Alumni Spotlights

KATE MCLEAN ’03

The Fine Dining Dance

2003 EHS graduate Kate McLean earned her degree in business and marketing. Her career began in restaurants in Boulder, Colorado. From an early start, as a prep cook at a Colorado resort, she quickly rose through the ranks, working first as a line cook “cooking burgers and pizza” and then ultimately landing a job at the famous Dahlia Lounge in Seattle, Washington. She traveled to Provence, France where she learned from a classically‑trained French chef. It was there she developed her knowledge and skill in haute cuisine. In December of 2010, she auditioned with restaurateur Tony Vallone. She got the job and worked as the restaurant’s sous‑chef for nearly three years before being promoted to Tony’s Chef de Cuisine. In 2017, she left to explore different food‑related opportunities.

McLean tended bar, was a podcast host, wrote on a variety of subjects for the Houston Press, and worked for the Food Bank in Sunnyside, eventually running the Food Bank’s supersites at NRG and George Bush International Airport. While at the latter, she earned her forklift license and organized fundraising events for nonprofits such as Urban Harvest and I’ll Have What She’s Having.

In February of this year, McLean returned to Tony’s as executive chef and partner. “I love my job so much,” she said. “The precision, professionalism, but really it is the hustling alongside a strong management team, back and front house operator, and our catering department. We are all constantly collaborating and working to please our guests. Fine dining is this beautiful dance between food, wine, and service. It’s going the extra mile and it’s fun! I don’t think of fine dining as stuffy,” McLean said. A typical day at the restaurant involves implementing and preparing new items for the menu; meeting with vendors, clients, and coworkers; tasting the sauces; and making sure it all runs smoothly. “There are many aspects to the business of Tony’s, so my days vary with those tasks, and they all make me happy. When I can just cook, just pure cooking, that’s really, really nice. Or hang on the line in the middle of service, what a treat,” says McLean. “Cooking is very fast‑paced, and I am ambitious in how I plan my day, so I am in constant motion moving from task to task.”

Reflecting on a creative writing assignment she wrote in high school, she always imagined having a fast‑paced, exciting career. “Mrs. Becker said you have one page to write a story about yourself 10 years in the future. So, there I was living in France, by the sea, eating cheeseburgers and drinking champagne for lunch and later attending my boyfriend’s club opening where we danced until the sun came up. My life isn’t exactly that, but I have the freedom to live in the way I choose, and I am happy.”

She believes her greatest accomplishment has been returning to Tony’s as executive chef and partner, and the opportunity she has to continue in Tony Vallone’s style. She says “In my opinion, the Tony Vallone style is two things. First, is making delicious food, serving the world’s best wine, and doing it with thoughtful table service. The second is being genuine with our guests.”

—Ashley Long

Photo by Andrew Hemingway

COLLIER CROUCH ’00

U.S. Navy Commander Living a Life in Service

Commander Collier Crouch, Class of 2000, is living a meaningful life in service to others. As a Commander in the United States Navy, he exemplifies Episcopal High School’s mission honoring the U.S. Navy’s core values of honor, courage, and commitment while he is sworn to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. Cmdr. Crouch is currently the Executive Officer of Strike Fighter Weapons School Pacific, and will become the Commanding Officer in August. When asked about his extensive naval career, Crouch said, “I’ve had so many jobs over the past 18 years in the military that it is hard to fit them into a short narrative. I’m a fighter pilot with more than 2,500 hours in the F/A-18 Super Hornet with over 550 arrested landings on board numerous aircraft carriers, but I’m also a qualified test pilot, where I designed and tested software and weapons for our fleet.”

Crouch explained that the Navy is very technical, and it takes four years to train a pilot in the basic operation of the aircraft and another three years to be fully combat capable. “We are always training, improving our tactics and procedures, and integrating new systems and capabilities into our aircraft. Squadrons will go through a year of training prior to deployment onboard an aircraft carrier.” His command is responsible for training the West Coast Strike-Fighter fleet in advanced tactics, weapons employment, and ordinance procedures; 23 squadrons, 350 aircrews, and 2,300 ground personnel, ultimately preparing them for combat deployments. The command has about 70 people.

Thinking back on his time at EHS, he recalls that he fully embraced the Four Pillars and was involved in activities and clubs, but for him, the best part was the teachers and staff. “Looking back on my time at EHS, my teachers were more mentors than instructors. I developed a personal relationship with the majority of the faculty and staff at the school,” he said. “I knew they were invested in my success at EHS and in the future and that continues today, more than 20 years later.”

Crouch is quick to point out that he doesn’t like to focus on the ideas of awards but on the lasting impacts he has been a part of. Though he has accomplished an incredible amount during his military career, a few accomplishments stand out. He advised the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy (OUSD(P)) in the development of a congressionally‑mandated DoD Civilian Harm Mitigation Instruction where he worked with 12 global Non‑Governmental Organizations, like the International Red Cross, to educate the public on DoD policies and compliance with the Laws of Armed Conflict. He also synchronized changes to six major issuances that enacted policies to further protect non-combatants, significantly enhancing public trust. He credits Mr. Becker’s ethics class as the basis for every ethical challenge he has faced.

As a Test Pilot, he designed, tested, evaluated, and reported on two major software suite upgrades for more than 800 F/A‑18 Hornet aircrafts where he corrected more than ten major show-stopping deficiencies prior to operational testing and fleet release. The software is currently in use worldwide, supporting operations.

The Navy has taken him to many places including Japan for more than six years split across two periods as a part of the Forward Deployed Naval Forces (FDNF). He deployed onboard three separate aircraft carriers for a total of six deployments across the Western Pacific. In addition to Japan, he has visited Wake Island; Iwo Jima; Singapore; and South Korea, which included a trip five feet into North Korea at the demilitarized zone; Hong Kong; Australia; Guam; and New Zealand. He piloted solo across the Pacific from Japan to California in a single seat fighter jet. “There is not a lot of room in a single‑seat aircraft, but it has a great view with its bubble canopy. It’s generally quiet when you aren’t aerial refueling and you have a lot of time to think. You get a real sense for the size of the world and the vast distances involved in traversing the oceans.”

Cmdr. Crouch and his wife Denise live in Lemoore, California, at the Navy’s West Coast Master Jet Base and have two daughters, Cesley, Claire, and Camille.

—Ashley Long