Lucille's Hospitality Group | Feeding the Future, Serving the Past

FEEDING THE FUTURE,

SERVING THE PAST

Lucille's Hospitality Group is dedicated to connecting compelling stories of the past to the hospitality concepts of the future. Anchored by the legacy of founder Chris Williams' great-grandmother — culinary pioneer Lucille B. Smith — LHG advances her spirit of ingenuity by creating and re-imagining hospitality projects that advance cultural storytelling. Driven by our passion for exceptional food and service, our goal has always been to bring authenticity and wonderment to every community we serve.

Our commitment to “feeding the future” also extends to our promise of philanthropy, which is magnified through our non-profit Lucille's 1913. The conscious community collective is the culmination of a lifestyle driven by being of service to others, armed with a mission to empower vulnerable communities to discover a self-sustainable livelihood through food.

THE CONCEPTS

WELL REFINED SOUTHERN CUISINE, DEFINED BY HISTORY

Lucille’s is a nationally celebrated restaurant in the heart of Houston’s Museum District, specializing in Southern fare infused with international techniques and flavors. Co-founded in August 2012 by brothers Chris and Ben Williams, the restaurant is a tribute to the culinary tradition began by their great-grandmother, Lucille B. Smith, who was an educator, culinary innovator and successful entrepreneur who founded her own food corporation. Today, the team continues to pay homage to her legacy by replicating some of her most famous recipes while embellishing others to create innovative takes on Southern food classics.

5512 LABRANCH ST.

HOUSTON, TX 77004

713.568.2505

VISIT WEBSITE

A VERTICAL APPROACH IN THE BATTLE OF FOOD INSECURITY

Lucille’s 1913 is building a vertically integrated ecosystem that will combat food insecurity and waste; create training and employment opportunities in traditionally under-resourced neighborhoods; and empower communities to discover a self sustainable livelihood through food

5512 LA BRANCH ST

HOUSTON, TX 77004

713.568.2505

VISIT WEBSITE

CRAFT BEERS & LOCAL OYSTERS ON THE OCEAN

Chef Chris’ first concept in Canada, Emile’s Black Point Bistro honors the legacy of the restaurant space’s original owners — Emile & Samira — two Lebanese-born immigrants who have been in business in Nova Scotia for 40+ years. A true labor of love, the reimagined pub preserves tenets of its original culture, flavor, and family by infusing Nova Scotian ingredients and food ways with Lebanese accents. Much like the story of LHG’s first concept Lucille’s, Emile’s menu will pay homage to local culinary innovators, while utilizing modern techniques and flavors in conjunction with local ingredients.

8465 ST. MARGRETS BAY RD

BLACK POINT, NOVA SCOTIA

CANADA. B0J-1B0

AUTHENTIC COLLECTIONS IN MODERN TASTE

COMING 2023

FEATURING AFRICAN AMERICAN ART & ARTISTS

The Hogan Brown Gallery seeks to provide community-centered education and commerce for burgeoning local artists. Operated by Lucille’s 1913 — the philanthropic arm of Lucille’s Hospitality Group — the gallery’s inception serves as an art-focused extension of the nonprofit's mission to empower communities to discover a self-sustainable livelihood through cultural and culinary arts. Hogan Brown’s name pays homage to the surnames of LHG Founder Chris Williams’s grandparents, who persevered during the segregation era by succeeding at the “art” of entrepreneurship. Led by Houston-based artist Robert Hodge, the gallery channels that same spirit to empower working artists with a community-embedded gallery space to exhibit and sell their works; provide business-centered education and resources to further their artistic enterprise; and devote art-driven educational opportunities to Third Ward’s next generation.

2310 ELGIN STREET

HOUSTON, TEXAS 77004

WHERE CULINARY MEETS COMMUNITY

Named for its historic location beneath the Eldorado Ballroom, Rado Cafe & Market is a hybrid all-day cafe and neighborhood market for the Third Ward community — bringing culturally-conscious prepared foods, fresh groceries, locally-sourced products and a bistro-inspired menu to the Emancipation corridor. The brainchild of Lucille’s Hospitality Group, Rado is on a mission to feed the future while serving the past, creating a culinary hub that prioritizes healthy, affordable food access and centers the palates and people that make up its long-standing community.

