Barely over a month ago, Monica Pope unveiled her newest restaurant creation – Sparrow Bar + Cookshop – in Houston’s Fourth Ward. Through her years of cooking in professional kitchens, Monica has built a remarkable reputation as a pioneer in the local food movement as well as one of the most talented chefs in the state of Texas. In a recent interview with TEXAS MONTHLY, Monica talked in detail about the concept behind Sparrow Bar + Cookshop and where she is at in the second act of her culinary career. Throughout my conversation with Monica, I was surprised by how remarkably candid she was about her decision to start all over again with a fresh, new restaurant concept that was unlike any she had ever done before. In a conversation that last over an hour, Monica admitted she felt disconnected from her culinary roots while running her former restaurant t’afia over the past few years. This year, however, Monica made a myriad of bold changes in order to reconnect with her lifelong mission of “changing the way Houston eats.”

Sparrow Bar + Cookshop is without a doubt Monica’s most authentic creation thus far – a true reflection of how far she has come as a Houston chef. The restaurant’s food is non-fussy, affordable, and, oh yeah, delicious – exactly what you would expect from a chef who is remarkably gifted but doesn’t take herself or her fame too seriously. Housed in the same location as its predecessor, t’afia, Sparrow Bar + Cookshop is a restaurant that will certainly be one of the best new Houston restaurants of 2012. Here, Monica discusses the inspiration behind Sparrow Bar + Cookshop, the Houston culinary scene, and the brand new Monica – or Monica 2.0, as she likes to call it.

Monica Pope. Photo taken by Debora Smail.

What planted the seed for the new restaurant concept?

In a lot of ways, it’s an ongoing evolution of myself. Coming from a teenager saying that I was going to change the way Houston eats and me trying to understand what that’s meant to me personally. Five or six years ago when Hurricane Ike hit, it was a wakeup call for me. I started thinking about my daughter and what her life will be like, and that turned into me thinking about my own life and my own purpose. I said to myself, “If the world were to end tomorrow, would I want to continue to live my life the way I am right now?” And I wasn’t sure I could answer that affirmatively… A couple of years ago, a chef friend of mine was crashing with us at my house. He and I would be talking in the kitchen, and my daughter would run in and try to interrupt us. She’d be dying to say something, and one day she randomly shouted out, “It’s like you guys are having a campfire.” It’s weird, but what she said really got me thinking. I thought about our primal beginnings as caveman going out, creating fire, and gathering around the campfire. It made me realize that that’s what I’ve been trying to do for twenty years: create a campfire discussion with different restaurants and different foods. I started thinking about my place in all this and what I meant when I said I wanted to change the way people eat, how they eat, what they eat, where they eat, where they get their food from, etc. For me, it’s so tied into slow food, eating locally, and practicing Alice Waters’ tenants of good cooking.

Let’s move on to t’afia. Why did you decide to do away with the restaurant? Did it not work anymore? 

I wouldn’t say that. The restaurant business has changed. I’ve changed. There were challenges and questions I had that I needed to answer for myself. I’ve talked to food writers, photographers, and other chefs, and we all notice a change. The world now has Twitter, Facebook, and social media, and I feel like I’m being thrust into dealing with all that. Twenty years ago, I’d open a restaurant and people just came. Nowadays, you have to be in the kitchen, but also connecting with diners and the media in order to stay relevant. It’s a completely different thing, and I’m not sure how to keep up. When you’re life is changing dramatically around you, it can be frightening to know what’s your role in all of it. In some ways, I felt like I was stuck in a box that wasn’t me anymore. It didn’t work for me, and it didn’t work for Houston. I took the opportunity to say, “I need to create a space that I want to be in.” I wanted to start over and show where I’m at in my life and where I think Houston is at in 2012.

Sparrow Bar + Cookshop. Photo taken by Debora Smail.

How is the food different at Sparrow Bar + Cookshop than it was at t’afia?

I’m pushing myself more. I understand that a restaurant and a chef have to reinvent themselves in order to keep up with what’s going on. I knew what the impression was with t’afia through the years, like ‘Oh that’s that weird, healthy place.’ or ‘Oh yeah, that place is really preachy about local food.’ Nowadays, farm-to-table is no big deal; it’s not weird to people anymore. I’m at a place in my life where I feel like the local-food community has finally been created. A lot of restaurants and chefs are now committed to using local food, like I did twenty years ago when everyone thought it was crazy. I’m finally putting what I believe in on the plate.

Do you think Houston is where it should be at in terms of respecting and utilizing local ingredients?

