Chef Chris Shepherd Contracts COVID-19
Chris Shepherd of Underbelly has contracted COVID-19 | Steve Harris Photo
The Underbelly Hospitality chef announced the diagnosis on Instagram, noting that he is asymptomatic
Acclaimed Houston chef and head of Underbelly Hospitality Chris Shepherd has tested positive for COVID-19. The chef posted about the diagnosis on his Instagram account Thursday afternoon, saying that he was asymptomatic and planning to quarantine for 10 days.
According to the post, Shepherd had an out of state cooking commitment last week for which he traveled by plane. As a precaution, he was tested for COVID-19 on Tuesday, October 13, after returning to Houston. The test came back positive. Shepherd wrote that he believes he was infected while on the trip. “The few staff members who were in close contact with me on Tuesday when I returned home have been tested with negative results. The chefs I cooked with on the trip and my fiancé have all tested negative as well,” he wrote.
For now, Underbelly’s restaurants, which include Georgia James Steakhouse, UB Preserv, Hay Merchant, One Fifth Houston, and Blacksmith Coffee, will remain open at 50% capacity. It’s worth noting that Shepherd has been busy during the quarantine advocating for out of work food and beverage employees through his Southern Smoke Foundation, which provides mental health services, emergency relief funds and other programs for food service workers. Last month, Southern Smoke hit a milestone of more than $5 million in donations since its founding in 2017.
