Content area
Full text
Guy Villavaso is someone who knows about moving around.
The dark-haired, dark-eyed Southerner still speaks with a drawl that gives off the essence of charm and careful consideration before he reveals what he wants in life: More time to spend with his children - after years spent traveling to other cities overseeing Z'Tejas, the successful restaurant chain he co-founded with college fraternity brother Paul Fleming.
And balance between his new ventures, ,including an upcoming high-end seafood spot at Scottsdale's DC Ranch, and his personal time.
"I'm back roosting where I want to be," Villavaso says. "One of the things I did when I got divorced in 1999, is I took a step back and said, 'let's slow the cart down,' because that's not what I wanted to happen in my life.
"I was trying to figure out my post-marital identity, and I did some consulting, but I was also re-thinking my life," he says.
Villavaso retired from his post as president and chief operating officer of Z'Tejas Inc. in 1999, but still sits on the board of the company, now based in Dallas.
He's teamed up with long-time pal Larry Foles to create Eddie V's Edgewater, Grill, which debuted in Austin, Texas, last year. A Scottsdale location for the premium seafood dining spot is slated to open in February.
It was as a kid growing up in New Orleans that Villavaso developed his taste for ocean fare.
"My favorite food is seafood," he says. "Anywhere I go in the country, I'll always ask where is the best seafood?"
Villavaso visits his beloved...