Houston Chef Chris Shepherd Named Gulf Seafood Foundation’s Helping Hands Hero

James Beard Award winning chef Chris Shepherd, the culinary torchbearer behind Houston’s acclaimed restaurants One Fifth, Hay Merchant and UB Preserv, has been named the Gulf Seafood Foundation’s first-ever recipient of the organization’s  “Helping Hands Award.” Shepard presents a check to Hurricane Harvey Relief at last years 2017 Southern Smoke Barbecue  Photo: Catchlight Photography

GULF SEAFOOD FOUNDATION

by Ed Lallo/Gulf Seafood News Editor

Great seafood chefs across the country know the importance of the quality seafood fishermen provide for their customer’s tables.  One Houston chef stands above the others in his support of the Gulf fishermen providing seafood to his restaurants.  James Beard Award winning chef Chris Shepherd, the culinary torchbearer behind Houston’s acclaimed restaurants One Fifth, Hay Merchant and UB Preserv, has been named the Gulf Seafood Foundation’s first-ever recipient of the organization’s  “Helping Hands Award.”

“Shepherd is not only a remarkable chef, but also an outstanding humanitarian who believes helping others is an important part of daily life,” said Jim Gossen, chairman of the Gulf Seafood Foundation. Photo: Gulf Seafood Foundation

“Shepherd is not only a remarkable chef, but also an outstanding humanitarian who believes helping others is an important part of daily life,” said Jim Gossen, chairman of the Gulf Seafood Foundation. “The Southern Smoke Foundation he established has aided other charitable organizations, as well as individuals in the Houston area affected by Hurricane Harvey.  The support that he and the Southern Smoke Foundation has given to our organization is going entirely to help our Gulf fishermen.”

The Southern Smoke Foundation is a charitable organization founded by Shepherd. It donated $10,000 to the Gulf Seafood Foundation’s “Helping Hands” program, a response to give all fishermen across the Gulf work gloves as a small reminder that they were not forgotten after the 2017 hurricanes that struck from Texas to Florida.

Organized by the Houston Chef in 2015 after learning his friend and former sommelier Antonio Gianola was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Southern Smoke’s largest annual fundraiser is a food and wine festival featuring top chefs from around the country that join forces with some of Houston’s most accomplished chefs for a tasting event to benefit charities like the MS Society and Southern Smoke’s newly-established Emergency Relief Fund for members of the food and beverage community in crisis, which extends to Gulf fisherman.

“After Hurricane Harvey devastated Houston and other parts of the Gulf, I wanted to shift the focus of Southern Smoke to provide assistance to workers in the food and beverage industry affected by the hurricane, including Gulf fisherman,” Shepherd told Gulf Seafood News. ““I created Southern Smoke to take care of our own. I’m glad we can be of some small assistance to those who work so hard to give my customers, as well as chefs across the country, the best seafood in the world.  I am honored to be the recipient of this award.”

Chef Chris Shepherd celebrates with the attendees of the 2017 Southern Smoke Barbecue. Photo: Catchlight Photography

With the smell of mesquite smoke filling the Houston air and chefs from across the country seasoning their fares, Gossen will present the award to Shepherd in a brief ceremony at this year’s Southern Smoke Festival.  The event will be held on September 30thand features James Beard Award winning chefs Aaron Franklin of Austin’s Franklin Barbecue, Hugo Ortega of Houston’s Caracol and Ryan Prewitt of New Orleans’s Pêche Restaurant, as well as a host of others.

“This foundation is growing, and we’re so proud we have the ability to help people in the industry like the Gulf fisherman,” said Kathryn Lott, the organization’s executive director. “ The men and women who provide fish from the Gulf of Mexico are an integral part of the Gulf’s hospitality industry. It is a great honor to have Chris recognized by the Gulf Seafood Foundation for the Foundation’s assistance.”


2018 Southern Smoke Event

For information and registration for the Sept. 30, 2018 event in Houston, visit https://southernsmoke.org.


To Contribute to the “Helping Hands” Program

To donate to the Gulf Seafood Foundation’s “Helping Hands” Program please choose the DONATE button below or send a check or money order to: Gulf Seafood Foundation Helping Hands,  2851 Johnston Street, Suite 162, Lafayette, LA 70503.


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About the Author

About the Author: Ed Lallo is the editor of Gulf Seafood News and CEO of Newsroom Ink, an online brand journalism agency. He is also owner of Lallo Photography based in Chapel Hill, NC. .

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