It was a day Paul “Buff” Burden will never forget, for two reasons. On November 7, 2013, he became a first-time dad to a beautiful baby girl. Just 10 hours after baby Beatrice’s birth, Paul’s restaurant dream became reality when he and his wife Sara received news that their business loan had been approved.
That was the beginning of BuffBurger, the couple’s gourmet fast-casual burger restaurant featuring 44 Farms black Angus beef that has since taken Houston by storm.
The BuffBurger. Photo courtesy of 44 Farms
Over the course of one day, Paul’s life began revolving around his brand-new family of three while he simultaneously developed a new restaurant concept built from scratch. The days he and Sara spent planning and building their new restaurant were long, as were the nights tending to their newborn. But Paul says he wouldn’t have had it any other way.
“Beatrice was a part of every stage of the process,” says Paul. “She went along to every planning meeting and was a driving factor for us to open BuffBurger in the first place. We wanted to create an environment for families just like ours to create memories while enjoying a delicious meal with their loves ones.”
Paul and Sara Burden’s oldest daughter Beatrice at a 44 Farms cattle auction. Photo by Sara Burden
Influenced by his own father’s culinary skills, Paul’s inspiration to become a chef stemmed from their hands-on experience together in the kitchen.
“Dad taught me everything I needed to know,” says Paul. “He was the chef of the family, and that time we spent together in the kitchen drove my passion for food. We always experimented with the local fare while moving around for his army career, but we especially loved cooking our English classics of shepherd’s pie and toad in the hole.”
Today, two years after BuffBurger opened its doors, Paul’s family has grown by one more daughter, Annabelle, and the success of his restaurant will bring a second location to Houston at West Alabama and Mandell Street (in the Montrose area) this fall.
Beatrice and Annabelle. Photo by Sara Burden
Balancing the demanding work schedule as owner of BuffBurger, Paul prioritizes family time and considers fatherhood the most rewarding aspect of his busy life. Aside from daddy-daughter dates with the girls at the swimming pool or playing in the park, Paul and Sara expose their daughters to the joys of the culinary world in the kitchen.
Each morning, Beatrice and Paul prepare eggs and toast, and already at age three, young Beatrice has mastered cracking eggs one-handedly. Having followed in his father’s footsteps, Paul encourages her to try new flavors and is proud of Beatrice’s adventurous spirit and openness to experimenting with new foods.
“Part of fatherhood is introducing new ideas and encouraging your children to try new things, and Beatrice embraces that while cooking,” says Paul. “She never ceases to surprise us. We’ll turn around, and she’s taking a huge bite out of bleu cheese or asking us to create a new dish. Instead of walking around the grocery store munching on chicken nuggets like most three-year-olds, she asks for a handful of green beans.”
Despite her young yet sophisticated palate, Beatrice’s favorite food remains BuffBurger’s signature 44 Farms burger with French fries with an abundance of ketchup.
While managing an expanding restaurant business and developing new menu items, Paul strives to separate work from home life as much as possible. With an in-home office, Paul tries to put work aside when he arrives home and spends time with his girls in the evenings.
“Children are there for parents to have a relationship with, not share their work stress,” notes Paul. “Sometimes I have to dig deep when times are tough and remember that I’ve got to do it for them, especially when it’s all on my shoulders owning my own business. We rarely need the reminder, but when we do, Beatrice doesn’t hold back in voicing, ‘No more BuffBurger tonight, Daddy!’ We value our time together as a family as much as our work time.”
When asked what his favorite part of being a dad, Paul captures the essence of fatherhood: “Everything. It’s the greatest thing ever.”
BuffBurger, 1014 Wirt, 281-501-9773, buffburger.com
Hours: Sun. to Thurs. 11 am-9 pm, Fri. & Sat. 11 am-10 pm
*Brought to you by the partnership of My Table magazine and 44 Farms