They say it takes nine years to grow a farmers market. It has taken us nine, ten years to grow ours, so I think that’s definitely accurate. It’s amazing where we’ve come to. When I started talking about local food twenty years ago, people thought I belonged to a cult or something and needed to be saved. Ten years ago, things started to shift. Five years ago, it was like ‘”Okay, this is really coming together.” Once the chefs got more involved, that’s when things really started to change. Customers started paying attention to what chefs were doing, and I think Houston chefs are pushing Houston forward, despite the fact that not that not many years ago we were dead last in a lot of sustainable issues.

I want to talk about that. How do you think Houston ranks compared to places like Austin and Dallas in terms of working with farmers and utilizing local ingredients?

I’ve always said – and I don’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings – but we’re never going to be like Austin. It’s a whole different culture there. The chef-farmer connection there is much stronger. The whole agenda of “Keep Austin Weird” is what makes it work there. That’s the hip thing to do there, and that’s great, but the depth of Houston’s ethnic communities, culinary communities, and overall culture is so deep and textured. We’re trying to take credit for that, and people keep pushing us aside. I mean, you can’t do Top Chef Texas and not put Houston in there. Seriously, who did we tick off? Houston has more of a secede mentality than any other city in Texas, and Texas already has a reputation for wanting to secede from the rest of the nation. Houston is like, “Whatever, we’re better than Dallas, we’re better than Austin, we’re better than San Antonio, and we know that.” We’re just a more interesting town across the board.

Are you entering the most creative period of your life?

I’m in a period of my life where I know what makes me feel good. I’m comfortable with who I am and what I am. There was a rocky moment at the restaurant when I didn’t know if I could handle it all. It’s been challenging for twenty years. All of my restaurant team has been with me through these years, and we’ve become a family. I’m taking charge, and I have to be okay with that. I’m unbelievably grateful to my staff for allowing me figure out what it is I want to express. When I first talked about this project, everybody got behind me and said, “Great, let’s do this.” To see that enthusiasm and faith is breathtaking. I’m finally trusting myself and what I want to do. I’m not questioning things like I used to.

There seem to be a lot more celebrity chefs in Texas nowadays. You personally appeared on Top Chef Masters. Is being a celebrity chef something you have wanted to shy away from in recent years?

I don’t want to have twenty restaurants all over the country. I don’t even want two restaurants in the same city. That’s not me. I love my food family, my home, my restaurant, my city. I’m not interested in more money or more fame. What I’m interested in doing is changing the way Houston eats and continuing to share my story.

Sparrow Bar & Cookshop – 3701 Travis Street in Houston.  Lunch: Tuesday – Friday 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Dinner: Tuesday – Saturday 5 p.m. – 11 p.m. Brunch: Saturday 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Bar menu: Tuesday – Thursday 10 a.m. – 11 p.m., Friday – Saturday 10 a.m. – midnight. 713-524-6922, www.sparrowhouston.com, Facebook, Twitter. 

Tagged: Houston, Layne Lynch, Monica Pope, Sparrow Bar + Cookshop, t'afia, Top Chef Masters

Tim Love

Pack your bags, Top Chef fans; your favorite culinary reality show is setting sail in April 2013….on a cruise. With Gail Simmons and Tom Colicchio as the celebrity hosts, Top Chef: The Cruise stops in Key West and Cozumel and gives attendees “the chance to spend quality time with the show’s judges and chefs, [thus] making [it] a one-of-a-kind culinary vacation experience.”

The food-centric cruise features Quickfire challenges, cooking demos, menus inspired by Top Chef episodes, and Q&A sessions. Former Top Chef and Top Chef Masters contestants including Jennifer Carroll, Tiffany Derry, Chris Hanmer, Michael Isabella, Spike Mendelsohn, Hosea Rosenberg, Angelo Sosa, Casey Thompson, Hubert Keller, and Fort Worth’s Tim Love will attend. Love was a contestant on the first season of Top Chef Masters and ended up finishing in third place. TEXAS MONTHLY’s Pat Sharpe featured Love’s Woodshed Smokehouse as “Pat’s Pick” this past March. Top Chef: The Cruise runs from April 11-15,  and room prices range from $699 (four people in a stateroom) to $5,999 for a penthouse suite.

Tagged: Layne Lynch, pat sharpe, Pat's Pick, Tim Love, Top Chef Masters, Top Chef: The Cruise, Woodshed Smokehouse

At the prime age of 42, Marcus Samuelsson has already attained a lifetime of culinary success. As a 24-year-old chef, he became the youngest chef ever to receive a three-star rating from The New York Times; in 2003, he received the ”Best Chef: New York City” award from the James Beard Foundation; in 2009, President Barack Obama invited Samuelsson to cook at his first state dinner; and in 2010, Samuelsson won Top Chef Masters.

