Breaking Bread: Chris Shepherd Wants You to Make Your Community Your (Delicious) Classroom

From growing a Houston restaurant empire to starting a charity to take care of his fellow industry workers, the insatiably curious chef’s work is a testament to the power of forging relationships through food

Chris Shepherd (L) with friend, mentor, and talented chef Jacklyn Pham, who runs the Vietnamese restaurant Saigon Pagolac with her father, Long. Julie Soefer

For Chris Shepherd, the James Beard Award-winning chef and restaurateur, food is the ultimate icebreaker. 

“Food is the first thing that you can talk about,” he said. “You don’t have to get political. You don’t have to get religious. When it comes down to, ‘How did you cook this chicken?’ that’s a pretty simple thing to do.”