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    Richard Knight Departs

    Popular Heights restaurant undergoes major change as prominent chef departs

    Eric Sandler
    Jan 27, 2017 | 5:43 pm
    Graham Laborde Richard Knight
    Graham Laborde, left, will replace Richard Knight, right, at Hunky Dory.
    Image courtesy of Bernadine's

    One of The Heights’ most high-profile restaurants is about to undergo a major change. Chef Richard Knight and Hunky Dory are parting ways, the Treadsack restaurant group announced Friday.

    Knight will remain in the kitchen through February 5. Recently married, Knight and his wife Carrie Jean Knight are planning a future project together, according to a statement from Treadsack.

    “I’ve had a wonderful experience putting together this restaurant—from the Kipper Club dinners, charity dinners, and loads of other fun stuff along the way,” said Knight. “It’s been great, but it's time for me to move on.”

    In his place, Graham Laborde, executive chef of Hunky Dory’s sister restaurant Bernadine’s, will assume a role as culinary director for both restaurants. Laborde expects to roll out a new menu in mid to late-February.

    “I’m excited to take on the challenge of running two strong kitchens here in the Heights,” said Laborde. Later adding, “Richard has left some big shoes to fill, but he has a great team and a fantastic menu. We’ll do our best to make him proud. I can’t wait to see what he does next."

    Knight joined Hunky Dory shortly after closing his acclaimed restaurant Feast. Although construction delays pushed the original opening date from fall 2014 to fall 2015, Knight remained with the restaurant. His menu that mixed British pub classics like fish and chips and a hamburger with English dishes like savory pies filled with fish or rabbit earned raves from critics and diners alike.

    Over the past few weeks, Treadsack has suffered some difficulties. The company closed Foreign Correspondents, its farm-to-table Thai restaurant, and Canard, a cocktail bar, in December. The Houston Press reported the company had suffered financial problems, including federal and state liens due to non-payment of taxes.

    Treadsack co-owner Chris Cusack tells CultureMap that Knight's departure is unrelated to these issues. "Even before FC closed, we’ve been talking about this for weeks. It has more to do with his marriage and the potential project he and Carrie want to do together," Cusack says.

    While Hunky Dory has a couple of Super Bowl-related buy outs next weekend, the restaurant's fans have a few days to get one last taste of Knight's cooking. After that, Laborde will begin putting his stamp on the menu.

    "All I’ve been doing is imagining what that will be like under the steaks, wine, and whisky ideal," Cusack says. "I think he’ll have a lot of fun making great use of the hearth and building on Richard’s foundation to continue the attitude of the restaurant."

    Laborde, a CultureMap Tastemaker Awards Rising Star Chef of the Year winner, is certainly talented enough to make the new arrangement work. As long as staple dishes like Hunky Dory's acclaimed burger and fish and chips remain on the menu, diners should be intrigued enough to give the restaurant a new look.

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    Texas Tastemakers

    Best Texas restaurants and chefs honored with 2025 Tastemaker Awards

    Amber Heckler
    May 13, 2025 | 10:02 am
    Leo's River Oaks
    Photo by Andrew Hemingway
    Best New Restaurant: Leo's River Oaks.

    CultureMap has finally completed its statewide journey to honor the best chefs, restaurants, and more with the 2025 Tastemaker Awards.

    The series kicked off April 3 with our Houston Tastemaker Awards at Silver Street Studios, then we moved south to San Antonio on April 10 for our biggest party there yet, at the Briscoe Museum.

    We then headed to North Texas for our Fort Worth celebration at 4 Eleven on April 23, followed by our Dallas celebration at Astoria Event Venue on May 1.

    Last, but certainly not least, our Texas culinary tour finished strong with our Austin fête at Fair Market on May 8.

    The 2025 Tastemaker Awards celebrated Texas' brilliant and diverse culinary landscape and honored those who've made the biggest impact in the past year. Our nominated chefs and restaurants showcased their flavorful bites and treats during each of the celebrations, and winners were revealed in an onstage ceremony.

