Allan S. Levine

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  www.necialumni.com/alumnifeb_2009.html - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 2/1/2009    Last Visited: 10/18/2009  

  Allan Levine (Montpelier Culinary) was profiled recently in Forbes Magazine online. The Forbes piece identified people who had left the corporate rat race to follow their dreams. Allan spent 15 years working as a geophysicist before he came to NECI. Allan is now the Executive Chef of The Eagle Room at Stanford Financial Group in Houston, Texas.

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  www.forbes.com/2009/02/11/starting-restaurant-chef-lead - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 2/11/2009    Last Visited: 2/12/2009  

  Allan Levine was an unhappy geophysicist who yearned for fulfillment and found it in the kitchen.
  
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  As a boy growing up as part of a large family in Framingham, Mass., Allan Levine always associated mealtimes with happiness: the entire family gathering together to share delicious food and enjoy one another's company.
  
  But it never occurred to him that he should go into the restaurant business. Instead, he graduated from the University of Massachusetts in 1981 with a degree in geology, a major he had chosen largely because he enjoyed being outdoors. (He had spent some time in Montana, where studying geological formations meant hiking in the Rockies.)
  ...
  Degree in hand, Levine was hired as a geophysicist by the Amoco, the big energy firm, which transplanted him to New Orleans to be part of a team looking for oil and gas in the Gulf of Mexico.
  
  "Living in New Orleans really opened my eyes to food and cuisine," he says.
  
  Levine left the Crescent City in 1989 when Amoco transferred him to Houston, but he continued to cultivate an interest in good food. By this point, however, working as a geophysicist had begun to pall.
  
  "I was basically bored by what I was doing," Levine says.
  ...
  Levine ended up as executive chef at Charley's 517, a restaurant in Houston's theater district. He found he had a flair for the business side of running a kitchen, thanks to the management skills he had developed at Amoco. "All of that now came into play," he says.
  ...
  If Levine wanted to thrive as an executive chef--and he most certainly did--then he faced an ongoing conflict between the demands of his job and of his family.
  
  Here was irony. Levine had been inspired to become a chef in part by nostalgic memories of the meals his family had shared during his childhood. Now he found himself pulled away from his own child to make meals for strangers. What to do?
  
  A solution presented itself one day in 1999, when Levine noticed a want ad in the Houston Chronicle. Stanford Financial was looking for an executive chef to run the Eagle Room, a new private dining room the firm was setting up in its worldwide headquarters near Houston's Galleria. (Stanford Financial is headed by Allen Stanford, who is No. 205 on the current Forbes 400 list of the richest Americans.) Levine got the job and has been there ever since.
  ...
  The Eagle Room does most of its business during the day, allowing Levine to spend more evenings and weekends with his family. (He and his wife now have two children.) "It's still a lot of work," he says of his current job, "but for a chef, it offers more stability."
  
  At 50, Levine is now a decade and a half into his second-act career. He has no regrets about his decision to leave Amoco. Running a restaurant has held his interest and made him happy.
  
  "This was a passion I had. I found that I was good at it," he says.

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  www.forbes.com/2009/02/11/starting-second-career-leader - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 1/1/2009    Last Visited: 5/29/2009  

  Allan Levine was an unhappy geophysicist who yearned for fulfillment and found it in the kitchen.

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  30 Jul 1999: Celebrated Chef Brings 5-Star Dining to... - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 7/30/1999    Last Visited: 6/30/2004  

  Allan Levine
  
  HOUSTON --- Chef Allan Levine has spent the last few years building a local reputation at top-rated eateries like Clive's.Now, he's boldly taking his culinary skills to the most unexpected of places---the halls of finance and investing.
  
  This well-established master has assumed the new Executive Chef position at Stanford Financial Group.Serving up a unique approach to quality corporate dining, he organizes and prepares meals and events for the Eagle Room, a 28-seat facility in the newly remodeled Stanford Financial Group building at 5050 Westheimer, across from the Galleria.
  
  Stanford guests, clients and recruits experience the best in fine cuisine with menu items such as Five Pepper Cream Soup; Seasonal Greens with Artichokes, Asparagus and Dijon Vinaigrette; Grilled Duck Breast with Arugula and Sweet Potato Crisps; and Tropical Fruit Medley with a Passionfruit Sabayon for dessert.Let's not forget the Hot-Roasted Spiced Nuts, Levine's exclusive recipe.Though it all sounds mouth-watering, meals are offered by invitation only.
  
