Paul fleming restaurants biography

P.F. Chang’s, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, and Pei Wei Asian Diner. These are all brands many Americans know well. Meet Paul Fleming, the Naples resident and developer behind these notable names, as well as his wife Jody Goodenough-Fleming, a former commercial pilot, who is an accomplished restaurateur herself. Besides creating successful spots to dine, this ambitious couple is passionate about philanthropic work and living life together as Neapolitans.

NI:Paul, how long have you been in the restaurant business?

Paul Fleming: About 35 years. I started in the oil industry straight out of college but eventually left it for the restaurant business.

Jody, you’re a former commercial pilot. What’s it like to trade operating planes for opening and operating restaurants as CEO of Paul Fleming Restaurants?

Jody Goodenough-Fleming:I’ve always been a foodie. It’s always been interesting to me. I’ve traveled quite a bit and visited several culinary schools, too. I enjoy cooking, and Paul and I both just enjoy great, quality food. It’s a good match for me.

What are your thoughts on Naples compared to some of the other areas you’ve lived in the West, such as California?

Paul: We really think this is one of the nicest places in the world. From the people to the weather to the quality of life.

Jody: The weather is wonderful, and we have a lot of friends here. I don’t want to speak for both of us, but for where we are in our lives, it’s a good fit.

I know you both are highly philanthropic—here and elsewhere—and have served as trustees for the Naples Children & Education Foundation (NCEF) in conjunction with the Naples Winter Wine Festival for several years. What attracted you to this charity?

Paul: We came socially at first, to tell you the truth. But then found out about where the contributions go and how well the money is accounted for. NCEF is wonderful. Serious people are involved, and they expect serious results.

Jody:

Early 1960s

Even though the first P.F. Chang’s opened in 1993, the story begins in the early 1960s. Cecilia Chiang was flourishing in the wild success of her Chinese restaurant, The Mandarin. Flash forward to 1974 and she has a second location in Beverly Hills, feeding celebrities like John Lennon and Yoko Ono. That year, Cecilia was called back to China for an extended trip. Her son, Philip, just out of art school, was realizing the woes of finding work as an artist, so he stepped in to run the restaurant. And run the restaurant he did.

1990s

Enter restaurateur Paul Fleming. He's living in Arizona running a successful restaurant concept, but his favorite Chinese place, called Mandarette, is in Los Angeles. There's one question that he just can't get out of his head: How does restaurant owner Philip Chiang make only three ingredients taste so tantalizingly delicious? He couldn't let these recipes stay secret for long. With a handshake, they agreed to share the magic and P.F. Chang’s was born.

P.F. Chang's Today

P.F. Chang’s is an Asian restaurant concept founded on making food from scratch every day in every restaurant. Created in 1993 by Philip Chiang and Paul Fleming, P.F. Chang’s is the first multi-unit restaurant concept in the U.S. to honor and celebrate the 2,000-year-old tradition of wok cooking as the center of the guest experience. Since inception, P.F. Chang’s chefs have been hand-rolling dim sum, hand chopping and slicing all vegetables and meats, scratch cooking every sauce and wok-cooking each dish, every day in every restaurant. P.F. Chang’s new Farm to Wok® menu highlights its wholesome, scratch-cooking approach and introduces new dishes and drinks for lunch, happy hour and dinner. Today, P.F. Chang’s has over 300 restaurants across the globe.

American restaurateur

Paul Martin Fleming is an American restaurateur. He has developed a number of restaurant chains, including P. F. Chang's China Bistro, Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar,Pei Wei Asian Diner, Z’Tejas Grills, and Paul Martin's American Grill.

Early life

Fleming is a native of Franklin, Louisiana, and was raised in New Iberia, Louisiana. His parents were Betty Angers and Robert Martin Fleming, his father worked as a superior court judge. His grandfather was a farmer. Fleming's access to fresh, local produce as a child was a large influence on his restaurant career.

Fleming graduated from both Louisiana State University and Loyola University. As a student at Loyola in New Orleans, Fleming first worked in the hospitality industry. When Fleming attended Louisiana State University, Fleming got his first restaurant job as a dishwasher at Saturday's. From there, he became busboy, server, bartender, and finally, the manager.

Fleming raised a family in Arizona. Then he moved to Calistoga, California in Napa Valley, where he and his first wife Kelly made wine from the organic grapes Paul grew. They purchased the land in 1998, and in 2002 the Kelly Fleming Winery was founded.

Fleming and his wife, Jody Goodenough-Fleming, currently reside in Southwest Florida where they are active members of the local community working with a variety of charitable organizations, in addition to continued focus on numerous projects in the restaurant space.

Career

Prior to working in restaurants, Fleming worked in the oil industry. When the oil industry collapsed, Fleming moved to Los Angeles. There, he began purchasing franchise rights to Ruth's Chris Steak Ho

American steakhouse restaurant chain

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar (or simply Fleming's) is an American steakhouserestaurant chain owned and operated by Bloomin' Brands, headquartered in Tampa, Florida. In addition to steak and wine, they serve a variety of American cuisine associated with fine dining, such as calamari, chocolatedesserts, crab, lobster, and other seasonal specials.

History

Founded in 1998 by Paul Fleming and Bill Allen, Fleming's first location was in Newport Beach, California.

In 2020, Fleming's was one of the many restaurant chains impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of 2021, the company had 64 locations throughout 26 states and 1 in São Paulo, Brazil, all company-owned.

In 2024, Fleming’s officially added A5 Wagyu to 20 locations, with a pre-launch on National Wagyu Day, June 21st.

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