Midwest-raised chef Chris Shepherd opened Underbelly, featuring locally sourced food inspired by the ethnic diversity of Houston, in March 2012. He is the 2014 James Beard Award winner for Best Chef: Southwest, was named one of the Top 10 Best New Chefs in America by Food & Wine, and was also named the Best Chef of the Year by the Robb Report in 2019. In January 2017, Chris opened One Fifth, a restaurant that changes concepts each year for five years, and UB Preserv in 2018.

Kaitlyn Goalen is a writer, cook, and editor and cofounder of Short Stack Editions. Previously, she was the editor of Tasting Table and has cowritten several cookbooks, including Poole's: Recipes and Stories from a Modern Diner with chef Ashley Christensen and The Short Stack Cookbook with Nick Fauchald.