Former Private Chef to Taylor Sheridan, Fort Worth’s Levi Gardner Takes On Roy Pope’s New Direction With Westland Hospitality

Like Fort Worth’s spirit, Westland Hospitality is rooted in tradition while keeping an eye on the future. The hospitality group behind local favorites like Curly’s Frozen Custard, Margie’s Italian Gardens, Magdalena’s, and others recently announced that it will oversee a reimagined Flora House at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden later this year.

Although numerous vendors applied for the role, a Botanic Garden spokesperson told us that working with Westland Hospitality felt like a “natural partnership,” adding that the group has deep roots in the city. Westland Hospitality leaders Gigi Howell and Bourke Harvey, along with more recent partners like Chef Juan Rodriguez and others, have positioned the group as an influential force in the local catering and hospitality scene.

Supporting that growth has been chef and partner Levi Gardner, who has emerged as a culinary leader within Westland Hospitality.

“I’m incredibly proud of my role at Westland,” Gardner tells PaperCity. “On any given day, I may be creating a new menu for one of our restaurants or making pasta for Margie’s Italian Gardens. Gigi and Bourke are like family.”

The hospitality group recently announced that it is taking over ownership of Roy Pope, and Gardner will trade his executive chef post at Margie’s Italian Gardens to lead the kitchen at Roy Pope’s restaurant, building on a career that has taken him from Reata in Alpine to serving as private chef to acclaimed filmmaker Taylor Sheridan.

An Unlikely Journey from Alpine to 6666 Ranch and Fort Worth

The Arlington native’s first taste of the restaurant business came while studying at Sul Ross State University. He washed dishes at the original Reata Restaurant in Alpine, eventually becoming the restaurant’s youngest executive chef.

“I worked for about four years and earned my way up through the kitchen — from the dish pit to the salad, fry, sauté, and grill stations,” he says.

Gardner then moved to Marfa, where he spent nearly two years working under acclaimed Chef Seth Siegel-Gardner. While Reata provided his culinary foundation, Gardner credits Siegel-Gardner with helping him develop his own style and reconnecting with his Texas roots. He immersed himself in live-fire cooking and chuck-wagon techniques that drew inspiration from the ranching culture of West Texas.

While running the kitchen for Reata Restaurant at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, Gardner says he met filmmaker Taylor Sheridan.

“He invited me to come and cook for him and his family one night, and that led to me cooking for him full-time as his private chef,” he says. “I worked at his Four Sixes Ranch as well. He would get in the kitchen with me. He’s definitely like a chef in his own right, which is why I think we got along so well. He really treated us well, like family. I got to cook and meet people from the Yellowstone cast.”

Preserving the Past, Teaching the Future

Gardner joined Westland Hospitality nearly three years ago, shortly after wrapping up his time as Taylor Sheridan’s private chef. As he prepares to take the culinary lead at Roy Pope, he is increasingly focused on another part of his career — passing along what he has learned to the next generation.

Teaching and mentoring aspiring cooks have become another passion. He was recently invited to teach a class at TCU’s Department of Nutritional Science, where he contributed to a course on gourmet foods. Gardner has also taught at Central Market and hopes to pursue more opportunities to teach children about cooking and food, viewing education as a way to pass along lessons learned from his own mentors.

He says Roy Pope will lean heavily toward a restaurant concept, though it’s too early to reveal the menu or other details. Whatever direction the team takes, he says, the focus will be on “what’s right for Fort Worth and the people.”

He credits the team behind Westland Hospitality with the group’s continued success. Margie’s Italian Gardens general manager Desi Diaz, he says, is “the heartbeat” of the restaurant, while Gigi Howell has been a mentor who has made him both a better person and chef.

“The hospitality scene in Fort Worth is growing,” he says. “We take care of people no matter where they are from. At Westland, we have culinary students who intern with us at all of our concepts. Now I can be a teacher, but also a student. I take great pride not only in my role as executive chef but also in working with students, washing dishes, making pasta, and doing whatever needs to be done. That mindset keeps things fun.”

After an inspiring hiatus out West, Fort Worth is lucky to have Gardner back.