celebrity sandwiches
Houston celebrities unwrap 'famous' sandwiches for good cause
Houstonians always appreciate the opportunity to eat well and raise money for charity — just consider the success of Houston Restaurant Weeks. Now, one of the city's most well-known sandwich purveyors is adding a celebrity twist to the culinary fundraiser.
Antone's Famous Po' Boys will partner with a series of local luminaries for its H-Town Originals series. Over the next several months, the prominent people will collaborate with Legacy Restaurants corporate executive chef Alex Padilla to create a signature sandwich. In exchange, Antone's will donate 50 percent of the sandwich's sales to a charity of the celebrity's choice.
Hip hop legend Bun Bkicks off the promotion. His "hot wang sandwich" features a breaded and fried chicken breast that's "drizzled" with buffalo sauce and topped with crispy bacon and blue cheese-ranch dressing. Proceeds from the sandwich ($8.95, available through the end of September) will benefit Second Servings of Houston, a local non-profit that rescues perishable food from events and restaurants and donates it to charitable meal sites.
In October, Houston Texans outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus will create a sandwich to raise funds for his WithMerci Foundation that supports families of children with disabilities and special needs. This year, the foundation is focused on Down Syndrome, and October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month.
Other participants include: November, Donkeeboy (local artist Alex Roman Jr.); December, Kaiser Lashkari (chef-owner of Himalaya); January, Pierce Bush (CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star); February, Ryan Lachaine (chef-owner of Riel Restaurant); March, Kam Franklin (lead singer for The Suffers); and April, Brock Wagner (founder of Saint Arnold). More celebrities will be announced in the coming months. Antone's will donate an additional $5,000 to the charity of the sandwich that has the highest sales.
“Antone’s has been a Houston original for the past 57 years,” Legacy Restaurants CEO Jonathan Horowitz said in a statement. “We thought this would be a great way to highlight some of our city’s original personalities and support a host of excellent local charities and nonprofits. We look forward to welcoming each of our celebrity chefs into the kitchen at Antone’s to see what they come up with.”