How to Cook Like a Local

According to chef Chris Shepherd, it starts with a meal and a conversation

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 owner of Houston’s Underbelly Hospitality, 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.”