  "I've imagined a menu that changes daily," said Levine."The goal is to maximize the dining experience for guests, so they're pleasantly full, but not overwhelmed---all in an atmosphere that offers elegance, privacy and a congenial environment to conduct business."
  
  Levine has taken bold steps in his life before, severing a 12-year geologist career to make his mark in the culinary world."I made a clean decision to leave the oil and gas industry and immediately began training with the New England Culinary Institute," he said.
  
  He took an internship with the Omni Hotel, went on to serve as lead banquet cook with the Four Seasons Hotel and later headed the kitchen at Clive's.He also gained experience in France at the world-renowned L'Oustau de Baumaniere.In less than six years, Levine has earned a position as one of the top chefs in Houston.
  
  And over the course of his career, he developed a specialty---dishes with a Mediterranean flair---use of various oils and flavorful herbs stamped with food influences from Spain, Northern Africa, France and Greece.
  
  Having always maintained a strong interest in food, Levine became the family omelette-maker at a very young age.Early culinary influences include his grandfather, a cook who brought home large bags of wonderful deli items, and his mother, who prepared seder dinners for the religious holiday of Passover.He remembers meals as a warm time to share with family and community.
  
  FROM LEFT:Sous Chef James Masters, Concierge Alice Jensen and Executive Chef Allan Levine
  ...
  Joining Levine in the Eagle Room will be sous chef James Masters, another recent recruit from Clive's.
  ...
  With the support of a talented staff, Levine is able to attend to administrative duties.In a survey of the kitchen, he commented on the impressive lighting and accessible prep areas as well as the spacious grill and large walk-in cooler."Everything we'll ever need is in this roomy, bright kitchen---it's very well-equipped," Levine said.
  
  A dedication to quality and the joy of serving a meal has made the work of a chef especially gratifying for Levine.

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  Broken Arrow Ranch: Testimonials - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 4/18/2006    Last Visited: 8/22/2009  

  Chef Allan S. Levine

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  New England Culinary Institute :: Alumni News December... - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 12/1/2006    Last Visited: 10/18/2009  

  Allan S. Levine, Montpelier graduate, is Executive Chef of the Stanford Group Company in Houston, TX. Allan and family are planning a trip to the East coast next August.

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  New England Culinary Institute :: Alumni News June 2008 - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 6/1/2008    Last Visited: 10/18/2009  

  1995: Allan Levine, Elizabeth Deimel Corey, and Steve Ingersoll, all Montpelier Culinary
  ...
  Brandon Whitestone (Montpelier Culinary) is Sous Chef at Chef Allen's in Aventura, Florida.
  ...
  Chef Allen is a past James Beard Award winner, and a founding member of the 'Mango Gang' that brought fine dining to South Florida in the late '80s and early '90s. www.chefallens.com

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  New England Culinary Institute | Events - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 7/24/2002    Last Visited: 7/19/2003  

  Join Chef Michel Leborgne and NECI alumnus Chef Allan Levine.

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  S F G -- News - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 3/22/2003    Last Visited: 3/22/2004  

  HOUSTON -- Chef Allan Levine has spent the last few years building a local reputation at top-rated eateries like Clive's.Now, he's boldly taking his culinary skills to the most unexpected of places--the halls of finance and investing.
  
  This well-established master has assumed the new Executive Chef position at Stanford Financial Group.Serving up a unique approach to quality corporate dining, he organizes and prepares meals and events for the Eagle Room, a 28-seat facility in the newly remodeled Stanford Financial Group building at 5050 Westheimer, across from the Galleria.
  
  Stanford guests, clients and recruits experience the best in fine cuisine with menu items such as Five Pepper Cream Soup; Seasonal Greens with Artichokes, Asparagus and Dijon Vinaigrette; Grilled Duck Breast with Arugula and Sweet Potato Crisps; and Tropical Fruit Medley with a Passionfruit Sabayon for dessert.Let's not forget the Hot-Roasted Spiced Nuts, Levine's exclusive recipe.Though it all sounds mouth-watering, meals are offered by invitation only.
  
  "I've imagined a menu that changes daily," said Levine."The goal is to maximize the dining experience for guests, so they're pleasantly full, but not overwhelmed--all in an atmosphere that offers elegance, privacy and a congenial environment to conduct business."
  
