EEveryone deserves a community, a place to belong, a place to go, a place to work, a place where they feel they truly belong. Thanks to Kim Brown, many adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities (IDD) from West Houston and beyond have found a home at Belong Kitchen, a grab-and-go meal prep spot in Memorial City.
Founded by Brown as a 501c3 organization that provides dignified gainful employment to individuals like her daughter Ellie, Belong Kitchen serves as a workplace home for those who have struggled to find meaningful work. . Now, these people not only have the opportunity to work with new friends and colleagues in professional kitchens, but also to cook alongside some of Houston's most prominent chefs.
“'Belong' is truly a story about a community coming together to provide a safe and nurturing place for our special employees to work and grow together, while learning how to make food that our customers enjoy and feel good about supporting. ” says Kim Brown. paper city. “We were very fortunate to find a landlord who understood Belong's need in our community. And some of Houston's best restaurant minds worked with us to design the kitchen. We have been incredibly fortunate to have the support of our staff, equipment, and training.”
With over 75 volunteers working alongside our talented employees, Belong Kitchen has created a guest chef program as an extension of our community support. This has led to some of the Bayou City's best chefs lending their time and expertise to teach Belong Kitchen employees some of the restaurant's signature dishes. The program began with Tony's Executive Chef Kate MacLean, and in recent months has included Jonathan Levine of Jonathan's The Love, Rafi Nasr of Craft Pita, and Blue Dawn & Navy Blue's Chefs such as Aaron Bluedorn and Bluedorn's colleague, executive chef Alexandra Pena, have appeared. , head of the range at the new restaurant Bar Bludorn.
Johnny Carrabba once stopped by to teach Belong Kitchen's sous chefs how to make Carrabba's pasta and salads.
Throughout May, you can taste some of the dishes that Creole chef Jose Arevalo and his wife Lily, of Brennan's in Houston, taught their eager student chefs to recreate. Mr. Arevalo, a 40-year veteran of Brennan's (the company's longest-serving employee), takes advantage of crawfish season by stuffing crawfish tails, cheese and peppers with his signature tomatillo. I shared a recipe for Brennan's crawfish enchiladas topped with salsa.
“We were blown away by the hospitality and generosity of the Belong employees and how they welcomed our team into their kitchen and treated us like family,” says Arevalo. “I was most impressed with how quickly the group followed the instructions and memorized Brennan’s recipe that I shared.”
Brennan’s owner Alex Brennan-Martin said: Philanthropic opportunities are often brought to the restaurant. And frankly, having so many good reasons can be overwhelming. But when I saw the smiles on the faces of the Belong team and heard the passion Kim has for these young people, it was a no-brainer.
“Our team of chefs loves working with young people who want to learn in restaurants. It's one of our great joys. And being able to do that with the Belong team also gives us It makes me smile.”
On Wednesdays, during Belong Kitchen's business hours, which run from 8 a.m. until sold out, you can get a family-style meal of Arevalo enchiladas for four to six people for $55. (It seems that the chef series dishes always sell out.)
In addition to chef meals, enjoy hot lunch options like grilled chicken sandwiches, Belong bacon burgers, and cantina bowls Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Learn more about our daily family-style meals to go, like Nonna's Rigatoni and Margherita Pizza Tarts. Or, with 48 hours' notice, you can have your next event catered and delivered with everything from charcuterie platters to boxed lunches, breakfast treats, and decadent desserts.
Belong Kitchen is located at Village Towers Plaza, 9655 Katy Freeway, Suite 3105.