    Guests dined on chef-created dishes and sipped on a variety of creative batched cocktails. But nothing could take away the focus from our acclaimed nominees and winners, who are the main reason we bring these celebrations to life year after year.

    Nominees were, as always, determined by a panel of local industry experts, including previous Tastemaker winners and CultureMap staff. They voted on winners in categories such as Chef of the Year, Restaurant of the Year, Bar of the Year, and more. The champion in the Best New Restaurant category was determined by our readers in an online, bracket-style tournament.

    Our 2025 “wild card” category was a competition for Best Coffee Shop in each of our cities; the ones that keep us caffeinated and happy day after day.

    Readers in each city got to know all the nominees through a special editorial series for weeks leading up to the events.

    Now without further delay, let’s meet our 2025 CultureMap Tastemaker Award winners all across Texas, listed by city:

    Houston:

    • Restaurant of the Year: Baso
    • Chef of the Year: Emmanuel Chavez, Tatemó
    • Bar of the Year: Johnny’s Gold Brick
    • Best New Restaurant: Leo’s River Oaks
    • Rising Star Chef of the Year: Jacques Varon and Max Lappe, Baso
    • Pastry Chef of the Year: Stephanie Velasquez, Ema/Papalo
    • Bartender of the Year: Aaron Lara, Kira
    • Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year: Josephine’s Gulf Coast Tradition
    • Best Pop-Up/Startup: Suu Khin, Burmalicious
    • Best Coffee Shop: Blacksmith

    San Antonio:

    • Restaurant of the Year: Ladino
    • Chef of the Year: John Russ, Clementine
    • Best New Restaurant: Freight Fried Chicken
    • Bar of the Year: Gimme Gimme
    • Brewery of the Year: Roadmap Brewing Co.
    • Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year: Cullum’s Attagirl
    • Pastry Chef of the Year: Alessia Benavides, Chocolatl
    • Best Coffee Shop: Folklores Coffee House

    Fort Worth:

    • Restaurant of the Year: Teddy Wongs
    • Chef of the Year: Alessandro Salvatore, Bocca Osteria Romana
    • Bar of the Year: The Rabbit Hole Pub
    • Best New Restaurant: Whiskey Cake
    • Rising Star Chef of the Year: Steve Hoogeboom, 61 Osteria
    • Pastry Chef of the Year: Lindsey Lawing, Sweet Lucy's Pies
    • Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year: Bodega South Main
    • Best Barbecue: Panther City BBQ
    • Best Coffee Shop: Avoca Coffee Roasters

    Dallas:

    • Restaurant of the Year: Mister Charles
    • Chef of the Year: Jeff Bekavac, Goodwins
    • Bar of the Year: Columbian Country Club
    • Best New Restaurant: Nikki Greek Bistro & Lounge
    • Rising Star Chef of the Year: Roman Murphy, Perch Bistro
    • Pastry Chef of the Year: Ryan Stipp, Omni PGA Frisco Resort & Spa
    • Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year: The Porch
    • Best Eatertainment: Chicken N Pickle
    • Best Coffee Shop: Merit Coffee

    Austin:

    • Restaurant of the Year: Este
    • Chef of the Year: Peter Klein, Holiday
    • Rising Star Chef of the Year: Heejae Galluccio, Birdie’s
    • Pastry Chef of the Year: Abby Love, Abby Jane Bakeshop
    • Bar of the Year: Equipment Room
    • Best New Restaurant: Tancho Sushi
    • Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year: The Little Darlin’
    • Brewery of the Year: St. Elmo Brewing Co.
    • Best Coffee Shop: Desnudo Coffee

    Leo's River Oaks
      
    Photo by Andrew Hemingway

    Best New Restaurant in Houston for 2025: Leo's River Oaks.

    The Houston Tastemaker Awards ceremony was brought to you by Stella Artois, Chardon, Jim Beam Black, Ritual Zero Proof, Seedlip, Valencia's Tex-Mex Garage, Hornitos, Ghost Hill Organic Vodka, and PicMe Events. A portion of proceeds benefited our nonprofit partner, the Southern Smoke Foundation.

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