Chef Brian Espinoza is expected to lead food and beverage at Hotel Paisano this fall as the landmark Marfa hotel begins a new chapter under new ownership.
Espinoza announced that, pending final details, he will partner with the new team behind the hotel and take over its food and beverage program.
Lauren and Harrison King, along with partner Jack “Buck” Buczkowski and a group of investors, assumed ownership of Hotel Paisano on July 1.
The first phase of planned renovations includes a new restaurant and bar, an expanded billiards room and a refreshed fireplace lounge. The new restaurant, Meseta, is slated to open in early October 2026, with Espinoza serving as executive chef.
Espinoza has longstanding ties to Marfa and the Chinati Foundation’s Open House dinner. He attended his first Chinati dinner in 2006 and later returned to lead the event, preparing dinner for about 250 guests after transporting ingredients from Oakland, California, to Marfa.
His new role at Hotel Paisano will bring that connection to Marfa into a more permanent food and beverage program at one of the city’s best-known hotels.
