On this week's episode of "What's Eric Eating," Sticky's Chicken co-founder Patsy Vivares joins CultureMap food editor Eric Sandler to discuss her business' recent transition from food truck to brick and mortar restaurant. The conversation begins with Vivares explaining how she and her brother Benson got into the food business and used their father's sauce recipe to build a devoted following.
Sticky's counts several local celebrities among its fan. Vivares shares stories of her interactions with actress/model Karreuche Tran, hip-hop star Bun B, and Texans star DeAndre Hopkins.
In order to grow their business, the Vivares siblings partnered with California restaurateur Andy Nguyen and chef Michael Pham, who developed a number of new dishes for the menu. What will diners find as an alternative to Sticky's signature chicken and rice?
"Of course, a chicken sandwich. The surprise one, we're going to add a burger. Mike said not everyone is going to want to eat chicken," Vivares says. "I'm really excited about the salad. When I'm working the truck, sometimes you don't have time to get food . . . it's nice to have actual salad in the prep fridge."
Prior to Vivares joining the show, Sandler and co-host Felice Sloan of Swanky Maven discuss the news of the week. Their topics include Beaver's suddenly closing; Yauatcha's plans to close next month; and Conservatory and Prohibition relocating from downtown to EaDo.
In the restaurants of the week segment, they discuss their visits to Tejas Burger Joint in Tomball and Lost & Found, the colorful new patio bar that just opened in Midtown.
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Tejas Burger is the restaurant of the week.
