Underbelly’s Wild Oats Restaurant Will Sprout at Houston Farmers Market This Summer

Underbelly’s Wild Oats Restaurant Will Sprout at Houston Farmers Market This Summer

Nick Fine by Julie Soefer

IN THE NORTHEAST corner of the Heights sits the future home of the Houston Farmers Market, a $35 million overhaul of the 18-acre, 77-year-old market Airline Drive. The finished development will include 10 restaurants, community green space and more — and it'll be ready for Houstonians to explore as soon as this summer.


We're finally hearing details about Underbelly Hospitality's full-service restaurant that will open this summer in the space; Chris Shepherd himself has consulted throughout the market's redevelopment. (A second, fast-casual concept by Shepherd is yet to be announced.)

Houston native Nick Fine will helm the kitchen of the forthcoming Wild Oats, billed as a "fresh take on traditional Texas"; think shrimp-and-grits but with masa, as in tamales. Fine has traveled the globe, spent time cooking under famed chefs Scott Bryan and Dean Fearing, and was named culinary director of Underbelly Hospitality in 2017.

Houston Farmers Market

UBH's preference for partnering with regional farmers and ranchers will be well matched here, where up to 65 local purveyors will sell their goods. A 40-foot, open-air pavilion will highlight street-food and counter-service vendors, and Brazoria County's R-C Ranch Texas Craft Meats will open a butcher shop with glass walls for optimal viewing of the preparations of meats like goat, specialty sausage, Wagyu beef and more.

Elsewhere in the market, which is being developed by MLB Capital Partners, expect spaces dedicated to chef demonstrations, live music and more, plus improved bathrooms and parking.

Food
Leadership in Action: John Kuykendall Traded Newcaster Dream for Success in Luxury Retail

John Kuykendall, Showroom Manager, Sub-Zero, Wolf and Cove

How did you get to where you are today? Growing up I had envisioned myself as a news anchor, living in NY and enthusiastically saying into the camera “Good Morning America!”. To this day, I am still a news/political junkie. My mother owned fur salons so specialty retail, luxury retail was in my blood through the family business. Eventually, mom shuttered the stores and I was recruited to a large specialty retailer. Over the next 30 years, I was in commissioned sales on the sales floor, became a department manager, worked my way up to buyer and store manager. Although I never became a newscaster, I did live in NYC for a few years. But Texas is home and with aging grandparents, I felt the pull to come back to my roots. A headhunter approached me. I never envisioned myself in the high-end appliance market, but there are so many similarities. Clients want a memorable experience; whether shopping for diamonds and fur or remodeling their kitchen.

Keep Reading Show less

A WINE-TASTING rendezvous at the Post Oak Hotel benefited a heartwarming charity — to the tune of $410,000!

Keep Reading Show less

Outside The Kennedy (photo by Tarick Foteh)

A RESTAURANT OFFERING “refined, classic cuisine in an elevated, cocktail-lounge experience to Montrose and River Oaks” has opened where Montrose meets River Oaks.

Keep Reading Show less
Food+Travel