Two Houston ‘Top Chef’ Alums Are Opening a Daytime Cafe and Creative Space in the Heights
Plus, chef Suu Khin of Burmalicious is offering pickups to help people affected by the earthquake in Myanmar, and a chef switch-up at Bludorn’s restaurants
Top Chef: Houston finalist Evelyn Garcia and Top Chef: Canada contestant Henry Lu are teaming up for yet another food-centric collaboration. The duo behind Jūn, the Latin-Southeast Asian restaurant that’s traditionally only open for dinner, will open the restaurant during the day as a cafe and creative space on Monday, April 14, according to a release. Open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday, Third Place will offer the Heights neighborhood another locale to vibe out with espresso drinks, sweet and savory pastries, and free Wi-Fi.
Third Place will also be part of a “community project” — home to a chef residency program that will offer local chefs a space to pop up in during lunch service from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. With the goal of offering more exposure and a chance to debut new dishes, residencies can last anywhere from a day to several weeks. MasterChef alumna and James Beard Award semifinalist Suu Khin of the Burmalicious pop-up, Top Chef: Canada contestant Tristen Epps, Craft Pita’s Raffi Nasr, and Gabriel Medina of Urban Harvest Farmers Market food stand Subo will be among the first chefs to pop up here.
Luke Chang
A Houston-based Burmese chef is donating some of her pop-up funds to Myanmar earthquake relief
Following the devastating earthquake that hit Myanmar in late March, chef Suu Khin will host a series of Burmese New Year pickups at Jun and Third Place, which will feature her takes on some of the best New Year staples, including Ohn-no Khao-swè, a chicken coconut soup with egg noodles, crispy noodles, and chile oil; Duck Puffs, pastry crusts stuffed with duck liver pate, caramelized onions, and mango sriracha; and Shwe Yin Aye (mango gelée, sago, pandan noodles, sticky rice, and jasmine coconut milk). Khin will donate 30 percent of the proceeds to World Central Kitchen, which is working with Myanmar’s local restaurants and chefs to serve meals to communities affected by the earthquake. All dishes are available for pre-order online.
A chef moves up again in the Bludorn ranks
It doesn’t seem that long ago that chef Alexandra Peña made the shift from sous chef at Bludorn to opening executive sous chef at seafood-focused Navy Blue to the executive chef at Bar Bludorn, chef Aaron Bludorn’s tavern-style restaurant in Memorial. Now, she’s headed back to Bludorn, where she’ll serve as executive chef, according to a Culturemap Houston report. Upon learning that Bludorn’s current executive chef, Chase Voelz, was leaving Houston to be closer to family, Peña requested to replace him. Bludorn seemed sad to lose Voelz but ecstatic for Peña to take on the new leadership role and “help Bludorn usher into the next generation.”
