Hometown Glory

Behind the scenes: Houston chefs get the Vanity Fair treatment for sexy new adcampaign

Paul Petronella, left, and Bobby Heugel goof off between shots.
Photo by Sarah Rufca
A behind-the-scenes peek at the first My Houston 2.0 line-up.
Photo by Sarah Rufca
Julie Soefer manages the chefs on set.
Photo by Sarah Rufca
Hugo Ortega poses.
Photo by Sarah Rufca

The industrial bar of Mongoose versus Cobra made a fitting backdrop for the first photo shoot for Houston's newest ad campaign.

The Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau gathered eight of Houston's most exciting and well-known chefs for the first photo shoot in the campaign. It's a new take on the "My Houston" campaign that debuted nearly five years ago featuring celebrities and notables that call Houston home.

At the photo shoot, chefs were arranged by photographer Julie Soefer into a Vanity Fair Hollywood-style lineup highlighting their individual personalities.

My Houston 2.0 will feature editorial-style layouts with two groups of Houston chefs, plus similar gatherings of local artists and patrons as well as fashion and style personalities, each shot in stunning locations. A minimal amount of text on the photo spreads will lead readers to the My Houston website, where each chef will have text and clips about their take on the city.

At the photo shoot, chefs were arranged by photographer Julie Soefer into a Vanity Fair Hollywood Issue-style lineup highlighting their individual personalities, from Grant Gordon's pressed chef's whites to Bryan Caswell's signature orange Astros cap. Did I mention they all looked damn sexy as well?

We're expecting some official shots to leak this fall before the campaign goes live in 2013, but CultureMap managed to snap a few behind-the-scenes pictures at the photo shoot. Can you identify the big-name chefs in this set?

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Farewell, ElRo

Creative Montrose pizzeria will shutter after only a year-and-a-half

Photo by Julie Soefer

ElRo Pizza & Crudo

An acclaimed Houston pizzeria will soon serve its final pies. ElRo Pizza & Crudo will close after service on December 31.

In a post on Instagram, chef-owner Terrence Gallivan thanks his staff for their dedication and his customers for their support. “We hope to see you all over the next couple weeks. Come celebrate with us,” he writes.

Open since June 2023, ElRo intrigued diners who enjoyed Gallivan’s work at pioneering Houston restaurant The Pass & Provisions. At ElRo, the chef served a modified version of the Provisions pizza recipe alongside crudos and shareable small plates such as arancini and housemade sausage. It earned four nominations in this year’s CultureMap Tastemaker Awards, including Best New Restaurant and Chef of the Year.

Sadly, Gallivan tells CultureMap that business has seen “a steady decline in business for many months.” Recently, the restaurant had tried a number of initiatives to draw in diners, such as steak night on Tuesday and fried chicken on Saturday.

The early announcement gives diners two weeks to make one more visit (or two) to the restaurant before it closes. Customers may want to time their visit for happy hour, which takes places from 3-6 pm Tuesday-Friday. It includes half-off glasses of wine, $4 draft beers, $9 select cocktails, and food specials.

Gallivan adds that he doesn’t know yet what his next move will be. Hopefully, he’s got one more comeback in him. Houston is a more fun town to dine in when Gallivan is cooking in it.

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