Winter Texans looking for great omelet are heading over to Victoria Palms Restaurant in Donna. “The Omelet Guy,” Dave Rountree, has returned for his 10th year as omelet chef. A native of the Rio Grande Valley, Dave was a 1969 graduate of P.S. J.A. High School. This year he will attend the 50th anniversary of his graduation.

After graduation, he worked as a cook along the way as he traveled the country, making it now 50 years he has been cooking. He made a stop in Missouri where he met a girl who ended his roaming ways. He joined the Air Force and then used the G.I. Bill to attend the Hotel, Motel and Restaurant Management program at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi.

After graduating in 1978, he returned to Missouri where he got job at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, where he eventually became Director of Food Services for the hospital.

After retiring, Dave and his wife decided to spend their winters in South Texas. It wasn’t long before he was hired as a chef for Victoria Restaurant. His omelets were immediately a big hit with the patrons and now Dave has cooked about 90,000 omelets at Victoria, approximately 10,000 per year. He hopes to reach 100,000 by the end of the season in March or April.

The omelets are made to order. Dave offers tomatoes, spinach, black olives, red peppers, sausage, bacon, mushrooms, onions and, of course, cheese for his omelets, and his guests tell him what they want.

The restaurant also offers a special three-ingredient omelet with a half Belgium waffle covered with strawberries and whipped cream that is very popular. On occasion, he offers a Mexican omelet or an Italian omelet, if he has the ingredients available.
Winter Texans often tell him, “That was the best omelet I ever ate,” and they really are that good. He is recognized when he goes out and referred to as “The Omelet Guy,” or “The Omelet Artist.”

Dave is looking forward to a special year with the celebration of his high school graduation 50 years ago and 50 years as a cook. And he hopes to reach that magical 100,000 omelets cooked a Victoria Palms. Go by and try one of Dave’s delicious omelets and help him make it happen!

The restaurant is open for Breakfast - Tuesday through Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. and on Sundays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The restaurant is located at 602 Kingston Way, in Donna, inside the Victoria Palms Resort.