Most of what the public knows about this charismatic chef stems from watching him in his numerous appearances on popular food shows – up until now that is. Samuelsson recently released a memoir, “Yes, Chef,” detailing the story of how he went from being an Ethiopian-born orphan to becoming one of the most respected culinary minds of our time. The book is captivating in all its great detail and overt honesty, likening it to such greats as Gabrielle Hamilton’s “Blood, Bones & Butter” and Anthony Bourdain’s “Kitchen Confidential.”

This July, Samuelsson will be stopping in various Texas locations on his book tour and took some time to talk with TEXAS MONTHLY about “Yes, Chef,” his Harlem restaurant Red Rooster, and what stands out to him about Texas cuisine.

Marcus Samuelsson. Photo taken by Kwaku Alston.

A lot of chefs come out with cookbooks every few years or so, but what made you know it was time for a memoir?

I felt that this would be a book that I would want young chefs to read. These kinds of books weren’t around when I was growing up, and you can get recipes from chefs all the time. The journey of how the chef got to where he is isn’t sitting around all the time. I felt that it was important to share my story now. The book isn’t just for chefs though; it’s for everybody. Everyone can learn about me, learn from me, and even learn from my mistakes. Just like you said, cookbooks come out from a chef every three years or so, which is great, but I see this as a different way of communicating and telling my story.

Touch a bit on the title of the book for me. I read about how you came up with it and I thought it was rather unique. 

“Yes, Chef” is about a pretty humbling life. For a long time all you can say back in the kitchen is “Yes, Chef,” but saying those words teach you a lot. It taught me a lot about staying humble, teamwork, respect, and patience. I learned a lot just by saying, “Yes, Chef” or “Oui, Chef.” When my chef Michael, my team, and I cooked at the White House [in 2009], we got the chance to meet the president. It’s funny because when Mike met the president he got so nervous he called out, “Yes, Chef!” The whole team and even the president laughed. But, I realized that’s a personality from our world as chefs and a mark to the humbleness and patience we must possess.

There’s always a moment when a chef realizes food isn’t just going to be a source of nourishment or enjoyment for them. When did you realize that cooking would be your career?

When I was a teenager I loved cooking with my grandmother, but I didn’t see it as a profession. Part of [why I became a chef] was my not becoming a professional soccer player. That taught me a lot about converting rejection and working within a team, and I’ve always viewed the kitchen as a team. I remember coming up as a young chef and someone saying that there was a lot of travel in cooking. They told me about the kitchens of France, Paris, and Asia. I thought it was intriguing that you could cook, travel the world, and speak different languages. I knew that that was something I could do. The journey was there; it was just about working really hard to get there. I knew it was attainable and that if I worked hard enough that there would be a chef in that room who would see me and that he or she would recommend me to the next place. It was all a journey.

I know there were are a lot of obstacles that came your way in your journey to becoming chef. What kept you going through all that?

The love for the craft. Every year I set different goals for myself. I remember sitting in my room and writing down all my goals. When I was in Switzerland, I wanted to go to France. When I was in France, I wanted to come to the U.S. When I became a chef, I wanted to make three stars. I confidently set humble, attainable goals for myself, and that always kept me going. That helped me immensely in my life and my career.

What did you envision for Red Rooster when you opened it? More specifically, why did you chose to open it in Harlem?

I love living in New York. I’ve lived there all my life as an American. It’s such an incredible part of the world, and it’s a part of the world people come to for innovation, creativity, passion, and food. But, I realized that only part of this city is activated and realized. We aren’t utilizing the whole city if we aren’t doing anything in Harlem. I lived in Midtown before opening Red Rooster, but I realized one thing I could do for myself and the city at the same time is move to Harlem, understand the community, and eventually open a restaurant. We changed the view of dining in Harlem and we also addressed unemployment. We allowed more people of color to participate in dining, not just from a cooking point of view, but also from a participation point of view. I come from a mixed background of white parents, green cousins, and just an overall mixed family. Dealing with race was something I’ve been exposed to ever since I was young.

On that note, tell me about the cuisine you make at Red Rooster and how that food embodies you as a chef. 

