Foodie News

Culinary competition heats up with Chefs Under Fire

Michael Pellegrino of Max's Wine Dive is competing.
The winner receives a seven-night stay for up to four guests in a Grand Suite atThe Grand Mayan Los Cabos exclusive luxury resort.
Competitor and Spindletop Steakhouse chef Chuck Harris

If you can't get enough Top Chef and are addicted to Iron Chef America, you've got to see local chefs competing live for culinary domination.

That's the idea behind Chefs Under Fire 2010, the second annual live competition featuring professional chefs putting it all on the line for cash, prizes and glory.

This is the first year that CUF is taking the show on the road, featuring three regional competitions including one in Houston on Monday.

Local chefs from H-Town's most popular restaurants and cooking schools will be facing off: Michael Pellegrino from Max's Wine Dive (his Austin counterpart has already made it to the finals); Harold Wong from Azuma Sushi & Robata Bar; Spindletop Steakhouse's Chuck Harris; Christina Lee of the Central Market Cooking School and Emmanuel Chavez of San Jacinto College.

And to judge, Chefs Under Fire has nabbed Jonathan Jones of Beaver's, Bourbon Throwdown champ David Grossman of Branch Water Tavern and T'afia's Monica Pope, herself no stranger to intense culinary competition.

Tickets to the regional competition at Sysco Houston are $35 and include a view of the live competition, small bites and drinks and a year's subscription to Monica Pope's online cookbook, Eat Where Your Food Lives.

The winning chef will advance to the final trio in Austin and could win a seven-night stay at the Grand Mayan Los Cabos Resort.

The others will be asked to pack their knives and go.

unspecified

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.

news-you-can-eat pizza closings