Russell Scott Hodges

Russell Hodges helped build Dallas’ great culinary scene as chef for some of the city’s top restaurants. He got his start in the 80’s during the southwestern culinary movement at Stephan Pyles’s legendary Routh Street Cafe, where he worked his way up to sous chef. Hodges moved on to become chef at Rosewood’s Crescent Court Hotel, and later helped open one of the country’s first micro breweries, Hopps Bistro & Micro Brewery, in Scottsdale, AZ and in La Jolla, CA. Back in Dallas, Hodges helped open Fog City Diner and was chef at notable restaurants, Juniper and J Pinnell’s. Along with his cousin, Yvonne Hatton and her friend Debbie Moore, Hodges opened Americana restaurant, ironically, located in the same building as Routh Street Cafe had once been. The Dallas Morning News voted Americana as the best new restaurant of the year it opened in 2003. Hodges subsequent restaurants, Suze and Iris, which he opened with entrepreneur Suzie Priore, were considered neighborhood gems and received high praise from local restaurant critics, and were frequently included on many top 10 lists. In later years, Hodges used his talents and experience to nurture up-and-coming chefs as an instructor at AIMS Academy in Dallas and at Frisco ISD. In the year before his death, Hodges was the Director of Culinary Services at Sunrise Senior Living, where he said he made the greatest impact of his career with his culinary gifts, serving an otherwise neglected segment of the community.

Russell was born in Misawa, Japan to a military family, moving to Houston, TX at age 2. He attended Milby High School in Houston and graduated from the University of North Texas in Denton, where he majored in music education and played the trombone. He first became interested in cooking while cooking his way through college at a variety of restaurant jobs, later attending culinary classes at El Centro and the University of Texas at Dallas. He was extremely well read, charmed people with his dry wit, had a passion for boxing, BMW cars, and jazz. He turned his focus to Jesus Christ, in whom he put all his faith, in the last couple of years of his life.

He is survived by his parents Bobby and Ludline Hodges, sister Amy Hodges, sister-in-law Diana Hodges, nephews Alden and Hayden Hodges, long-time girlfriend Rebecca Sherman, aunts Nell Gliddon and Fredda Witters, uncle William Hodges and many beloved cousins. He is preceded in death by his brother Darrell Hodges.

The Memorial Service will be held Saturday, December 13, 2014 at the Moore Funeral Home North Chapel at 2 pm, followed by a reception. Family and friends are invited to gather for the visitation at 1 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations to the American Cancer Society are greatly appreciated.