Local Fare for Local Freedom

Midwest-raised, James Beard Award-winning Chef Chris Shepherd has helped change the landscape of the Houston culinary scene since opening Underbelly in 2012. He built the restaurant to support the Houston food community and its suppliers by buying local and drawing inspiration from the people and cultures that live in the city. Thanks to Chris’ vision and passion, Underbelly was a James Beard Award semifinalist for Best New Restaurant, was named one of the best new restaurants in the country by Bon Appetit and Esquire and was named one of 38 essential restaurants in America by Eater. Chris was named one of the 10 Best New Chefs in America by Food & Wine in 2013 and was then awarded the 2014 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest.

In 2017, Chris opened One Fifth, a five-year restaurant project that changes concepts every year. He closed Underbelly in March 2018 to convert the building into Georgia James, his take on a steakhouse. He also opened UB Preserv as his culinary interpretation of Houston’s evolution. He continues to tell the story of Houston food, but without limitations of locality and whole animal butchery. He formed Underbelly Hospitality in 2018 to preserve the ethos of Underbelly—learning about diverse cultures through food. In 2019, all three restaurants—UB Preserv, One Fifth Mediterranean and Georgia James—nabbed the No. 1 spot on Texas Monthly's list of the Best New Restaurants in Texas, and Georgia James was included on GQ's list of the best new restaurants in America. He was a semifinalist for the James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef in 2019 and was named Robb Report's Chef of the Year the same year. Chris’ first cookbook, Cook Like a Local: Flavors that Will Change the Way You Cook—and See the World, was published by Clarkson Potter in September 2019 and was nominated for a 2020 James Beard Foundation Book Award. 

Chris' foundation Southern Smoke has distributed more than $4.6 million—both directly to people in the food and beverage industry in need via the Emergency Relief Fund and to organizations that represent the needs of people in the industry.

Chef Ja’Nel found her passion for food helping her mom in the kitchen as a little girl. After college she realized she could take that passion and turn it into a career. She initially earned her Bachelors of Science in Health and Human Performance, but then quickly followed her heart into the kitchen and has not looked back since.

Chef Ja’Nel specializes in international cuisine but knows how and when to keep it simple. One of the first dishes she mastered was Wild Mushroom soup. It was so good it helped promote her at her first kitchen job. One of her other favorite dishes to cook is Herb-Roasted Chicken. Chef Ja’Nel says it’s a favorite because she loves the smell that radiates throughout the home as it cooks. She can produce tasty Thai, Indian, and Spanish dishes, but she knows the importance of simple comfort foods as well.

While respecting classic dishes and cooking comfort foods she likes to keep things creative and edgy by not sticking to any one particular cooking style. She’s learned to fuse multi-regional influeneces and introduce exotic flavors to excite the tastebuds. She thinks outside the box to give people a memorable dish.

Her attitude is to never stop learning and never stop trying. That attitude is what got her on Hell’s Kitchen Season 11 and that attitude along with her talent is what made her Chef Gordon Ramsay’s pick as the winning chef.

Who knew that little girl cooking in the kitchen with her mom all those years ago would be where she is today? From her mom’s kitchen to her first cooking job, then to becoming one of Houston’s favorite chefs, right to winning Hell’s Kitchen! No wonder why she never looked back!

Edet Okon is a pastry chef who primarily focuses on the contemporary design and construction of special occasion cakes.

Originally from the West African country of Nigeria, he currently resides in Houston. He attended the University of Jos, Nigeria, earning his Bachelor of Science degree in Economics. During his time in University, he ran his own special occasion cake business, and with the help and support of family and friends was able to develop a good clientele base. Edet had the rare opportunity of baking the inaugural cake for the then-President of Nigeria. He served as the State Representative for the Nigerian Sugar Craft Guild and the International Cake Exploration Society in Jos.

In his pursuit to learn more about the pastry arts, Edet attended the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York where he focused on the baking and pastry arts. He later attended the University of Houston and earned a Master's degree in Hospitality Management.

Edet holds a gold medal from the American Culinary Federation (ACF) in the professional wedding cake category and have also been featured as a competitor on the highly rated TV show “Food Network Challenge”.

Westin Galleymore grew up in the restaurant business and learned about wine from his chef/sommelier dad, who also introduced him to cocktails at Anvil Bar & Refuge.

Westin was hooked. Not long after, he accepted a job at Anvil, completed the bar’s notoriously rigorous training program and developed a strong understanding of cocktail architecture.

Two years later, he opened One Fifth Steak as bar manager. In 2018, he was promoted to Spirits Director of Underbelly Hospitality and manages the cocktail programs at Hay Merchant, UB Preserv, One Fifth and Georgia James. Westin was named a Rising Star Bartender by StarChefs in 2019.