What's Eric Eating Episode 173

Hitting the road with a Houston vodka distillery, plus the hottest new restaurants

Highway Vodka Ben Williams Wendell Robbins

Ben Williams and Wendell Robbins III are this week's guests.

Photo by Emily Jaschke

On this week's episode of "What's Eric Eating," Ben Williams and Wendell Robbins III join CultureMap food editor Eric Sandler to discuss their locally made Highway Vodka. Distilled from a combination of hemp and corn, Highway Vodka has seen its sales double year-over-year and will ship approximately 5,000 cases this year.

Williams, the brother of Lucille's chef-owner Chris Williams, explains that distilling with hemp brings advantages including a milder flavor and a thicker, more viscous texture. While most people prefer it chilled with some soda, Williams notes that Highway Vodka can be consumed neat.

The company's growth has been fueled by two important partnerships. The first is with Silver Eagle, which selected Highway as one of the first spirits it added to its distribution portfolio. The second is the Nearest & Jack Advancement Initiative, a program launched by global spirits giant Brown Foreman to promote diversity and foster African-American leadership in the whiskey industry.

"With that Initiative, there's a lot onboarding fees involved in getting involved with these [other distribution] companies . . . that they waived for being part of the Initiative to get into the game," Williams says. "Now we're in California and Florida, we're in Georgia. By linking up with them and seeing what was possible and them giving you a push and support, it was, okay, let's do it."

Listen to the complete episode to hear about the company's future plans for growth and to hear Robbins' surprising confession about the roots of his interest in the spirits business.

Prior to the interview, Sandler and co-host Michael Fulmer discuss the news of the week. Their topics include: James Harden's plans to open a new restaurant in Midtown; the imminent of opening of Hidden Omakase, an intimate sushi restaurant; and the closure of doughnut shop and cafe Morningstar.

In the restaurants of the week segment, Fulmer and Sandler describe their recent meals at the new location of Masraff's, the steak and seafood restaurant that recently relocated to Memorial, and at Ostia, the Italian restaurant that opened in Montrose earlier this fall.

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no cap

Chef-backed nonprofit will train the next generation of Houston hospitality

Courtesy of Culinary Careers Program

Aaron Bludorn has been involved with Culinary Careers Program for many years.

A culinary training program founded by one of America’s most prominent celebrity chefs is coming to Houston. Culinary Careers Program (C•CAP) will launch in Houston with a sold out dinner this Wednesday, September 16.

Founded by multiple time James Beard Award winner Marcus Samuelsson, Culinary Careers Program is a national workforce development nonprofit that partners with public schools to provide under-resourced students with the skills they need to succeed in jobs in the hospitality industry.

The nonprofit provides education, job training, apprenticeships, scholarships, and career opportunities that both help students find good jobs and supply restaurants with well-trained, highly-motivated employees.

To date, Culinary Careers Program has reached close to 400,000 students across the United States and awarded $79 million in college scholarships.

Houston chef and restaurateur Aaron Bludorn became involved with C•CAP when he served as executive chef of Cafe Boulud in New York City. He’s leading the charge to bring the program to Houston by hosting a sold out fundraiser at Bar Bludorn this Wednesday in collaboration with chef Nick Wong (Agnes and Sherman) and Leonard Botello IV (Truth BBQ).

“It’s so important that C•CAP comes to Houston. I think it’s very similar to, if we’re going to get good at soccer in the United States we need to focus on youth soccer and getting kids interested early,” Bludorn tells CultureMap.

“For Houston to continue to become a major culinary city in the United States, it’s important to focus on the next generation of chefs. C•CAP gives that opportunity to high school students to have on the job training while still being in school.”

As the owner of a growing group of restaurants, Bludorn recognizes that businesses need a steady stream of people. C•CAP participants arrive with basic skills that allow them to get up to speed more quickly than other applicants.

“It provides chefs with young talented cooks that have been vetted and given proper training. You’re not taking a guess on someone,” Bludorn says.

Botello IV’s participation shows that C•CAP is adapting to Texas. Students will have the opportunity to work at Truth BBQ, a Michelin Bib Gourmand recipient that Texas Monthly ranks as the state’s 10th best barbecue joint.

“There will be opportunities to become a chef or a general manager, but also to learn barbecue and get your foot in the door at a place like Truth and become a pitmaster. That on-the-job training is the most valuable,” Bludorn says.

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