Thanks to his successes at Rebelle, Feast and Playland Pizza, chef Stefan Bowers has practically become synonymous with San Antonio cuisine. The outspoken culinary giant spoke to the Current about his military background, why his new burger venture Pumpers felt right at this time in his life, and why not following traditional business rules has sometimes paid dividends.
Years in the food industry: Two decades
Claim to fame: Bowers’ current project, Pumpers, is his passion concept brought to life after initially starting as a pop-up in 2020.
Money Quote: “We’re the best at doing it wrong and thinking we’re doing it the right way.”
When did you start cooking?
I started when I was 16. Then I went into the Navy at 21 and served for five years. When I got out at 26, I picked cooking back up — so, altogether, around 25 years.
You were in search and rescue with the Navy, right?
Yeah. I was a helicopter crewman in the Navy — a search-and-rescue swimmer. We’d fly five- or six-hour hops around the carrier. Honestly, it could get pretty boring.
You once told me you’d read cookbooks while you were on missions. Is that true?
Facts. I had a lot of downtime up there. My main role was anti-submarine warfare, and post-Cold War, that mission was pretty slow. So, I’d sit in the back of the helicopter and crush Italian cookbooks.
Was there a particular book or writer who really shaped you?
Two. One was The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper. The other was Culinaria Italia, one of those big bargain books you see at Barnes & Noble. It’s this huge, region-by-region deep dive. I read it like a novel, just absorbing the spirit of Italian cooking since I couldn’t actually cook at sea.
Would you describe yourself as entirely self-taught?
No, not at all. When I got out of the Navy, I moved blindly to Texas. That’s how I ended up here. I went to the Lenôtre Culinary Institute in Houston, founded by Alain Lenôtre. Alain is the son of Gaston Lenôtre, one of the pastry giants of France.
What was that training like?
Incredible. Tiny classes — four or five people — because they only took GI Bill students at the time. All the instructors were expat French chefs from Michelin-level bistros, bouchons, hotel kitchens. Real kitchen lifers who started cooking at 14. They were tough, demanding and brilliant.
What made you choose a place like Pumpers instead of the more traditional, à la carte restaurants of your past?
I chose that road because doing a complex, high-end à la carte concept requires constant reinvention — plus a huge amount of oversight, overhead and hours. If you’re running a “real” restaurant, you’re working 75 hours a week, minimum. And until you have a deep staff to support you, good luck actually earning a living from it. It’s really a young man’s game.
So, burgers were the middle path?
Exactly. I’ve loved cooking since I was a kid — hamburgers were the first thing I truly enjoyed making. Burgers give you instant gratification, they’re not overpriced, and they let me avoid that feeling I’d get sometimes in fine dining where I’d look in the mirror and think, I can’t believe I’m charging this much for food. With burgers, I can cook something I love and keep it reasonably priced.
You’ve described Pumpers as “fiercely local.” What does that mean to you?
If a restaurant is truly local, it has to be fiercely unique — otherwise it just falls into this gray area where people wonder whether it’s a transplant concept. Either the personality of the person or the personality of the space has to hit the front of the line. Pumpers is meant to feel personal. Maybe it’s quirky. Maybe it’s not for everyone. But it’s comfortable, and it reflects who I am in this city.
There’s a bit of an old-school diner vibe in there. Was that intentional?
Totally. The bar was designed that way on purpose. It wraps around so people can actually talk to each other. Originally, the plan was a long bar running straight through the center with cooks directly behind it, very classic diner style. But that created isolation. If you’re stuck at one end, you can’t really connect. The wraparound fixed that — it made the space communal.
You’ve said fast food spaces are deliberately uncomfortable. Why do you think that is?
Because they want you to get in and get out. They make the spaces cold, the surfaces hard, everything easy to clean but uncomfortable. They assume people who dine in are people they don’t want lingering.
Is Pumpers the alternative?
Exactly. Yes, it’s a few dollars more, but we hope people want more than food in their stomach before they rush out. We want people to sit, hang out, have a real experience — something warm.
Your Instagram presence is strong and really distinct. How do you stay true to yourself in a world that loves to flatten personality?
I’ve learned a lot of lessons — and put my foot in my mouth plenty of times. But the voice of the Pumpers Instagram is the same voice as the restaurant. If fast food restaurants want people out fast, everything about their branding reflects that. If Pumpers just posted burger photos with prices, it wouldn’t match who we are. Instead, our social media is a dialogue — the same one you get when you sit down in the restaurant. It’s unique. It’s one-of-a-kind. Not necessarily “great,” not necessarily “good,” but definitely not down the middle.
And you really don’t think there’s anything else like Pumpers in San Antonio?
No. I don’t think you can find anything like it here.
You’re coming up on your one-year anniversary, right?
We sure are. Dec. 22.
Got anything planned?
Not yet. I’m trying to decide if I combine it with the staff Christmas party or keep them separate. I’m terrible with ideas until I’m backed into a corner, so it may be last-minute. But I don’t want it to feel opportunistic — like it’s just a cash grab. I want it to be good for the people who love Pumpers and good for Pumpers itself. If I can find that balance, we’ll do something fun. If not, we’ll keep it simple. And honestly, that probably makes me bad at business — most business-minded people would be shaking their head at me.
Talk about what embodies the spirit of Pumpers.
Michelle, our head bartender, really encapsulates the spirit of Pumpers. She’s there five days a week, curating what goes on the TVs, interacting with guests and pouring the drinks. And of course, my entire team deserves a shoutout seven days a week.
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