What's Eric Eating Episode 30

Chefs uniting for women's health makes for a more serious podcast

Although "What's Eric Eating" is usually a lighthearted conversation, this week's episode has a more serious tone as chef Erin Smith Feges and Dr. Lori Choi (whose husband is Agricole Hospitality co-owner Ryan Pera) join CultureMap food editor Eric Sandler to discuss I'll Have What She's Having, a new organization that's uniting women in the hospitality industry for the cause of raising money for and awareness of women's health issues. Although it launched shortly after Hurricane Harvey, the group has already hosted three sold-out pop-ups, and has plans for a gala next spring.

When Sandler suggests that the pop-ups are "giving women an opportunity," Smith Feges is quick to disagree.

"I don't think it's about us giving anybody an opportunity," responds the chef, a Chopped champion who's planning to open a barbecue restaurant with her husband Patrick Feges early next year. "I think it's about us showing people the opportunities that are being presented to them and giving them the confidence to take advantage of that, to seize the opportunity and not shy away from that or let fear kind of prevent you from doing something. If your job is scary, then you're doing the right thing. If you're comfortable, you're getting complacent . . . It's just about giving you the tools you need to be successful."

The interview also includes insight from Choi on the issues in women's health that she has observed in her medical practice as a trained surgeon, IHWSH's plans for a January brunch pop-up with baker Jody Stevens, chef Monica Pope, and chef Patricia Burdette, and Smith Feges thoughts on the sexual harassment scandals that are currently getting media attention. Things do end on a lighter tone with the usual lightning round frivolity.

Prior to the interview, L'Olivier owner Mary Clarkson and Sandler discuss the news of the week. Their topics include the recent closure of Liberty Kitchen in Garden Oaks, Dallas-based ice cream shop Chills360's plans to open in Montrose, and the soon-to-open restaurants they're most looking forward to trying.

Clarkson and Sandler also share their first impressions of Maison Pucha Bistro, the newly opened French restaurant in the Heights.

Subscribe to "What's Eric Eating" on iTunes or Google Play. Listen to it every Saturday at 11 am on SportsMap 94.1.

Female chefs are joining together to form I'll Have What She's Having.

I'll have what she's having Underbelly pop-up chefs

Photo by Carla Gomez

Female chefs are joining together to form I'll Have What She's Having.

news-you-can-eat chefs podcasts fundraisers

a CultureMap Exclusive

Houston's 'Chinese takeout bar from the future' touches down in Webster

Courtesy of The Rice Box

A rendering previews The Rice Box's new location in Webster.

Houston’s Chinese takeout bar from the future is coming to the Bay Area. The sixth location of The Rice Box will open in Webster later this summer.

Located at 114 El Dorado Blvd, the new location will be called Rice Box Space Center after NASA’s headquarters at the nearby Johnson Space Center. Founder John Peterson tells CultureMap that it’s a bit of a homecoming for him and his wife/business partner, Jenny Vo, as they grew up in the area. As with every new location, the restaurant created a movie-style poster to announce its opening.

Rice Box Webster movie poster The Rice Box Space Center is expected to open later this summer.Courtesy of The Rice Box

For its first truly suburban location, Peterson plans to offer a more efficient pickup system for to-go orders. Dubbed The Rice Box Pickup Reactors, the system applies Rice Box’s sci-fi aesthetic to curbside ordering. As seen in the rendering above, the building will have six slots that drivers will pull into to get their orders.

“The goal is to have guests in and out with food in hand in around 90 seconds,” Peterson writes in an email. “It’s still pickup, but we’re trying to make that moment feel more intentional and more connected to the digital side of Rice Box instead of treating it like an afterthought. We’re looking at this opening as both a new store and a prototype for how Rice Box can work in more suburban markets without losing the part of the brand that makes it feel like us.”

Bay Area-area diners can expect the same menu as the Rice Box’s other locations. That includes staples such as General Tso’s chicken, sesame chicken, beef with broccoli, and orange peel beef. The restaurant also serves traditional Chinese-inspired fare such as Chongqing chicken, cumin beef, mapo tofu, and chow fun noodles.

Recently, Peterson rolled out a new version of Rice Box’s dumplings. Available in chicken, pork, or vegetable, each style of dumpling comes with a different wrapper that enhances the filling’s flavor. They’re also available either steamed or fried.

The Rice Box started as a food truck in the early 2010s. After moving to a permanent location in the Greenway Plaza food court, it has opened brick-and-mortar locations in the Heights, River Oaks, Rice Village, and Memorial.

openings news-you-can-eat the rice box