Where the Chefs Eat: Houston
Top chefs in Houston, Texas, who are just as interested in showcasing Houston’s mom and pop restaurants as their own, continue their mission into 2012 to introduce locals and visitors alike to Houston’s culinary diversity by showing participants where they eat on their days off. Three years in, Houston is still the only city in the country offering chef-designed, chef-led culinary tours.
Houston Culinary Tours gives participants intimate knowledge about the city and its chefs: unexplored neighborhoods, undiscovered restaurants and markets that contribute to the locally-driven menus of each chef. The tours, limited to 16 participants, are $180 per person (includes tastings at each stop, complementary local Saint Arnold’s beer, limo/bus transportation and gift bag).
More nationally-recognized chefs are participating this year. In addition to The Next Iron Chef’s Bryan Caswell and Top Chef Masters’ Monica Pope, Top Chef Just Desserts ‘ Rebecca Masson is leading two tours. Additional tastemakers have been incorporated into the program, including James Beard Award nominated mixologist Bobby Heugel of Anvil Bar & Refuge and Avi Katz, of Houston’s famed Katz Coffee.
Also new this year – the tours benefit Foodways Texas, a nonprofit organization founded by several of the participating chefs to preserve, promote and celebrate the diverse food cultures of Texas.
Here are the new-in-2012 offerings coming up:
February 18, 2012: Late Night Bars and Bites with Chefs Seth Siegel-Gardner, Terrence Gallivan and Bobby Heugel and Kevin Floyd
March 18, 2012: Oyster with Chef Bryan Caswell and Robb Walsh, cookbook author.
April 22, 2012: Crawfish with Chefs Mark Holley and Jonathan Jones
May 20, 2012: Chef’s Day Off with Chefs Terrence Gallivan and Seth Siegel-Gardner
June 10, 2012: Hong Kong City Mall/Secrets of Bellaire Boulevard with Chefs Randy Evans and Chris Shepherd
September 23, 2012: Indian with Chefs Monica Pope and Chris Shepherd
October 28, 2012: Day of the Dead/Airline Drive with Chefs David Cordua and Hugo Ortega
November 4, 2012: Coffee and Dessert with Chefs Rebecca Masson, Ruben Ortega and Avi Katz
November 10, 2012: Farm Tour with Chefs Randy Evans and Claire Smith
Tour favorites being repeated this year:
February 26, 2012: World BBQ With Chef Chris Shepherd and Robb Walsh
May 13, 2012: Street Food with Chefs Jonathan Jones and Rebecca Masson
July 22, 2012: Long Point Road with Chefs Bryan Caswell and Chris Shepherd
August 19, 2012: Southern Comfort with Chefs Randy Evans and Mark Holley
December 10, 2012: Vietnamese with Chefs Bryan Caswell and Ryan Pera
The Where the Chefs Eat Houston Culinary Tours are coordinated by the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau and sponsored by Central Market.
