The return of Southern Smoke this year is arguably Houston’s most high-profile food event, featuring more than 60 chefs, many flying in from across the country.
One chef cooks a lamb cheek stir fry in the kitchen but also moonlights as a guitarist in a rock band. Another sources heirloom corn from Texas farmers to recreate dishes he ate growing up in Torreón, Mexico. Then there’s the chef who’s practically a household name because he’s been a judge on «Top Chef» every season since it debuted in 2006.
This weekend, Oct. 21-23, Southern Smoke will bring these out-of-towners to cook alongside some of Houston’s best chefs as they help raise money for restaurateur and former Underbelly Hospitality founder Chris Shepherd’s non-profit of the same name.
Pitmaster Rodney Scott of Scott’s Bar-B-Que in Hemingway, SC, cooked his signature whole hog at the 2015 Southern Smoke culinary event in Houston.
Southern Smoke, which started in 2015, has raised over $10 million to help food and beverage industry workers but has not held a festival since 2019. Money has been sent to help people in the aftermath of hurricanes that hit Puerto Rico and Florida as well as the water crisis in Jackson, Miss.
But the return of the event is also a chance for chefs to reconnect with their colleagues, many of whom haven’t cooked at festivals for the better part of the past two years.
For some participating chefs, it will be their first time in Houston. Others are revisiting and will be looking to check out the best restaurants and bars. We talked to nine out-of-town chefs about their thoughts on Houston’s food scene, what they plan to eat and Southern Smoke.
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Tom Colicchio, whose company Crafted Hospitality operates several New York City restaurants, is a familiar face in the food world thanks to his role on «Top Chef.»
He spent time in H-Town for the latest season of the Bravo show and got to know the city.
“There’s a great food culture that people don’t realize,” said Colicchio. “It’s not a place where tourists go like New York or Orlando but it’s really diverse. There’s a lot to offer in terms of food.”
Colicchio’s return to Houston will be for his first Southern Smoke (he said in past years he was often filming).
“I like their mission of helping the community,” said Colicchio. “It’s a great organization run by chefs for the restaurant industry.”
“I’ve only seen a very small sliver of Houston,” said Cheetie Kumar, who passed through the city while performing in a band nearly a decade ago.
“When you travel and go to a different city every day, you get the vibes,” she said. “The people are always nice…compared to Dallas, not to pit two cities against each other. Since then, I’ve learned how diverse it is and deep and complicated.”
Tavel Bristol-Joseph spent most of his career as a pastry chef, but he expanded his role at Canje, a Caribbean restaurant on Austin’s east side that has been receiving national recognition from publications like the New York Times and Bon Appetit.
A former New Yorker, he said he embraces Houston’s “big city feel.”
“It relates to me like Brooklyn,” said Bristol-Joseph. “[Houston] has a sense of community within its different pockets.”
He recalls dining at The Breakfast Klub and the lines around the block of the Midtown restaurant.
“It felt very Southern,” he said. “ It was just a wow for me.”
Nicole Cabrera Mills has a soft spot for Jollibee, the beloved fast food chain from the Philippines known for its fried chicken, spaghetti and peach mango pies.
“I want to go eat all the Asian food,” said Mills about her first visit to Houston. “But I really want to go to Jollibee, which we don’t have in New Orleans.”
Other restaurants on the Chronicle’s Top 100 restaurant she hopes to visit include Crawfish & Noodles and Kata Robata.
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The friendly hospitality in Houston stood out to pastry chef Paola Velez on her first visit here.
She remembers a whiskey-sour-filled night at Tiny Champions, where the staff matched her love for the cocktail. She orders the drink with two cherries and egg whites and always requests one additional cherry for each extra order.
“They brought me seven cherries for fun,” said Velez. “I remember that special touch that filled my heart with joy.”
“The restaurants are completely different in Houston than any other city in Texas,” said Alexana Cabrera, who said she’ll head to H-Town after she finishes dinner service on Saturday.
She also plans to reconnect with chef friends in Houston: “I’ve made lots of chef friends in Houston and they really want to advocate for our community and they take care of their own.”
In 2016, Kate Button came to town to promote the launch of her cookbook. She said the most memorable meal during that quick visit was perhaps at Cali Sandwich, where she and friends almost ordered everything on the Vietnamese shop’s menu.
“Exploring a city through food let’s you discover a community,” said Button. “That’s why travel is so interesting.”
“I think there’s really great eats, tons of great culture and I’m dying to get back,” said Erick Williams, who has visited Houston a few times.
High on his list of restaurants to visit this time is Lucille’s “based on the history of the space. I love what Chris Williams does and the messaging around his food.”
“I’ve been told there’s an incredible Chinatown in Houston,” said Jordan Rubin, who hasn’t been to Houston before. “We don’t have the same diversity of Asian food here in Maine, so I’m going for Vietnamese food, for sure.”
Tickets are still available for some events at Southern Smoke, which kicks off on Oct. 21.
Bao Ong is a restaurant columnist for the Houston Chronicle.
