New directions
Homegrown talent again takes reins at Uchi; Izakaya makes bold play with new menu and gentler pricing
Uchi Houston seems to have a knack for promoting home-grown talent to take the famed Japanese restaurant in exciting new directions.
Beaumont-reared Kaz Edwards was trusted to lead Austin-based chef Tyson Cole’s Houston spinoff when it debuted in 2012. And when Edwards was promoted to concept chef for all of Hai Hospitality (the group that operates Uchi restaurants), it left an opening for a new chef de cuisine. That job now belongs to Conroe-born Lance Gillum, who grew up in Katy. Like Edwards, Gillum worked his way up the Uchi ladder at the original Austin location.
In the summer, the Uchi brand quietly began adding menu items that showcased the creative intuitions of its local chefs. Gillum eagerly threw himself into imagining new dishes that seamlessly merged with the lineup of signature preparations that earned Cole a James Beard Award for Best Chef Southwest in 2011.
“The idea is to update and change the menu more times than we used to,” Gillum said. “Chefs at each store have more of an opportunity to show his and her foods. It’s still in line with what Uchi does but gives us a chance to be more expressive.”
Gillum’s initial offers
were inspired: buttery chunks of Alaskan king crab hopscotching with summer squash and wildflowers; a picturesque composition of avocado, tomato and cured Spanish anchovy; a monochromatic essay on seared scallops, hearts of palm and white beech mushrooms invigorated by Meyer lemon; and an arresting interplay of bigeye tuna, watermelon and Thai nam pla sauce.
Gillum, 31, said his cooking has evolved since joining the Uchi team in 2011. “I’ve come up with so many people in the restaurant group and (have) taken bits and pieces from a lot of them and try to find my own style,” he said. “One of the things we always try to do is keep it simplistic — pick a few ingredients and let them shine.”
In addition to his new post at Uchi, Gillum said he’s excited to be back in the Houston area where he’s familiarizing himself with the local food scene: “There’s so much to eat and see in Houston. It’s a melting pot of so many different types of food.”
But for the most part he’s concentrating on his new post. Is he intimidated to helm the kitchen at one of the city’s most popular restaurants? “I have a responsibility to maintain a quality,” he said. “People come here to have an experience. That’s the reason we do this. When you come here you feel extremely special and unique, and it’s exciting to continue on with that.”