Located across the mixed-use development’s courtyard from Austin-based Picnik, Fiora’s comes from partners Natalie Navi and Amir Sed. Navi brings her sandwich and kitchen experience from working as general manager at Paulie’s while Sed has worked in multiple Houston hospitality concepts. Sean McNeely, who was employed at Camerata before working for a wine distributor, is the general manager of Fiora’s and curator of the thoughtfully sourced wine collection. The team has been working on opening Fiora’s for the last few years.
Bottles span the globe with some natural wines, conventional picks, as well as overlooked regions and varieties that are not as common. “We want to offer a creative, quality wine program in an unpretentious setting, maybe like you hanging out in a friend’s backyard,” says Sean McNeely. Fiora’s chic aesthetic has a garden party vibe with floor to ceiling windows, arched brass shelves and rose gold light fixtures and accents, greenery, and whimsical wallpaper in unexpected places. There’s a shaded two-sided patio and roll-up garage door style windows “which will be open during the fall and spring,” assures McNeely.
Sandwiches, crafted with deli-style meats, local Slow Dough bread and homemade condiments, are pricey but huge; ample enough to split. Some options include a deli-style turkey and Swiss on sourdough ($14), boquerones with vegetables and burrata on baguette ($18), and mortadella with prosciutto, and chile pesto spread on focaccia ($16). The signature is The Goat — a 14-inch masterpiece stacked with mortadella, applewood smoked ham, pepperoni, vegetables, provolone, American cheese and Fiora spread made with vinegar, herbs, garlic, lemon and olive oil ($25). Craving something classic? Try the cooling house made chicken salad with tarragon and sprouts on brioche.
Pair them with the wine for a few matches made in heaven. Expect about 15 selections by the glass (choose half or a full glass) and a rotating inventory of around 50 bottles from myriad regions in a variety of styles including Champagne and several Texas wines. Texas is also represented on the beer menu. McNeely says they will be adding a happy hour soon highlighting sustainable selections in alternative packaging such as kegs, bag-in box, and cans for $6 per glass. “These are friendly, high quality and responsibly made wines that would be at home as the house pour in a Paris bistro or an osteria in Venice,” says McNeely. By the end of August, the team hopes to open for lunch at 11am. Other plans in the works include expanding their private event business and catering services.
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“Southern Smoke has been a huge part of my life for nearly a decade, and I’m so excited for the opportunity to join the staff,” says Brown. Southern Smoke Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit that supports the food and beverage industry nationwide when it is in crisis. In her new role, Brown works closely with the board of directors and staff to drive the foundation’s mission and ensure its financial stability and growth. Southern Smoke’s previous executive director was Kathryn Lott, who recently joined Discovery Green.
“We have a lot in the works — we’re expanding the capacity for our mental health services; we’re taking Southern Smoke on the road to increase awareness about what we do; and we’re planning new events in addition to our annual festival in 2024,” says Brown. She tells CityBook that above all, the team is focused on the mission of Southern Smoke — to provide emergency relief funding and free mental health counseling to anyone in the food and beverage industry and ensure that food and beverage workers have a safety net.
Brown founded Lindsey Brown Public Relations in 2016 promoting food, beverage and arts clients to local, regional and national media. Prior to her years in hospitality PR, she was director of marketing and public relations for the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau for 10 years. She launched the Where the Chefs Eat Houston Culinary Tours program, which was the winner of the Public Relations Society of America’s Silver Anvil Award in 2011, and worked with local, regional and national media to further Houston’s reputation as a tourist destination.
After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in public relations, Brown began her career at Vollmer Public Relations in the company’s Dallas and Houston offices. She also served as the special projects coordinator for the Houston Ballet Academy. A trained ballerina through age 18, Brown later co-founded the Houston Ballet’s young professionals’ group, Ballet Barre, which has more than 200 members in its sixth year. She continues to support the organization as a member of the board of trustees and serves on the advisory board of Dress for Success Houston.
Regarding hiring a new executive director, Kevin Gee, vice president of the board and chair of the search committee, said, “This decision for the Southern Smoke Foundation was not taken lightly by the individuals who serve passionately as the board of directors. When all candidates were considered and vetted after a careful and thorough process, one candidate stood out with that same amount of passion, and it just happened to be our co-founder, Lindsey Brown.”
To take on this full-time role at Southern Smoke Foundation, Lindsey is shuttering her public relations firm. Brown will be transitioning the bulk of her clients to Giant Noise, a public relations and digital marketing agency with offices throughout Texas and its newest office in H-Town. Brown will stay on as a consultant with Giant Noise through the end of the year.
Founded in 2006 and led by CEO Elaine Garza, Giant Noise has a team of 50-plus with offices in Austin, Dallas, San Antonio and now Houston. With a focus on lifestyle, hospitality and the arts, Houston is a market Giant Noise has long had its eye on. Giant Noise will also now be the PR agency of record for Southern Smoke Foundation, focusing on promoting the mission of the foundation and the Southern Smoke Festival on Friday, Oct. 13 and Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023.
“Lindsey and I have been friends and peers for more than 10 years, and I deeply respect and admire her work not only in PR, but also with Southern Smoke, an organization I support. We are thrilled to be working with her on this transition and to grow with Lindsey and the team in Houston,” said Elaine Garza.
Does the busy Ms. Brown ever take any time off? “When I’m not working, I love hanging out at home with our cats Beans and Rosie (Chris and I are more than a little obsessed with them!). I also love reading — my goal is 25 books this year — and good TV. I’m excited for Only Murders in the Building and The Morning Show to come back this fall.”
From @southernsmokefoundation on Instagram
From @southernsmokefoundation on Instagram
From @southernsmokefoundation on Instagram
From @southernsmokefoundation on Instagram