Foodies, do you know what day it is? August 19 is Chris Shepherd Day, as proclaimed five years ago by former Houston mayor Annise Parker, in honor of the chef's James Beard Award.

Since Shepherd achieved that recognition, he still spends as much time as possible cooking but has also been focusing on expanding his Underbelly Hospitality group.

A cheerleader for Southern Smoke and vital member of the Houston food community, Shepherd places great importance on mentoring the chefs who run each of his kitchens: Matt Staph at One Fifth, Nick Wong at UB Preserv, Greg Peters at Georgia James, and Victoria Dearmond for all things pastry.

Join Shepherd in the Lexus RX — complete with its 12.3-inch navigation system and Mark Levinson premium surround sound audio system — as he travels the city, checking in with his chefs and readying for the upcoming Southern Smoke Festival.

"I've been a partner with Lexus for over five years," says Shepherd. "The cars are just super comfortable, so when I have to do things like culinary tours, picking up people at the airport, or just simple meetings and having to drive across town, it's the amenities in the car that really make it shine."

Get your tickets for Southern Smoke on October 6 here, and keep an eye out for Shepherd around town.

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Lexus is a proud partner of Chris Shepherd and the VIP sponsor and Official Vehicle of the upcoming Southern Smoke Festival.