Austin Simmons speaks

Houston chef breaks his silence on sudden exit from Woodlands restaurant

Austin Simmons Tris Southern Smoke Festival 2024

Austin Simmons is trading his knives for a horse.

Photo by Emily Jaschke

Chef Austin Simmons has broken his silence about his sudden departure from Tris, the fine dining restaurant in The Woodlands that closed following his resignation.

Shared exclusively with CultureMap, Simmons provided a lengthy statement about why he chose to end his tenure as both executive chef of Tris and president of Piney Woods Hospitality, the subsidiary of Black Forest Ventures that operated both Tris and The Kitchen, a casual restaurant in The Woodlands.

Despite Black Forest’s decision to close Tris rather than continue on without him, Simmons is proud of the work he did and the team he built to execute his vision for the restaurant.

“I enjoyed and appreciated my time as Executive Chef and President of Piney Woods Hospitality, and I hated to leave,” he writes. “I am grateful to the owners and to The Woodlands residents for their support over the years, and I am very proud of the 16 years of working extremely hard and of what we accomplished during those years.”

Deciding to leave wasn’t easy, but he felt he could no longer continue operating in the space given its current condition. He cites issues that stem from the building’s time as Hubbell & Hudson, a grocery store that closed in 2014, and its companion restaurant Hubbell & Hudson Bistro, the restaurant that became Tris in 2018. Black Forest Ventures, the majority partner in Tris owner Piney Woods Hospitality, also has a separate subsidiary that owns the building that housed Tris and its predecessors.

Simmons continues as follows:

Due to current issues with the Tris lease, site, and the landlord's unwillingness to negotiate on fundamental operational items, I had to, in good faith, resign as President & Executive Chef. The space was remodeled twice by previous presidents and owners after the market closed. It was nothing but the easiest band aid for the landlord. We spent way too much time fixing legacy issues in plumbing and AC. We had a flood from the building last year and the response from the landlord after the TRIS team squeezed for 8 hours to save the space was nothing short of a force out.

It was clear they no longer wanted to be in the restaurant industry at this location. I did everything I could all year to negotiate the future space and lease issues to save Tris, but unfortunately, I got nowhere. My job as a leader is to mitigate risk and make sure there is a future for the team. A sustainable runway for growth and development and we can invest back into the team. When this road came to an end after all these years it left me with very few choices.

I wish them nothing but the best and look forward to my next venture going forward.

Simmons was busier than ever in 2024 as he fulfilled multiple roles for Tris, The Kitchen, and Black Walnut Cafe, the fast casual restaurant operated by Black Forest Ventures. Not only did he oversee culinary operations from both Tris and The Kitchen, but he consulted on a new menu for Black Walnut that debuted at the Rice Village location in late 2023 before being implemented at the reestaurants other locations in Houston and Dallas. In addition, he created a new version of The Kitchen for the recently-opened Terminal D West at George Bush Intercontinental Airport. He also cooked at numerous charitable events and fundraisers, including making his debut appearance at the Southern Smoke Festival. After burning the candle at both ends, he says he's looking forward to spending more time with his family.

As for his next move, the chef says he’s trading his knives for a horse by launching his own breed of wagyu cattle under the name Chef Austin Wagyu Hoof to Fork. More details about that project will be released once the product is ready for market, but he’s looking forward to getting better beef into the hands of chefs who are as obsessed with their ingredients as he is.

When he returns to restaurants remains to be seen, but it's hard to imagine that someone who's dedicated his entire career to feeding people has hung up his whites permanently.

chefs austin simmons the woodlands

Coming soon to Fredericksburg

Houston restaurant vet serves up Roman-style eatery in the Hill Country

Photo courtesy of Bottega Salaria

Valerio Lombardozzi is opening Bottega Salaria in the former home of La Bergerie.

Valerio Lombardozzi’s culinary career has taken him to the world’s finest kitchens, including restaurants owned by icons like Alain Ducasse, Giorgio Locatelli, and Joël Robuchon. In Houston, he led La Table and Tavola, where he earned a reputation for being one of the city's most engaging front of the house personalities.

But his latest project might be his biggest accomplishment yet. The hospitality veteran is opening Bottega Salaria, a homey Italian osteria and artisan market, in the former home of La Bergerie at 312 E Austin St in his adopted home of Fredericksburg.

Lombardozzi says the restaurant, expected to arrive in winter 2026, fills a gap in the Hill Country dining scene, but, more importantly, it's a reflection of his personal history and time spent working at his family’s restaurant in Rome.

“[It’s about] where I grew up, how I grew up, and how I eat,” he shares.

The three-concept experience is inspired by Italy’s Via Salaria, the ancient route Italians used to transport salt from the Adriatic Sea to Rome. The menu acts as a sort of travelogue, borrowing from the different cultures along the road, and the way village fishermen and shepherds ate.

Lombardozzi is quick to say he didn’t want to open a chef-driven restaurant. Instead, the osteria will serve traditional Roman staples such as cacio e pepe, amatriciana, carbonara, saltimbocca with sage and prosciutto, and branzino carved tableside.

“I was one of the last to be exposed to the old generation of professionals who knew how to carve elegantly for the guests,” he says.

The adjacent bottega will stay open during restaurant hours, offering fresh pasta made on-site, house-made sauces, imported Italian pantry items, cheeses, salumi, breads, and biscotti. Patrons will be able to shop for individual items or put together custom gift baskets.

Outdoors, La Fraschetteria will debut a new hospitality experience in the U.S. The self-guided experience invites diners to grab wine directly from garden shelves, gather a spread of meats, cheeses, bread, or pasta, and linger around long communal tables lit by string lights.

Keeping the chit-chat going will be a thoughtful beverage program anchored by a primarily Italian wine list and imported beer. Lombardozzi says the cocktail menu might be a surprise, offering only gin and tonics, spritzes, and negronis. The latter has been made into a game where diners roll dice to determine the evening's combination of gin, vermouth, and bitters.

After dinner, guests can select an amaro from a rolling cart, sip grappa and limoncello, or sip a neat whiskey.

Lombardozzi shares that he wants Bottega Salaria to be just as comfortable for Fredericksburg locals as it is for destination travelers. Beyond daily service, Bottega Salaria plans community events such as garden wine nights with live music, Sunday movie nights, and hands-on cooking classes.

The space is designed for ease with a warm palette combining olive green and pomegranate reds. The decor blends heritage and modernity, bringing in objects like antique mirrors, plates, custom-made lamps, and even old tablecloths and curtains for an Old World feel.

"We’re not just opening a restaurant,” Lombardozzi says. “We’re creating a gathering place. A home for everyone who loves Italian food, culture, and the joy of sharing a meal with others.”

italian cuisine wine fredericksburg hill country openings news-you-can-eat