Southern Smoke Recap

Chris Shepherd's chef-powered fundraiser hauls in $1.5 million

Houston’s annual Southern Smoke Festival always ends on the same emotional high note. Award-winning chef (and CultureMap wine columnist) Chris Shepherd takes the stage and reveals how much money the event raised for the Southern Smoke Foundation, a Houston-based nonprofit that provides emergency assistance and mental health services to hospitality workers.

“Ladies and gentlemen, one night only, no auction, $1.5 f—ing million,” he told the crowd as the more than 70 participating chefs from Houston and beyond cheered the accomplishment.

The foundation has an immediate need for the funds. In the Houston-area alone, it has granted almost $800,000 to more than 1,000 people who suffered losses during either the derecho or Hurricane Beryl. It is currently processing over 1,900 applications from people affected by Hurricane Helene.

“Understand that you guys are the change,” he said to the more than 70 chefs from Houston and all over America who participated in the event. “We’ve all made a conscious decision to be the good. This is just a small segment of our community, but we’re growing. We can do this together.”

Needless to say, the festival has come a long way from its roots as a party in the parking lot behind Underbelly, the pioneering Houston restaurant where Shepherd won a James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest in 2014. Back then, “Southern Smoke” wasn’t just the name of the event — it also described the participating chefs and the food they served. Now, the food reflects a more global range of culinary influences, and a sponsorship by Alaska Seafood makes the event surprisingly pescetarian-friendly.

Barbecue remains at the heart of the event — as always, Austin pitmaster Aaron Franklin had the longest line of the day. Carnivores could find traditional Carolina-style whole hog from barbecue legend Rodney Scott or a Vietnamese whole hog with banh xeo from CultureMap Tastemaker Award winner Don Nguyen of Khoi Barbecue. In addition to Franklin’s brisket, Leonard Botello IV of Houston’s Truth BBQ also served his brisket foldie. Burger lovers could get a wagyu smash burger from Austin Simmons (Tris), a butter burger from Ryan Lachaine (Riel), a dry-aged burger from Brooklyn pitmaster and restaurateur Billy Durney, or a cheeseburger samosa from two-time Tastemaker Award winner Abbas Dhanani (Burger Bodega).

On the seafood side, James Beard Award winner Benchawan Jabthong Painter (Street to Kitchen) earned raves for her spicy grilled Alaskan flounder, and fellow JBA winner Edgar Rico (Austin’s Nixta Taqueria) offered smoked salmon tostadas. Father-son duo Trong and Cory Nguyen (Crawfish & Noodles) served grilled shrimp with garlic noodles, and Jason Ryczek (Little’s Oyster Bar) had his fan-favorite tuna crudo with pickled watermelon. Those who wanted something fried could sample both JBA winner Ashley Christensen’s shrimp and grits hush puppy and a seafood rangoon from Winnie’s owners Benjy Mason and Graham Laborde.

Beyond the chefs’ offerings, the Southern Smoke Festival refined its use of Discovery Green. New this year was a stage devoted to cooking demonstrations by chefs such as Milk Bar founder Christina Tosi and Mason Hereford (New Orleans’ Turkey and the Wolf). A cookbook signing area allowed attendees to have another moment of interaction with the visiting chefs.

Circling back to Shepherd’s comment about “no auction,” the foundation moved its auction of rare wines, VIP culinary experiences, and more to Decanted, a wine-fueled fundraiser that took place in April. Considering that event raised $700,000, the combined total for both events amounts to $2.2 million. Once again demonstrating that Houstonians will be incredibly generous for a cause they believe in.

Photo by Emily Jaschke

The event raised $1.5 million for hospitality workers nationwide.

chefs fundraisers southern smoke foundation chris shepherd

inspired by Houston's

Houston steakhouse reboots as a more affordable neighborhood restaurant

Michael Sambrooks is ready to unveil the refreshed Andiron. Beginning this Monday, November 25, the fine dining steakhouse will begin operating as the more affordable Andiron Grille & Patio.

“We looked at more neighborhood restaurants [like] Nancy’s Hustle and Nobie’s,” Sambrooks tells CultureMap. “We wanted to fall into that neighborhood restaurant category instead of fine dining and steakhouses. With the patio opening, we wanted to turn it into an eating and drinking place that’s more casual. Seemed like the vibe that would work for the neighborhood.”

To get that everyday appeal, Sambrooks and chef Michael O’Connor worked to decrease the restaurant’s prices by removing luxurious items such as caviar and truffles. Andiron still serves imported Japanese wagyu, but now it’s the chuck instead of strip or ribeye. Overall, diners can expect to spend about $100 per person, which is down from the $150 per person or more of Andiron’s original iteration.

Similar to a restaurant like Hillstone (formerly Houston’s), diners will find steaks at Andiron, but they have other options, too. The restaurant’s prime rib sandwich and decadent wagyu burger both appear on the new menu. They’re joined by a roasted half chicken, pork steak, and Gulf fish with Thai curry.

“People seem to really enjoy [the new menu],” Sambrooks says. “A lot of our neighborhood folks and regulars have come in. They appreciate the value-driven options. A lot of people say they can come more often.”

Another reason they’ll come more often is to enjoy the restaurant’s new patio. Part of the 2,800-square-foot space features lounge-style seating designed for people who want to devote most of their attention to bartender Angel Bautista’s refreshed cocktail offerings. Inspired by his time working at Mexico City’s Handshake Speakeasy — ranked No. 1 in the world by the World’s 50 Best organization — the menu includes a selection of carbonated cocktails that are both refreshing and able to be served quickly.

“We’ve got 75 seats. Some of those are for dining, some are for lounging and cocktailing. About 20 seats are love seats for lounging with a place to put your drink,” Sambrooks says.

“We’re pitching it as a cocktail garden. We want people to walk in, get a seat on the patio, order a couple of cocktails, order a snack or don’t. Just a really great additional space to sit and have a drink.”

The wine list is cheaper, too. Inspired by his time working for restaurateur Bill Floyd at Reef, Sambrooks is selling wine at a much lower markup than before. “We get a deal, we pass that along, even if it’s something we can only get one time,” he says.

Photo by Michael Anthony

Find a steak frites on the new menu at Andiron.

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