sky for more than 15 minutes before they are plucked, breasted, wrapped in Brandt Beef Bacon with Jalapeño & Cream Cheese and grilled up by San Diego Chef Billy Joyce of Surfside Cuisine for pre-dinner hors d’oeuvres right on the ranch. Feeling the euphoria of a perfect day we head back to the RV to change and travel to the home of Bill and Sue Brandt who will be hosting us along with their entire family for the final night of our “Himmel Hits the Road” journey.
To say that Sue Brandt is as talented at planning an event as her husband is at raising cattle would be an understatement. We arrive to a home radiating with natural beauty along with a back yard set up with a long, communal table covered in Holstein cow hides, colorful flower arrangements resting in an assortment of mason jars and hay stacks covered with beautifully adorned fabric for seating. It was such an honor to see the entire Brandt family make the effort to join us at our dinner. Standing in the yard and soaking in the scene really gives me a sense for how special my relationship is with their family and I feel truly blessed to share this experience with my team.
We enjoy an outstanding dinner prepared by Chef Billy Joyce which includes Brandt Beef Southwestern Style Prime Top Sirloin with Grilled Lime, Roasted Garlic and Grilled Cipollini Onion as well as Brandt Beef Prime New York Strip served in a Cast Iron Skillet with Balsamic Glazed Brussel Sprouts and Chanterelle Mushrooms, and after concluding dinner with “Oma’s Famous Chocolate Sundae” my team and I are full with food and admiration for one of the kindest, thoughtful and most hospitable families we’ve ever had the pleasure to meet. Not only have the Brandts opened up their home time and again to me over the years, but as my friendship with Eric has grown so has my relationship to the rest of the family. For the Brandts to extend that same level of hospitality to my HHG family is a testament to their character and it is something my team and I will never forget.
As we end the night by raising our champagne glasses and toasting a dinner for the ages we also celebrate the conclusion of our cross country culinary journey to visit some of the countries finest restaurants, farms, fishermen and producers of fine foods throughout the country. After 23 days and almost 6,000 miles on the road I can honestly say that there is no place else I’d rather be, and no group of people I’d rather share that moment with than my incredible Himmel Hospitality Group team and my second family, the Brandt family of Brawley, CA!
Himmel Hits the Road 