Lenoir Chef's High Praise For TRIO's Winston Shipman

Welcome to Front & Center, a series highlighting front of the house professionals in Austin restaurants. We've asked local industry folks, media types and food fans to tell us who makes dining out in Austin a pleasure—if you'd like to throw in your two cents, there's room for that, too.

Todd Duplechan's new South First spot Lenoir is a tiny restaurant with a big reputation, but in this edition of Front & Center, the chef spotlights a much larger operation: TRIO at the Four Seasons downtown and server Winston Shipman. Writes Duplechan of Shipman, who he's worked with in the past:

He is a real career server and restaurant personality. They don't make them like Winston any more.

He taught me a lot about the history of the Austin dining scene, why things are the way they are here. It has been very helpful in my career. Also, he has the best stories about all his old-time friends. (Everyone from the governor to Jerry Jeff.)

[Photo: TRIO/Facebook]