They say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. In the case of Jack Gilmore and his son Bryce, this particular apple is probably local, in season and served either in a warm and comforting cobbler or in some avant garde dehydrated chip to accent crispy pork belly and a celery root gastrique.

Though they own separate restaurants and their cooking techniques are worlds apart, a commitment to local ingredients (when possible) and to serving flavorful, approachable food is something is a family trait that runs deep with this father-son pair.

The founding chef of longtime Austin favorite Z Tejas Southwestern Grill and chef/owner of Jack Allen's Kitchen, Jack Gilmore — this year’s host for the 2012 Tastemaker Awards — has always sought inspiration in the food culture that surrounds him and has led by example with a strong work ethic and commitment to his staff. These are qualities he hoped to impart on Bryce (a 2012 Tastemaker Award nominee) from as early as the age of 14 when the Austin native teenager began working at Z Tejas as a bus boy. As Bryce moved through jobs in the front of the house to eventually working as a prep cook in the kitchen, it soon became clear that he was on his way to following in his father’s footsteps.

“We always thought he would be an architect,” says Jack Gilmore. “He was always designing things. But I guess being a chef is like being an architect — you’re always building something from the ground up.”

Jack took Bryce under his wing for a couple of years, traveling to locations where Z Tejas was expanding and teaching him the ropes of cooking. It wasn’t long before Bryce took the next step to attend the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. Within a few short years, he returned to Austin to start a few of his own culinary endeavors. (But not before a racking up a few job experiences at such notable restaurants as San Francisco’s Boulevard and Aspen, Colorado’s The Little Nell.)

And while Bryce brought along with him the strong work ethic that his father instilled within him, he also brought back a few things to impart to Jack back home.

“Bryce always talked about the farms he was visiting when he was in California. He would always tell me I wouldn’t believe the tomatoes or mushrooms he was getting out there,” says Jack. “He taught me the importance of having a good relationship with your farmers and vendors so that you could trust the ingredients they were supplying. If you’re consistent with them, they’ll be consistent with you. When we opened Jack Allen’s, it was based on the idea of having those relationships.”

But Bryce Gilmore has more than a proud father to pat him on the back for his hard work. In the past year alone, Gilmore is not only nominated for two CultureMap Tastemaker Awards, but has received a nod from Food & Wine magazine as one of the top 10 Best New Chefs in America (2011), Best New Restaurant GQ (2012), Texas Monthly’s Where to Eat Now 2012 and recently received a coveted James Beard nomination as a Rising Star Chef 2012.

On April 9, Gilmore will be joined by his father and brother to serve a special Gilmore & Sons dinner at the James Beard House — an opportunity that only comes by special invitation from the James Beard Foundation.

So how does Bryce take it all in stride? If you’ve ever met the quiet-yet-friendly chef who’s usually sporting either a blue or a green t-shirt—whichever one is clean—then you’ll know the celebrity chef status is the furthest thing from his mind. All he wants to do is make good food. But we’ll let him tell you himself.

When I spoke with your dad, I asked him what things he taught you that helped bring you to where you are today. He listed a couple things but quickly turned it around and said that he has really learned a lot from you. It must be a little bit of both.

I don’t know that there’s necessarily something my dad said to me, but watching him and seeing how he does things based on his work ethic really had an impression on me. I think he is one of the hardest working men out there.

Growing up we did not see him much. He was always traveling. It was very important to him to build Z Tejas so that he could support the family. But he still coached our soccer teams on the weekends. He is a well-respected man. He really cares about the people who work for him and what he does for the community. He has always gone out of his way to do things for people; even if he doesn’t even know them; he’s really incredible and I don’t think a lot of people know that about him.

Having grown up in Austin and in local kitchens, how did your experiences in San Francisco influence your cooking?

It was an eye opening experience for me. It’s a lot different culture than here in Austin. I’d say I learned a lot about both food and life lessons. It made me a better person and a better cook. It really opened my eyes up to different cuisines that I would not have been exposed to here. A lot of my food now is inspired by a lot of those different cuisines like Mediterranean and Asian, rather than the Southwestern and Tex-Mex flavors that you find here.

Did the time in California also influence your commitment to local, seasonal ingredients?

I guess so. It’s easy out there. If you are a chef in that part of the world and you’re not buying from some of the best farms in the country, then you’re just stupid. That’s where I first got into it. Working at restaurants like Boulevard in San Francisco fueled my passion for it. But I also realized that it’s a big part of kitchens in Aspen when I worked for The Little Nell.

When I moved back here to do the Odd Duck trailer, I wanted it to be 100% local. I started going to markets here, I knew there was more availability and it was important for me to know where the animals came from, and I wanted to provide a place where people could eat good food and trust me. Even though I found out that it can be done, it’s really a challenge to do.

When you have something on a larger scale it is harder to do farm to table?

It’s much more challenging to do with BarleySwine. We go to markets every Saturday and Wednesday. Farmers also come to town and bring stuff to us. We base our menu on what’s available and in season. But there might be a time when I want celery root but no one is growing any around here. So I’ll bring it in from California; last year corn was so late in Texas, so we finally starting bringing it in from California and Colorado.

We want to follow the seasons we have here. That is important to me. But I am still trying to run a restaurant. I can’t be 100% local here all the time, but I want people to know that even if it’s not from a local farm here, it’s always going to be from a responsible source.

Let’s talk about the moniker of “Farm to Table,” it’s something many people have attached to your name. Is that a label you’re comfortable with...

One thing is that I don’t think it should be looked at as just a trend. People don’t realize that Wink restaurant has been doing this from the beginning and no one gives them that credit. But they are still rocking and rolling doing the same as what people are touting their restaurant does today. Olivia is the same way, we want to put the best food out. I may be getting credit for that stuff, but every chef that cares about what they are doing is going to try and get the best product. You go to a farmer and he can tell you how he did everything and you have control over what you are picking. It’s about quality ingredients. But to me, it is also about supporting the local economy. It’s more sustainable.

I am just excited to be a part of the Austin food scene and help it get better because there is a demand for it. It saddens me when places open up and people don’t seem to care.

Speaking of getting so much credit. How does the amount of press you’ve received change what you do?

Honestly, it takes my time away from the kitchen, I don’t mind but I never expected this. I am very fortunate to have the attention, but the truth is, I want to cook and create new dishes. That is what I am passionate about.

Really, whatever press I get or chefs like Tyson Cole get is great for Austin. I just wanted to do good food and gain the respect of my peers and other chefs that I respect. I don’t care if someone sees me on TV. You work hard and it is good to be recognized, but the customers who walk in and say how great their experience is why we do what we do. That is why we opened the kitchen in Barley Swine. Customer can see us and we can see them enjoy the food. It’s important for me to know we are doing something right.

So now that you’ve reached this point in your career, what’s next?

We’re trying to find out what our next project is going to be. There’s nothing official, it could be that we’re able to turn Odd Duck into a brick and mortar, but that’s far from being a firm plan right now. I get calls about when we are going to open the trailer again. But I don’t know that we want to open the trailer again. It’s not all it’s cracked up to be. You have to deal with weather elements.

You really only have two seasons where business is good and you are doing your prep at a commissary kitchen. It’s not a bad thing but we got so busy we couldn’t meet demand. It’s hard to please everyone.