ICW Returns

Acclaimed chefs hit Houston with return of this hot indie food festival

One of country's hottest traveling food festivals comes to Houston next month. Indie Chefs Week returns to the Bayou City on May 3, 4, and 6 at Riel restaurant in Montrose.

Founded in 2013 by chef Ned Elliott (formerly of Austin's Foreign & Domestic), each Indie Chefs Week recruits 24 chefs from across the country to serve 12-course, prix-fixe dinners to adventurous diners. On the first two nights, each chef prepares his or her own dish, typically a signature item from their restaurants. For the finale, the chefs pair up to create one-off creations.

From the diners' perspective, it's a more refined experience than a tasting event at a food festival. Rather than waiting in line at various stations, diners sit for a formal meal with full service and wine pairings. VIP buyers sit where they can watch each course being plated.

"It's an incredible experience that's evolved even since the last time we were in Houston," Indie Chefs Week partner Grover Smith tells CultureMap. "The chef/guest interaction, the stories, and the overall positive environment are one of a kind for a culinary event. I'm the first to admit the tickets aren't cheap, but the value is there when you consider the products we're serving. It's a culinary tour of 12 to 24 restaurants in [two hours]."

For the chefs, ICW is an opportunity to travel to a different city, interact with high-profile peers — six chefs who participated in the last 12 months are finalists in various categories for a James Beard Award — and operate in a supportive environment. In prior interviews, chefs like Ryan Lachaine (Riel) have described the lasting friendships they have built from the event, and Rebecca Masson (Fluff Bake Bar) has recruited any number of Saturday morning bake sale participants from ICW alumni.

While January's lineup featured chefs from all over the country, this version shines the spotlight on Texas talent. Local participants include Ross Coleman and James Haywood (Kitchen 713), Richard Knight (Harold's in the Heights), Masson, Drake Leonards (Eunice), Brandon Silva (The Kirby Group), Erin Feges (Feges BBQ), Niki Vongthong (Aqui), James Beard Award winner Justin Yu, and, of course, host chef Lachaine. Austin participants include Callie Speer (Holy Roller), Philip Speer (Bonhomie), Sarah Heard (Foreign & Domestic), and others.

"The focus [of recruiting participants] is always on casting a wide net, but we're at the mercy of the chefs' schedules," Smith says. "Austin chefs received invites this time, because we hadn't invited many chefs from that market in a couple of years. Also, I wanted to get Callie and Philip Speer, Sarah Heard, and Jules Stoddart involved."

Still, Smith notes that he has pulled some serious talent from beyond the Red River, including newcomer Beau Schooler from The Rookery Cafe in Juneau, Alaska, as well as ICW veterans like Richie Nakano (IDK Concepts in San Francisco) and B.J. Smith (Smokehouse Restaurants in Portland, Oregon). Altogether, it should make for a memorable series of meals.

Tickets are available on the ICW website for $195 (VIP $225) for May 3 and 4 and $205 (VIP $250) for May 6.

Happy chefs make better food.

Photo by Kirsten Gilliam

Happy chefs make better food.

news-you-can-eat chefs

Goldee's and Barbs Go North

2 Michelin-recognized pitmasters cooking up Texas barbecue joint in NYC

Photo by Will Milne

Kirbee's will stay true to the menus at the two barbecue joints that came before it. (Pictured: A tray at Goldee's Bar-B-Q)

Two important restaurants in the Texas barbecue scene have spawned a new project in a less-expected locale: New York City. Barbs B Q owner Chuck Charnichart and former Goldee's Bar-B-Q partner Jonny White will open Kirbee's, a restaurant combining classic dishes from both of its progenitors, at 55 McGuinness Blvd. South in Greenpoint (a neighborhood in Brooklyn) in about four to five months, White says.

Both White and Charnichart have led two of Texas's most well-regarded barbecue joints. Located in Fort Worth, Goldee's ranked No. 1 on Texas Monthly's list of the state's 50 best barbecue restaurants in 2021 and ranked No. 3 on the 2025 list. Charnichart, who worked at Goldee's, opened Barbs B Q in Lockhart in 2023. Earlier this week, Barbs earned an impressive three-star review in the New York Times. Both restaurants hold Bib Gourmand designations in the Michelin Guide.

Eater New York broke the news on February 24, and White caught CultureMap up with some additional written details.

As Eater points out, Charnichart brings creative dishes from her Lockhart restaurant like pork ribs with lime zest, Mexican-spiced brisket, and the famous "green spaghett" made with poblanos and cilantro. White brings lauded barbecue from Fort Worth that's more fit for purists, including smoked turkey, brisket, and classic sides.

For many, Barbs B Q represents the Texas barbecue vanguard. Now New Yorkers will be in on it, too.Photo by Bryce Gilbertson

White further tells CultureMap that the menu will probably be organized into plates and trays so that guests can sample one barbecue joint or the other.

White has been in New York for seven months after selling his shares of Goldee's. He's secured a building and is working with contractors to convert it for barbecue greatness. The two pitmasters will get to work together physically soon — although White doesn't spill the beans about whether Charnichart plans to move there or just visit.

Kirbee's exterior New York Kirbee's will take over this cheerful space.Photo by Jonny White

"Chuck is one of my best friends and an amazing chef," White says. "I’m super excited for us to be working together again and we are excited to be in New York!"

One of the adjustments the duo had to make to thrive in the Big Apple is to make do with a smaller smoker setup. Instead of traditional offset smokers — the large barrels Texas foodies are used to seeing out back at their favorite barbecue joints — Kirbee's will use smoker ovens. White confirms the decision was about space, but he's hopeful the more consistent cooking process will actually be better than the Texas norm. "I think it will be interesting for people to compare," he says.

The real question for barbecue-lovers who are in it for the culture: How will New Yorkers deal with the lines?

"I think they’re used to long lines and being served to order because of Katz," White says, referring to Katz's Delicatessen, an ultra-famous New York deli since 1888 that's known for its gigantic pastrami sandwiches. But if it's not the brisket that transports Yankees to the Southwest, the Texas pitmaster looks forward to introducing them to Waco's own Big Red.

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