2310 ELGIN STREET

HOUSTON, TEXAS 77004

TEAM

CHEF CHRIS WILLIAMS

FOUNDER / OWNER

CHEF LAWRENCE WALKER

CULINARY DIRECTOR, 1913

CHEF KHANG HOANG

FOUNDING CHEF PARTNER

JAILYN MARCEL - THE FRANKY COLLECTIVE

MEDIA + PARTNERSHIPS

media@lucilleshospitalitygroup.com

CLEVE TUTTLE

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT + DESIGN

SHELLY TRAVIS

PROGRAMMING DIRECTOR

CHEF CHRIS WILLIAMS

Founder/Owner

Classically trained in French, Mediterranean, West Indian and East African cuisine, Chef Chris Williams has made a name for himself serving up well-refined Southern food with international infusions at his nationally-celebrated Museum District restaurant Lucille’s — opened as a tribute to his great grandmother and culinary pioneer Lucille B. Smith. Nearly a decade in the making, the namesake restaurant has since morphed into Lucille’s Hospitality Group — a culmination of concepts that channel the matriarch’s historic ingenuity. Chef Williams has also served as the lone culinary cultural ambassador for the USA for three years, advancing food diplomacy in destinations like Slovenia, Croatia, and Ukraine; and he is a member of the Southern Food Ways Alliance, an organization that documents, studies, and explores the diverse food cultures of the changing American South. Williams' most recent endeavor — his non-profit Lucille’s 1913 — mimics the ethos of his restaurant group and its namesake, functioning as a conscious community collective that is building a vertically integrated ecosystem to combat food insecurity and waste; create training and employment opportunities in traditionally under-resourced neighborhoods; and empower communities to discover a self-sustainable livelihood through food. To date, Chef Chris and the Lucille’s 1913 team have provided more than 150,000 meals to Houstonians in need since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

CHEF LAWRENCE WALKER

Culinary Director, 1913

Lawrence Walker’s journey to the culinary profession may have been prolonged, but it was always destined. A Texas native, the kitchen served as Walker’s original happy place, discovering and nurturing his love for cooking with the matriarchs of his family. After a fruitful career in the mortgage sector, Walker made the permanent leap to the culinary world — enrolling at L’Etole Culinaire in St. Louis, before honing his skills and passion for high quality and high volume output via everything from high-end country club kitchens to an eventual role at The San Luis Resort in Galveston — Walker’s birthplace. As the current Executive Chef of Lucille’s 1913, Walker is able to combine his passion for community with his love of feeding others. Under Walker’s leadership, the 1913 kitchen team has delivered more than 150,000 meals to Houstonians in need. Alongside Williams, Walker continues to help expand the non-profit’s culinary reach, while ensuring that food and community go hand-in-hand through the sustainable utilization of fresh, local ingredients and the creation of healthy, hearty meals that are nourishing to both the body and soul.

CHEF KHANG HOANG

Founding Chef Partner

Chef Khang Hoang began his culinary career at just 19-years-old, working behind the sushi bar at Houston neighborhood restaurant Tenshi. The experience ignited the discovery of his lifelong passion for all things culinary, honed as he watched the customers enjoy his different creations. With his sights set on a permanent profession in food, Hoang enrolled in the culinary program at the Art Institute of Houston. Upon graduation, Hoang joined the team of the formerly celebrated Houston hotspot, Chef Robert Gadsby’s Bedford Restaurant. It was there that he first met Chef Chris Williams, developing what would prove to be an important friendship that magnified a mutual admiration for one another’s cooking styles. Hoang later cut his teeth in acclaimed kitchens from Houston sushi and Japanese tapas restaurant Kata Robata to celebrity chef David Chang’s Momofuku Noodle Bar in New York City before returning to Houston to help Chef Chris open his inaugural eatery, Lucille's. As Lucille’s Partner/Chef de Cuisine, Hoang continues paying homage to the restaurant’s namesake by creating innovative takes on Southern classics via infusions of international flavors and techniques.

JAILYN MARCEL

Franky Collective

Media + Partnerships

A self-proclaimed logophile, Jailyn Marcel’s passion for communications was honed at Howard University where she studied journalism and political science before returning to her hometown of Houston to put pen to paper full time as the Assistant Digital Editor for PaperCity Magazine. It was there that her love for hospitality was born, composing articles about Houston’s food and beverage scene for PC’s burgeoning website, while also overseeing the brand’s digital marketing initiatives. Following nearly four action-packed years as a digital journalist and social media manager, Marcel made the jump to the field of public relations with the goal of tackling a new aspect of the communications industry. The pivot resulted in two and a half years as a Senior Communications Manager with boutique public relations and marketing firm On the Mark Communications, which morphed into Public Content in 2019 — a professional stint that granted her the opportunity to oversee several major hospitality accounts in addition to sharpening her expertise in social media and integrated marketing strategy. Jailyn has since launched The Franky Collective, a creative communications agency that specializes in supreme storytelling for an ever-evolving culture

CLEVE TUTTLE

Director of Development + Design

Design thinking & communication are the key aspects that have stabilized a successful career in the brand development and management industry. Cleve met Chef Chris in 2005 when he was designing Chef Robert Gadsby's Bedford, and later teaming up to develop the brand and design for Lucille's, Chef Chris's first Houston venture. Cleve has a deep passion for hospitality design and a love for the interaction of people and experience that great restaurant design provides. Having a background in branding combined with the rich history and innovation of the LHG's concepts allows Cleve to create stunning spaces with compelling stories to be told in them.

SHELLY TRAVIS

Programming Director

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+1.713.568.2505

info@lucilleshospitalitygroup.com

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