Chef
David Kirkland
- Discipline
- Chef
- Based in
- Seguin, Texas, United States
i. Biography
David Kirkland’s work in 2025 sits inside Texas barbecue’s close, ongoing scrutiny, where smoke handling, timing, and consistency are judged without much room for excuse. Since 2020, he has been co-owner and pitmaster at Burnt Bean Co. in Seguin, Texas, a role that places the work squarely on both the business and fire side of the equation. Read across his career, the throughline is accumulation: kitchen discipline, dining-room pace, and catering scale folded into one working sensibility.
The Climb
David Kirkland built his early career in St. Louis through kitchen posts that each added a different layer of practice. He worked as chef at the café at St. Louis Art Museum at Catering St. Louis in St. Louis, then as chef at Frazier’s Brown Bag at Frazier’s Brown Bag in St. Louis, and later as chef at Venice Café at Venice Café in St. Louis. Taken together, those roles point to the standard apprenticeship of the trade: learning service flow, reading a room, and carrying flavor cleanly from station to pass. In 1996, Kirkland also became Resident DJ at several clubs throughout San Francisco in San Francisco, adding a second discipline built around timing and room temperature. That work belongs in the same profile for the same reason a line cook’s tempo matters: rhythm affects service. He then returned to St. Louis for a long run as chef and manager at Cafe Osage in St. Louis, where he remained from 2007–2016. The length of that tenure marks sustained responsibility, the sort of daily management that shapes both a kitchen’s standards and a chef’s own habits. Since 2016, David has led Turn Restaurant as owner and executive chef, while also founding David Kirkland Catering as owner. Those two roles show the range of the practice: one tied to a single dining room and the demands of ownership, the other to catering’s need for precision across different settings. By 2020, he had added Burnt Bean Co. to that list as co-owner and pitmaster, moving his work further into the language and labor of Texas barbecue.
Today
Since 2020, he has served as co-owner and pitmaster at Burnt Bean Co. In Seguin. The title reflects the split responsibilities of the job: ownership on one side, pit work on the other. In that setting, Kirkland’s career reads as a convergence of restaurant management, catering discipline, and barbecue technique.
Signature
David's signature dishes include brisket croissants, Hot Cheeto queso mac, bourbon peach cobbler taco, barbacoa tacos, and house-made sausage. The list shows a cook working across formats: barbecue, tacos, sausage, and dessert, with familiar references pushed into new combinations. The register is direct and practical, but it also leaves room for a personal hand in how the menu lands.
Recognition
His 2025 work is tied to Texas barbecue. That alone places David Kirkland inside a closely observed regional tradition, where the standards are public and the conversation is ongoing.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of David
What is David Kirkland's current role?
As of 2026, David Kirkland is Co-owner and pitmaster.
Where did David Kirkland work before?
David Kirkland's earlier career included Catering St. Louis, Frazier’s Brown Bag, and Venice Café.
What is David Kirkland known for?
Texas barbecue.
