Beyond Free Range

Founded by Chef Austin Simmons and Rancher Larry Ludeke, Chef and Rancher is built on a partnership between a lifelong pursuit of flavor and a relentless pursuit of the animal itself. It’s also the primary source for the beef we serve at Charolais.

For Chef Austin Simmons, it’s a lifetime chasing flavor and beef at its highest potential. For Larry, it’s decades of dedication to breeding, refining, and understanding cattle at the genetic level.

Together, they’ve created something intentional, a commitment to doing things differently and pushing beyond convention. Every decision, from genetics to feed to humane animal treatment, is owned and overseen with precision. The result is not just better beef, but a system built to produce it, responsibly, transparently, and without compromise.

Three people standing in an open field with a horse, all wearing cowboy hats, with a cloudy sky and sunset in the background.

What we serve begins long
before the kitchen.

Close-up of a rope tied in a knot with two parallel white strings above it.

Chef & Rancher beef is the result of a deliberate cross between Japanese Wagyu and French Charolais cattle, combining marbling, strength, and efficiency into a single animal. This isn’t commodity beef. It’s a program built over years of refinement, guided by curiosity, discipline, and long-term commitment to doing it better.

We oversee every step—because
accountability matters.

simple line drawing of a cattle ranch knot or rope knot symbol

From the cow and calf… to the feed… to the harvest… all the way through to the cooking. Chef & Rancher is built on full transparency and vertical integration. There are no blind spots. Every stage is connected, every decision considered. This level of oversight allows us to stand behind what we serve with complete transparency and confidence.

“You can look someone in the eye and tell them exactly where their food came from.”

- Larry Ludeke, Rancher & Co-Founder, Chef & Rancher

Care is not a talking point—
it’s a practice.

Close-up of a rope knot with a background of two parallel black lines.

On the ranch, animals are raised with patience and intention. They are guided, not forced. Every decision reflects a belief that how an animal lives directly impacts the quality of what it becomes.