Hens o' the woods

Star chefs Matt McCallister and Randy Rucker forage for upcoming dinner at FT33

FT33 chef Matt McCallister welcomes Houston chef Randy Rucker to a chef dinneron January 14.
Photo courtesy of FT33
Houston chef Randy Rucker will bring mushrooms foraged from the woods.
Randy Rucker/Greens and Beans/Twitter
FT33 was recently named Restaurant of the Year by the Dallas Morning News.
Photo by Kevin Marple

One of the big benefits of having chefs is the special event known as the chef dinner, where the chef presents a meal, often centered around a theme, that goes above and beyond the restaurant's usual nightly grub.

What you don't usually have is a chef dinner starring two chefs, as you will at Two Chefs Lost in the Woods Dinner, an exciting collaboration between FT33 chef-owner Matt McCallister and Houston chef Randy Rucker, which will take place at FT33 on January 14 at 6 pm.

McCallister's place was just named Restaurant of the Year by the Dallas Morning News. Rucker is the winner of the 2011 Houston Rising Star award, and he was previously the chef at Bootsie's Heritage Cafe in Tomball, Texas.

The two discovered their mutual interest in foraging the way all discoveries are made these days: on Twitter.

Rucker is known for his classical Southern perspective infused with modern techniques. He and McCallister will present a 14-course menu featuring ingredients they have foraged. The dinner is $125 per person ($150 with wine pairings).

The two discovered their mutual interest in foraging the way all discoveries are made these days: on Twitter.

"I would post some things when I went out and foraged," McCallister says. "[Randy is] really into that. He does an even better job at that since he's not currently at a restaurant, and he has more knowledge about wild mushroom than I do.

"I know oysters and chanterelles. I don't step too far beyond that because I don't want to die. I'd posted some photos of wild onions and pepper cress, and we chatted back and forth. I asked him if he wanted to come up and do a dinner sometime."

Because the menu relies on whatever they find, the details haven't been fully decided yet.

"It's going to be spontaneous," McCallister says. "I have a grass-fed rib-eye in the walk-in that I’ve been dry-aging for a while now. It's a 90-day age; I'll break it down and turn it into some different things.

"We'll have 14 courses, just small little bites, simplistic, probably not outside of three ingredients per course. He's bringing up mushrooms; I have a bunch of greens. It'll just be fun little ingredients."

McCallister has plans for more collaborations.

"We'll get a guest chef every few months," he says. "There are a few other people I'll be getting to come in."

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Cheesecake News

Dallas dessert shop Val's Cheesecakes calls it quits on Greenville Ave

Photo courtesy of Val's

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A Dallas dessert shop has closed its doors: Val's Cheesecakes, located at 2820 Greenville Ave., closed for good on December 17 after 12 years.

Owner Valery Jean-Bart issued a statement saying that he was ready to move on to new things.

"The time has come to officially close the doors at our Greenville location," he said. "This is not just the end of a chapter; it is the end of a place that has been a huge part of my life and journey. Over the years, we have built something special here, but the time has come to let this space go so we can move forward with clarity and purpose."

Jean-Bart started selling his cheesecakes in 2012 after a career in civil engineering. He took the inspiration from his mother's love of cheesecakes before she passed from breast cancer.

Over the past decade, he had many ups and downs, with other locations that he opened and closed, often abruptly, and more than one closure followed by a reopening.

But he said this time he was closing permanently, calling the past few months "a challenge" but also a reminder of what matters.

"Focusing on friends, family, and my personal life is more important now than ever," he said. "I am leaving this location on my own terms, proud of what we have accomplished and ready for what is next."

What is next is Val's Blue Label, his other shop in the Cedars District at 1112 S. Akard St. which he opened in March 2023 and which is described as an elevated cheesecake experience that also holds classes and workshops.