NEW ORLEANS SUPER CHEF RYAN PREWITT
When Chris Shepherd’s friends come to town, it’s always a cause for celebration. Take today’s soldout event at Underbelly, “Southern Chefs Respect the Rosé.” The dinner is a collaboration among Shepherd, his buddies Michael Hudman and Andy Ticer of the acclaimed Memphis restaurants Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen and Hog & Hominy, and New Orleans pal Ryan Prewitt, chef/partner of Peche Seafood Grill.
The chefs are preparing a multicourse dinner of Southern cuisine paired with rosé wines. It will be Hudman’s and Ticer’s second visit for a private dinner at Underbelly. (Their new Porcellino’s, a craft butcher shop, was just named one of the 50 nominees for America’s Best New Restaurants by Bon Appetit magazine.)
But it’s the first time Underbelly has hosted Prewitt, who has made Peche a must-do restaurant for anyone visiting the Big Easy. At last year’s James Beard Foundation Awards, Prewitt pulled off an incredible double coup: He was named Best Chef: South, and his Peche earned the coveted Best New Restaurant award.
Prewitt took time before his trip to Houston to talk about his visit.
Q: This is your first event dinner in Houston. Have you been here before?
A: No, never been. Q: That’s crazy! Why?
A: That’s a good question. Chris and I have been talking for years about doing a trip to Houston, but we couldn’t make it work out until now. It happens with a lot of chef friends of mine: The only time we can get together is to do a chef dinner collaboration.
Q: I hope you’re going to get time to eat in Houston.
A: I’m actually staying an extra day to do the Chris Shepherd food tour. Really, that was the big impetus to get together. I’ve been reading for years about the good food in Houston and wanted to come try it, especially to see how the Houston Vietnamese food scene compares to New Orleans Vietnamese. And to eat at all the restaurants Chris has been talking about for years.
Q: New Orleans and Houston have such a great relationship. What are some of the places Houstonians need to check out the next time they’re in New Orleans?
A: Oh gosh, I think New Orleans, like every city in the country, we’ve had such a great buildup of independent restaurants like MoPho and Shaya. The reception for those two restaurants has been
tremendous.
Q: You scored big at last year’s James Beard Awards. Are you still feeling it?
A: It’s still a thrill. It’ll always be a thrill. It was, to be honest, a very surreal experience. It’s something I didn’t expect to happen. That whole night doesn’t even seem real.
Q: How did that affect operations at Peche?
A: Well, the restaurant was going fairly well. The difference between preand post-James Beard was pretty dramatic. Winning the award put us on the radar for people coming to town from all over as well as people in New Orleans who haven’t made it down here yet.
Q: Did it also re-energize the restaurant?
A: Absolutely. The first thing that happened when we got back the next day was just terror. I was absolutely terrified. Getting the restaurant up and running was such a significant endeavor. Then to be honored with these awards, my first thought was we have to get this right — there will be so many people coming in for one shot. We had to make sure to keep doing what we’re doing and not change the restaurant at all or modify it. Just keep it Peche and keep Peche moving with the same mission we always had. After the terror phase wore off, a lot of people were able to take a moment and appreciate how far we’ve come in such a short period. And that was gratifying.
Q: What’s the best advice for getting into your restaurant if you don’t have a reservation?
A: We always hold our bars (cocktail bar and oyster bar) as walk-in only. Right now with the summer, you can come on in with no worry. A Tuesday in August is about as slow as it gets.
Q: With Katrina’s 10th anniversary com- ing up, what are your thoughts about the dining scene in the city 10 years later?
A: It seems to me more robust than it’s ever been. I moved here four weeks before Katrina, so my prestorm knowledge is very limited. We came back as soon as we could, and I was involved in the reopening of Herbsaint after the storm, and that was tremendous. To see the growth in the industry in terms of quantity and quality is amazing. It’s so strong. What we’re seeing now with the availability of produce, the farmers, the direct connection to the fishermen — all of this has continued to grow since Katrina, and it’s produced a much more vibrant restaurant scene.
Q: What ingredient or technique are you excited about now?
A: We’ve been doing a lot of whole smoked fish recently. I’ve been into the idea of smoking, which has traditionally been associated with big, rich meats, but it’s fun to do fish like that and have it pick up those flavor compounds.
Q: You’re in Houston for a rosé dinner. What do you tell your customers about rosé if they’re not familiar?
A: Rosé bridges all the gaps. If you’re concerned about going with the red or the white or find yourself thinking too hard with the wine list, stop and pick a rosé and it’ll go with everything. They’re meant to be consumed young and fresh ,and they’re perfect for this hot time of year.