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

rumor no more

East Coast-style Austin pizzeria confirms plans to open in the Heights

Home Slice Pizza Heights location rendering

Courtesy of the Michael Hsu Office of Architecture

A rendering previews Home Slice Pizza's new location in the Heights.

One of Austin’s pizzerias is expanding its presence in Houston. Home Slice Pizza has claimed the former Mapojeong space in the Heights (602 Studewood) for a new location that will open in the fall of 2026.

Founder Joseph Strickland tells CultureMap that Home Slice wanted to add a second Houston location that would build on the success of its Midtown restaurant that opened in late 2022. Unlike Midtown, which is counter service and offers limited seating, the Heights location will offer full service, an expanded menu, and cocktails, which is in line with Home Slice’s North Austin location.

“We saw a lot of synergy in North Austin and the Heights,” Strickland says. “They have a similar feel, a lot of families, a lot of people looking to get together in big groups. There’s also a robust bar scene on White Oak that we’re happy to be part of.”

Strickland says Home Slice had several requirements for a new location, including a larger dining room than Midtown, a decent-sized parking lot, and enough kitchen capacity to serve both dine-in and larger to-go orders. Not only did they find the right building, but they established a productive relationship with the property’s owner, Revive Development, the Houston-based firm that also owns properties that are home to Loro, Squable, Camaraderie, and the Stomping Grounds development in Garden Oaks.

“It was hard to believe at first. The more we talked with the Revive folks, there was a lot of alignment and opportunity for us to expand what we’re showing Houston,” Stickland says.

Home Slice is working with the Michael Hsu Office of Architecture to renovate the building. Strickland notes that it will require some extensive changes, including removing the butcher shop that was installed as part of its iteration as Ritual, a steakhouse that closed in 2021. Assuming everything goes according to plan, the restaurant should open sometime in the fall of 2026.

Home Slice Pizza food spread Home Slice serves New York-style pizza.Photo by Garrett Smith

Once open, Home Slice will serve its East Coast-inspired menu of New York-style pizzas (whole or by-the-slice), hot and cold Italian deli sandwiches, salads, and desserts — all of which utilize dough or bread that’s made in-house. In particular, the restaurant is known for its white clam pizza, as well as classics such as pepperoni and mushroom or sausage with ricotta and roasted peppers. In 2024, the Houston Press awarded “Best Sandwich” to the restaurant’s Italian Assorted, which is made with ham, dry salami, capicola, genoa salami, vegetables, provolone, mayo, and oil & vinegar.

Critically, the Heights Home Slice location will add wings to the New York and Sicilian-style pizzas, salads, and sandwiches that the restaurant serves in Midtown. Inspired by the wings served at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, Home Slice keeps its wings simple — medium or hot and served with a house made blue cheese dressing. “It goes with our pizza quite wonderfully,” Stickland says.

He hopes that the the wide-ranging menu, flexible menu, and late night hours will appeal to Heights locals, people patronizing the nearby bars on White Oak, and anyone else looking for a slice and a drink. The larger location and full service should make home slice an option for date nights, office happy hours, any just about any other occasion.

“We hope the neighborhood will be happy to have another offering that’s like ours, where you can bring a first date or your office or go by yourself. We offer all those experiences,” Strickland says.

openings news-you-can-eat pizza home slice pizza