  Levine has taken bold steps in his life before, severing a 12-year geologist career to make his mark in the culinary world."I made a clean decision to leave the oil and gas industry and immediately began training with the New England Culinary Institute," he said.
  
  He took an internship with the Omni Hotel, went on to serve as lead banquet cook with the Four Seasons Hotel and later headed the kitchen at Clive's.He also gained experience in France at the world-renowned L'Oustau de Baumaniere.In less than six years, Levine has earned a position as one of the top chefs in Houston.
  
  And over the course of his career, he developed a specialty--dishes with a Mediterranean flair--use of various oils and flavorful herbs stamped with food influences from Spain, Northern Africa, France and Greece.
  
  Having always maintained a strong interest in food, Levine became the family omelette-maker at a very young age.Early culinary influences include his grandfather, a cook who brought home large bags of wonderful deli items, and his mother, who prepared seder dinners for the religious holiday of Passover.He remembers meals as a warm time to share with family and community.
  
  Joining Levine in the Eagle Room will be Sous Chef James Masters, another recent recruit from Clive's.
  ...
  With the support of a talented staff, Levine is able to attend to administrative duties.In a survey of the kitchen, he commented on the impressive lighting and accessible prep areas as well as the spacious grill and large walk-in cooler."Everything we'll ever need is in this roomy, bright kitchen--it's very well-equipped," Levine said.
  
  A dedication to quality and the joy of serving a meal has made the work of a chef especially gratifying for Levine.

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  Stanford Financial :: News - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 7/13/2003    Last Visited: 7/16/2005  

  HOUSTON -- Before coming to Stanford, Chef Allan Levine built a local reputation at top-rated eateries like Clive's.Now, he's boldly taking his culinary skills to the most unexpected of places--the halls of finance and investing.
  
  This well-established master serves as Executive Chef at Stanford Financial Group.Serving up a unique approach to quality corporate dining, he organizes and prepares meals and events for the Eagle Room, a 28-seat facility in the Stanford Financial Group headquarters at 5050 Westheimer in Houston, across from the Galleria.
  
  Stanford guests, clients and recruits experience the best in fine cuisine with menu items such as Five Pepper Cream Soup; Seasonal Greens with Artichokes, Asparagus and Dijon Vinaigrette; Grilled Duck Breast with Arugula and Sweet Potato Crisps; and Tropical Fruit Medley with a Passionfruit Sabayon for dessert.Let's not forget the Hot-Roasted Spiced Nuts, Levine's exclusive recipe.Though it all sounds mouth-watering, meals are offered by invitation only.
  
  "I've imagined a menu that changes daily," said Levine."The goal is to maximize the dining experience for guests, so they're pleasantly full, but not overwhelmed--all in an atmosphere that offers elegance, privacy and a congenial environment to conduct business."
  
  Levine has taken bold steps in his life before, severing a 12-year geologist career to make his mark in the culinary world."I made a clean decision to leave the oil and gas industry and immediately began training with the New England Culinary Institute," he said.
  
  He took an internship with the Omni Hotel, went on to serve as lead banquet cook with the Four Seasons Hotel and later headed the kitchen at Clive's.He also gained experience in France at the world-renowned L'Oustau de Baumaniere.In a short time, Levine has earned a position as one of the top chefs in Houston.
  
  And over the course of his career, he developed a specialty--dishes with a Mediterranean flair--use of various oils and flavorful herbs stamped with food influences from Spain, Northern Africa, France and Greece.
  
  Having always maintained a strong interest in food, Levine became the family omelette-maker at a very young age.Early culinary influences include his grandfather, a cook who brought home large bags of wonderful deli items, and his mother, who prepared seder dinners for the religious holiday of Passover.He remembers meals as a warm time to share with family and community.
  
  Joining Levine in the Eagle Room is Sous Chef James Masters, another recruit from Clive's.
  ...
  With the support of a talented staff, Levine is able to attend to administrative duties.In a survey of the kitchen, he commented on the impressive lighting and accessible prep areas as well as the spacious grill and large walk-in cooler."Everything we'll need is in this roomy, bright kitchen--it's very well-equipped," Levine said.
  
  A dedication to quality and the joy of serving a meal has made the work of a chef especially gratifying for Levine.What he brings to the Eagle Room is a presence that affords Stanford guests the highest caliber of fine dining and the warmest of hospitality.

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