feeding the needy

Good-hearted new pop-up kitchen feeds Houston seniors and unemployed

A Houston City Council member has teamed up with a group of Houston chefs to feed people who have become unemployed during the coronavirus pandemic. Pop-Up Kitchen will operate out of Midtown restaurant Seaside Lounge (702 W. Dallas St.) beginning Wednesday, April 8.

Organized by Council Member At-Large Letitia Plummer, Pop-Up Kitchen aims to feed seniors, especially those who "rely on multipurpose centers or faith-based organizations or non-profits to provide their daily meals," according to a release. Seeded with money from Mario Azodinia, CEO of the private equity firm Capstone Houston Group, LLC, the program aims to feed at least 100 Houstonians a day April 8-12 and April 14-19.

Seaside Lounge chef Wendall Price is leading the culinary side. Other participants include Ana Beaven (Cuchara), Andres Albarran (New York Deli & Coffee Shop and Houston Catering Concepts), Nick Semoudiaris (Roadster Grill at Eighteen36), and Rafi Nasr (Craft Pita). Dishes slated to be served include potato tacos (Beaven), lasagna (Albarran), and grilled chicken skewers (Semoudiaris). Chefs who are interested in joining the effort may sign up online.

Available between 10 am and 2 pm (or sold out), meals will be distributed to people who can demonstrate recent unemployment or have proof they are age 65 or older. Measures will be in place to promote social distancing and proper hygiene.

Plummer and the chefs intend to keep the project going for as long as they have funds to support it. Houstonians may make tax-free contributions via a GoFundMe organized by local non-profit Disaster & Humanitarian Services, Inc. Contributions may be as small as $4, the cost of one meal.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted our neighbors in Houston in more ways than one, with job loss being a major hit to so many lives,” Plummer said in a statement. “I am so appreciative and humbled by the incredible local chefs, our organizing team including Mario, chef Wendell and Laurie Robinson [founder of Disaster & Humanitarian Services], and the generosity of our neighbors who are donating to our GoFundMe to help us keep our neighbors in need fed for the next few weeks.”

Falafel rice bowl from Craft Pita.

Courtesy photo

Falafel rice bowl from Craft Pita.

charity chefs fundraisers

a CultureMap Exclusive

Houston's 'Chinese takeout bar from the future' touches down in Webster

Courtesy of The Rice Box

A rendering previews The Rice Box's new location in Webster.

Houston’s Chinese takeout bar from the future is coming to the Bay Area. The sixth location of The Rice Box will open in Webster later this summer.

Located at 114 El Dorado Blvd, the new location will be called Rice Box Space Center after NASA’s headquarters at the nearby Johnson Space Center. Founder John Peterson tells CultureMap that it’s a bit of a homecoming for him and his wife/business partner, Jenny Vo, as they grew up in the area. As with every new location, the restaurant created a movie-style poster to announce its opening.

Rice Box Webster movie poster The Rice Box Space Center is expected to open later this summer.Courtesy of The Rice Box

For its first truly suburban location, Peterson plans to offer a more efficient pickup system for to-go orders. Dubbed The Rice Box Pickup Reactors, the system applies Rice Box’s sci-fi aesthetic to curbside ordering. As seen in the rendering above, the building will have six slots that drivers will pull into to get their orders.

“The goal is to have guests in and out with food in hand in around 90 seconds,” Peterson writes in an email. “It’s still pickup, but we’re trying to make that moment feel more intentional and more connected to the digital side of Rice Box instead of treating it like an afterthought. We’re looking at this opening as both a new store and a prototype for how Rice Box can work in more suburban markets without losing the part of the brand that makes it feel like us.”

Bay Area-area diners can expect the same menu as the Rice Box’s other locations. That includes staples such as General Tso’s chicken, sesame chicken, beef with broccoli, and orange peel beef. The restaurant also serves traditional Chinese-inspired fare such as Chongqing chicken, cumin beef, mapo tofu, and chow fun noodles.

Recently, Peterson rolled out a new version of Rice Box’s dumplings. Available in chicken, pork, or vegetable, each style of dumpling comes with a different wrapper that enhances the filling’s flavor. They’re also available either steamed or fried.

The Rice Box started as a food truck in the early 2010s. After moving to a permanent location in the Greenway Plaza food court, it has opened brick-and-mortar locations in the Heights, River Oaks, Rice Village, and Memorial.

openings news-you-can-eat the rice box