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Certainly one of Houston’s prime cooks has joined a distinguished native restaurant group. Seth Siegel-Gardner is the brand new culinary and artistic director for Benjy Levit’s eating places — a bunch that features sandwich and salad idea Native Meals, gourmand grocer Native Meals Market, French restaurant Eau Tour, wine bar Lees Den, and Maximo Canteen, a brand new Mexican restaurant that may open within the former El Topo house.

Greatest recognized for his time because the co-owner of The Go & Provisions, Siegel-Gardner additionally brings expertise working for movie star cooks Marcus Samuelsson and Gordon Ramsay. Most just lately, he’s served as culinary director for the Southern Smoke Basis. He’s additionally a co-owner of the Marfa Spirit Co. with Agricole Hospitality co-owner Morgan Weber and Josh Shepard.

Siegel-Gardner and Levit have labored collectively previously, together with in 2019 when the chef helped revamp the menu for Benjy’s restaurant in Rice Village. In his new function, he’ll work with the corporate’s current cooks, together with Native Meals chef-partner Dylan Murray, on every part from menu improvement to staffing and HR. He’s additionally working with Levit on what he describes as “long run loopy concepts.”

What does that imply, chef?

“A really loopy thought is wanting to construct a fitness center — wellness, meals, health — determining a manner we might get into that house,” he says.

What about opening a brand new restaurant of your individual that might construct on the legacy of The Go & Provisions, extensively thought of one among Houston’s greatest throughout its run from 2012-19?

“That’s at all times a risk. I’ve obtained one million concepts in my head of ideas I might like to do,” he says. “Numerous instances it’s slightly extra strategic enthusiastic about timing after which creating longevity for the idea. Wanting to construct iconic eating places as a substitute of flash within the pan eating places.”

Within the quick time period, he’s working with chef Tony Luhrman on the evolution of his Mexican restaurant El Topo into Maximo Canteen. As CultureMap reported this summer season, Luhrman partnered with Levit on the undertaking, which was initially going to be known as Teshica. Though particulars are nonetheless being finalized, Siegel-Gardner does share just a few issues they’re engaged on for the restaurant.

“One of many greatest pushes we’re giving Tony would be the manner it feels inside. We’re completely gutting it. It will likely be a distinct service fashion,” he says.

Plans additionally name for increasing the restaurant’s taco choices which might be made with heirloom corn tortillas. Particularly, Maximo will add fish tacos to El Topo’s current roster.

“I believe Berryhill left an enormous vacuum once they left city. I crave fish tacos on a regular basis,” he says. “We’d like an amazing place to do this. Tony is already making unimaginable tortillas. We’ve got nice relationships with Frixos (Chrisinis of Blue Horizon Wholesale Seafood) and different seafood distributors. Let’s get all these individuals collectively to personal that house slightly bit.”

Whereas the chef’s day by day involvement with Southern Smoke has come to an finish, he says he’ll at all times stay affiliated with the group. In the direction of that finish, Eau Tour will serve a crispy pork rillette with champagne cane vinegar discount all through November; the restaurant will donate 100-percent of the dish’s proceeds to Southern Smoke. He’ll additionally proceed to take part in fundraiser akin to one this week at Riel.

Eau Tour will serve these pork rilettes in November.Picture by Kent Domas

“At any time when they want me, they know to select up the neon yellow Southern Smoke bat cellphone. I’ll at all times reply,” he says.