A death row chef served hundreds of inmates during his time in Texas' Huntsville Prison — but there was one man he refused to serve , opting out of cooking a last meal as he had done for all the other inmates .
Brian Price served over 218 final meals during his time at the Texas prison, where he himself reportedly spent 15 years. Before his incarceration, he had been a musician and photographer.
Price was sent to prison in 1989 for assaulting his ex-wife and kidnapping his brother-in-law, it was reported. When he arrived at Huntsville, he was quickly put to work in the kitchens, the Daily Express reported.
During his time there, he cooked hundreds upon hundreds of meals, but he always refused to serve one man, citing a "personal connection" to him.
In 1998, Leopoldo Narvaiz Jr. was up for execution, having been sentenced to death after being found guilty of four counts of capital murder 10 years prior in 1988.
The murders he committed were reportedly all girls ages 11 through 19, and some of the girls were the daughters of Price's friends, he revealed. Sickened by the actions of Narvaiz, Price reportedly handed the skillet he was handed to cook the man's final meal to another man, who did it instead that day.
Narvaiz was put to death hours later, and Price carried on with his final meal duties for the remainder of his term in prison. During his time there, Price revealed what it was like being one of the last people to interact with death row inmates before their deaths.
He recalled during an interview with the Guardian in 2004 that he was tasked with cooking a fillet mignon for a man, but all he had was a T-bone steak, so he made that. The man reportedly liked it all the same.
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Price talked about what it was like being one of the last people the man likely thanked before his death — Price was one of the final people he showed gratitude toward in his life.
"That blew me away. I went back to my cell that night, and I really reflected upon it, and that was probably the last thanks that guy gave anyone before he left this world," Price told the publication.
Since Price's time in prison ended, inmates are no longer allowed final meals in Texas — the result of a prisoner who ordered an entire feast in 2011 but refused to eat any of it. That man ruined the experience for all the other inmates, it was reported.
Price said he wants the ban lifted. "We should not get rid of the last meal," he told the Guardian. "Justice is going to be served when this person is executed, but can we not show our softer side? Our compassionate side?"
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