all grown up

Houston bakery rises with a new name, bigger menu, and matcha

A Garden Oaks sweets shop has a new name and an expanded menu. The bakery once known as Becca Cake is now Little Sister Cake Shop & Café.

Owner Rebecca “Becca” Pham rebranded her bakery for a few reasons. Most importantly, the shop underwent a physical expansion that doubled its size at Garden Oaks mixed-use development the Stomping Grounds. Originally a strictly grab-and-go bakery, Little Sister Cake Shop & Café now includes both seating and an auxiliary space called the “Sister Suite” that’s dedicated to cake consultations, decorating classes, and seasonal pop-ups.

Becoming a cafe also means serving an expanded menu. Now open at 8 am daily, Little Sister serves a rotating selection of breakfast pastries that includes butter croissants, fig and prosciutto brioche buns, coffee cake mini loaves, cinnamon rolls, and lemon meringue rolls. In the afternoon and early evening, selections include cakes by-the-slice, cupcakes, macarons, cookies, brownies, and blondies, as well as whole cakes to-go.

Little Sister also now serves coffees and teas, including a passion fruit matcha, caramelized banana latte, and flavored milks for kids — all sweetened with house made syrups. Of course, since cake is an essential part of any celebration, the bakery also sells cake toppers, candles, party favors, and greeting cards.

Pham named the cafe in honor of her little sister Hannah and the bakery’s all-female team that helped her grow Becca Cakes, according to press materials.

“I wanted to grow my business into a brand that’s bigger than one name or face, but still has personal meaning to me,” Pham said in a statement. “Little Sister is something my whole team can be proud of every day. One day, I would love to open another location — we will see.”

While another location may be a ways off, diners can celebrate the reopening and rebranding at a grand opening party that will be held from 8 am-2 pm this Saturday, August 23. Shoppers will receive a surprise gift with purchase, such as a gift cards or swag. In addition, the “Sister Suite” will host pop-ups from fellow Stomping Grounds businesses, such as mimosas from Sonoma Wine Bar, a hair accessory bar from Flowe Studio, and dazzle dry manis from Polish Nail Bar. Finally, the first 20 customers will also receive a complimentary flower bouquet from Mibellarosa.

Photo by Stephanie Lam

Becca Cakes is now Little Sister Cake Shop & Cafe.

an offer he couldn't refuse

Exclusive: Killen's Barbecue will soon shutter in The Woodlands

Killen's barbecue meat platter with sides

Photo by Robert Jacob Lerma

undefined

Fans of Killen’s Barbecue’s location in The Woodlands have a days to make one last visit. The restaurant will close this Sunday, December 7, chef-owner Ronnie Killen tells CultureMap.

Open since 2021, Killen says that he’s in final negotiations to sell the location at 8800 Six Pines Dr. to Whataburger for a new location of the iconic Texas fast food restaurant. Neither the original location of Killen’s Barbecue in Pearland nor its Cypress location are affected by the closure of The Woodlands and will remain open.

“Whataburger made me a deal I couldn’t pass up. It would take 10 years to do that kind of revenue,” Killen writes in a text, adding that the company recently made a significant payment to keep the deal’s window open through the end of the year.

He added that the costs to operate the restaurant have gone up significantly. As one example, a cord of wood cost $175 when he opened the first Killen’s Barbecue in 2013. It costs $475 now, he writes.

If the deal falls through, Killen states that he could look for a new buyer or convert the restaurant into a second location of Killen’s Burger, the retro-styled burger joint he operates in Pearland.

The restaurant’s closure had been expected since February, when Killen sold The Woodlands’ location of Killen's Steakhouse. At the time, Killen said he also planned to find a buyer for his barbecue joint in the bustling suburb. He cited the driving distance from Pearland to The Woodlands as one reason he chose to divest both locations. He still operates Killen's Steakhouse in Pearland, comfort food restaurant Killen's near the Heights, Killen's Burger, and three other locations of Killen's Barbecue.

As it approaches its 13th anniversary in the spring, Killen’s Barbecue remains a vital part of Houston’s barbecue scene. The restaurant recently earned an honorable mention from Texas Monthly and holds a Bib Gourmand designation in the Michelin Guide. In July, it opened a new location at Hobby Airport.

closings barbecue the-woodlands