chris takes centerstage

Chris Shepherd takes stage with local and national food stars in must-catch new chat series

Chris Shepherd’s time in restaurants may be done (for now), but the James Beard Award winner has found plenty of ways to occupy his time. Already busy as a founder of the Southern Smoke Foundation, his upcoming TV show on KPRC, and writing wine columns for CultureMap, Shepherd will soon add hosting a speaker series to his responsibilities.

Produced in partnership with Stages, the Table to Stage series will see Shepherd talk with a range of local and national culinary personalities. It kicks off Monday, September 25 with legendary Houston restaurateur Johnny Carrabba. Celebrity chef David Chang, food writer Priya Krishna, and barbecue legend Aaron Franklin will also appear during the season. Locals include Lucille's Hospitality founder Chris Williams, a barbecue roundtable with three top pitmasters, and CultureMap Tastemaker Awards Chef of the Year winner Aaron Bludorn. (See the full lineup below.)

Shepherd tells CultureMap the series evolved out of his appearance with celebrity chef and cookbook author Yotam Ottolenghi at the Wortham Center in 2022. It was the first time Shepherd had acted as an interviewer for a conversation rather than a guest.

“We go on stage, spent about an hour, an hour and 20 together,” Shepherd recalls. “He said, you should think about doing this. This is the most comfortable I’ve ever felt in an interview.”

The partnership with Stages evolved out of his existing relationship with the organization. Lindsey Brown, Shepherd’s wife, represented Stages as their publicist until she accepted a new position as executive director of the Southern Smoke Foundation. After attending performances at the venue, the chef realized it would be ideal for a speakers series.

“The thing I really liked is that it’s so small and intimate, 260 people at the most. Everybody has a great seat,” he says.

The environment is a little more relaxed than some of the city’s other performance venues. “I could go to the bar and get a glass of wine or a bourbon on the rocks in an actual glass and take it into the theater and enjoy it like an adult — not in a sippy cup,” he quips.

Shepherd’s approach to the interviews will be similarly relaxed. He sees it as an opportunity to ask some of his friends questions he’s never been able to. For visitors who are looking to promote a cookbook or other work, having a conversation at Stages requires less work — and reaches more people — than hosting a wine dinner at a local restaurant.

“I can have conversations with my friends like this and it turns into bullshit corner,” Shepherd says. “It’s like sitting on the edge of the bar all night.”

Presales for the entire series begin Friday, August 25 for $1,000. Tickets for the individual shows go on sale September 11 for $150.

Table to Stage

September 25: Johnny Carrabba
October 1: Chris Williams
December 11: Barbecue roundtable with Greg Gatlin, Leonard Botello IV, and Patrick Feges
December 18: Aaron Bludorn
March 4, 2024: Sarah Grueneberg
April 1: Aaron Franklin
June 3: David Chang
June 10: Priya Krishna

Southern Smoke 2017 Chris Shepherd David Chang

Photo by Emily Jaschke

Chris Shepherd and David Chang will chat in June.

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Get inspired

Noted Houston street artist paints vibrant new mural at downtown venue

Photo courtesy of Hobby Center for the Performing Arts

GONZO247 poses in front of his new mural, "Houston is Inspired" inside Hobby Center

Visitors to the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts can now see an incredible new mural by one of Houston's most iconic street artists.Mario Enrique Figueroa, Jr., known as Gonzo247, debuted his piece, "Houston is Inspired" on Friday, December 12.

“This piece is all about capturing the energy that makes Houston, Houston," said the artist in a statement. "It’s that raw, vibrant hustle — the music, the culture, the stories we’ve been telling for generations. I wanted to create something that pulls people in, gets them hyped for what they’re about to experience. Every color, every shape, every detail is telling a story, a vibe. This ain’t just a mural or a piece of art — it’s a journey. It's about the grind, the growth, and the inspiration we pass on to each other, on and off the stage.”

The piece is called "Houston is Inspired," after the program at Hobby meant to showcase local performers by offering them week-long residencies on a prestigious stage. This season includes CJ Emmons's one-man comedy musical show I'm Freaking Talented; a rhythmic interactive storytelling experience called Our Road Home by Jakari Sherman; and Lavanya Rajagopalan's combination of music, dance and verse, Kāvya: Poetry in Motion. Information about all three shows, including ticket prices and availability, can be found at TheHobbyCenter.org.

The last show (debuting May 1) was a particular inspiration to Gonzo247. Viewers may notice a pair of hands in a traditional Indian dance pose, a direct reference to Rajagopalan's show.

The Houston is Inspired program was launched launched in the 2023-2024 season. In addition to the residency in Zilkha Hall, artists are given a $20,000 stipend for production and marketing costs. It is now a permanent fixture of the Hobby season. Applicants for future seasons can submit here.

Known for his original "Houston is Inspired" mural in downtown's Market Square, Gonzo247 has been an active force in Houston art for 30 years, including producing the video series Aerosol Warfare about the street art scene in the 1990s and 2000s as well as founding the Graffiti and Street Art Museum. He also served as the artist liaison for Meow Wolf's Houston installation. If anyone's visual vision is perfect to welcome audience members to shows highlighting homegrown talent, it's him.

“Art’s all about telling stories, but it ain’t just what you see — it’s what you feel," he said. "This piece speaks to the heart of everything we’re about: culture, rhythm, struggle, and triumph. When you walk into the space, you gotta feel the anticipation, the energy building up. That’s what I wanted to capture — the vibe of the whole city, the passion in the work, and that next-level hunger to rise up and create something fresh. It’s like the beat drops, and everything just connects.”

visual-art downtown mural gonzo247