I moved up to Harlem five years before I opened the restaurant because I felt like I didn’t know enough about Harlem. I walked a lot and biked a lot around Harlem to learn about the nuances: the Italian heritage, the Mexican heritage, the Puerto-Rican heritage, the African-American heritage. This Americana landscape of immigrants, and that’s what we cook here. The menu is seasonal, but it’s driven by the people of Harlem. Sure, you’re going to have this African-American Southern tradition of fried chicken, collard greens, and catfish, but you’re also going to have moles as well because east of us there is a big Mexican community. We wanted to take a look at Harlem from more of a diverse view and create the menu around that.

When did the celebrity chef role come to you and is that something you want to move forward with?

I will always be a chef. That’s what I am. That’s my craft. I’m lucky enough in that whatever I do creates great interest, but I take great value in that interest. That’s why “Yes, Chef” took five years to craft and Red Rooster took five years to make. Whether it’s a book or a restaurant, I want to do what I do well. I value and respect the consumer, but this word celebrity, I didn’t go to cooking school for that. For me it’s about being privileged to cook and respecting the customer. If I continue that, I’m sure people will come. I worked a long time to be where I am today, but I don’t think that entitles me to anything. The value I have is about exceeding expectations. I want to continue to inspire the chefs coming up behind me. We put the restaurant in Harlem not just to keep it packed today; we want chefs to open restaurants in Harlem twenty years from now. If we can do that, then I know I’ll have succeeded.

Were there any culinary memoirs you looked to for inspiration when you were writing your own book?

Yes, there were a few. “White Heat” by Marco Pierre [White] was one. That was just an entirely a different book to me. It opened up my eyes to the life of a chef. Also, when Anthony [Bourdain's] book came out, I was like, “Wow, I can really relate to that story.” Gabrielle Hamilton’s “Blood, Bones & Butter” was amazing, too. I didn’t want my book to just necessarily be a great seller. I wanted it to connect to the reader through all my ups and downs. They are going to learn a lot about my journey, and that’s what those books did for me at the time.

You were recently in Texas for the Austin Food and Wine Festival. What stands out to you about Texas cuisine?

First of all, I love Texas. I’ve probably been to Texas more than any other state outside of New York. California and Texas are the big two actually. Texas has its own identity, which is great for chefs. Within Texas, the food is very diverse. San Antonio is different from Austin, and Austin is different from Houston and Dallas. The pride Texans have in their food is similar to an Ethiopian’s pride in their food. And I love that. That’s important for a chef to have. Austin is also one of my favorite cities. It’s a town that has a lot of soul, and that speaks to me. A lot of great chefs come from Texas. I have some of my younger guys that worked for me and went on to Dallas and Houston, and I have a great friendship with guys like Tim Love and Dean Fearing. It’s fun to see the younger generation of Texas chefs coming up right now, and you know there is going be a history of great chefs in Austin because of what’s going on there right now.

Would you ever compare Austin’s dining scene to New York’s?

It’s just different. I don’t think Austin should compare itself to New York at all. It should have its own dining scene. It’s a different part of the world that does its own thing. Obviously in New York you have influences from all over the world right there in front of you. In Texas, you have other influences. For its size, Austin is a fantastic food town. You can find great Vietnamese restaurants like Elizabeth [Street Café], and that’s not always obvious to outsiders like me. Austin shows again and again that it can stand on its own and doesn’t need to compare itself to anyone.

You start out the book talking about your biological mother. How has she influenced your life and your cooking, despite the fact you never really knew her or even saw a picture of her?

Seeing a picture of your mother is something that is in front of you for the rest of your life, and even though I don’t have one of her, I still know that woman. She is strong. She has a lot of dignity. She knows how to navigate. She walked us those seventy-five miles to the hospital. Even though she couldn’t save her own life, she did save me and my sister. Even the way she ate on that journey: eating dry food and cooking it when it was dark outside so we wouldn’t get too hot, there is a lot of dignity in that. I’m a chef that came from a place where food is a struggle every day, but I learned about food from my grandmother in Sweden where it was about chicken soup, chicken and dumplings, and using leftovers in the right way. Then I moved on to become a professional chef. With all that happened to me, I knew I had to become a chef. Maybe I didn’t know it step by step, but looking back, I can tell it’s always been my profession.

What’s next for you? Do you still have some goals written down that you haven’t gotten to?

I want it to mean something to put on your resume that you worked in Harlem when it comes to being a chef. That means something to me. We want to open up the door for chefs to come. We’ve got a long way to go, but if we keep working and keep aspiring, I feel like we will get there in five to ten years from now.

Tagged: austin, Austin Food and Wine Festival, Chef, Layne Lynch, Marcus Samuelsson, memoir, Top Chef Masters