It’s pretty special to be offered a juicy morsel of slow-cooked pork right from the chef’s hand. 

As dinner guests took a breather after the third course of a seven-course dinner last Monday night, a peach wood-smoked pork belly appeared on the chopping board, ready to be portioned and plated. Gently stroking the perfectly roasted meat, Ronnie Killen (photo at right) of Killen’s Steakhouse and Killen’s BBQ showed pride in his craft and an eagerness to share and please. He gently began to pick bite-sized pieces from the uneven edges and offered them to more-than-willing guests. Grinning happily, our lips and fingers shone from the savory pork fat.

This sense of intimacy was created far from a traditional restaurant setting, on the second floor of a worn but cozy house in the Montrose area called RecipeHouse. The building houses the Recipe for Success Foundation, a nutrition-education program that was formed in 2005 by Houstonians Gracie and Bob Cavnar. Its focus is to prevent childhood obesity by teaching students proper nutrition through hands-on activities with its signature Seed-to-Plate Nutrition Education program. In just eight years, the foundation has reached more than 20,000 students at 21 schools in our area. With an active outreach in place, the program is now the largest of its kind in the nation. Locally, more than 100 chefs sit on the chefs’ advisory board and volunteer in the classrooms.

RecipeHouse offers chefs and patrons a chance to experience food together in a unique setting during Chef Surprise dinners. Taken out of the restaurant context, a relaxed conversation between chef and patron often takes place. Molly Kaminski, director of operations for Recipe for Success, was instrumental in developing the popular program.

“As far as our vision for getting our classes and dinners going at RecipeHouse, we wanted to provide another outlet to engage with the community. RecipeHouse events allow us to continue the conversation about food and nutrition and our mission around the shared table. It reinforces our concept of ‘Do Good Have Fun,’ as well as ‘Playing with Your Food,’” says Kaminski.

In RecipeHouse, a small but sufficiently equipped kitchen at one end of the room is separated from the dining space only by an extended butcher-block countertop. Eighteen guests are seated comfortably at a community table, each with a good view of the chef and his crew as they work their way through the menu. Even better seating is available at the counter within chef’s arm’s reach of that outstanding pork belly.

RecipeHouse hosted its first chef dinner in March 2012 with chef Ryan Pera focusing on charcuterie. Since then, many noteworthy Houston chefs have created memorable meals. I volunteered for chefs Erin Smith and Patrick Feges (photo at left), who worked seamlessly in the small space shucking oysters, tossing Erin’s favorite purslane salad and plating desserts. Their playful interaction was delightful.

Patricia Burdette (photo below) of Spring created a delectable Tuscan-themed menu. Monica Pope, Justin Yu, Kiran Verma, Jean Philippe Gaston, David Cordua, Al Marcus, Pat Greer, Peter Garcia, German Mosquera, Kenji Haruki and David Coffman have each brought their own character to the kitchen.

Ryan Pera’s Revival Market donates tasty trays of charcuterie, cheeses, pickles and condiments as pre-dinner appetizers every month. Greenling Houston donates most of the food for the dinners, but last week a special shout-out went to Killen, who generously donated everything on the menu.

Soft-spoken and passionate, Killen became every stranger’s friend that evening as he shared his philosophy and techniques. Of particular interest to guests was the third course, a side-by-side tasting of New York strip steaks, one from Strube Ranch in Pittsburg, Texas, and the other Prime wet-aged corn-fed steaks from Nebraska. A generous coat of kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper formed a crisp crust on the steaks after a quick sear on the induction stove, and a short rest sealed the juices within. It was a mini master class.

Chef Surprise dinners take place the first Monday of every month, with some adjustments depending on the holidays. Almost all dinners sell out in advance. RecipeHouse also offers cooking classes, and it is available for private events ranging from food-inspired birthday parties and showers to memorable business meetings and team-building sessions for up to 24 guests. They also conduct Worksite Wellness programs off site.

Call 713-520-0443 to make a reservation or learn more.

SCHEDULE

• Nov 16: Adult cooking class focused on fun Thanksgiving sides using Greenling produce, including a full Thanksgiving turkey dinner, 5 to 7pm
• Dec 2: Joseph Stayshich (Benjy’s)
• Jan 6: James Nelson (Bravado Spice Co.)
• Feb 3: Michael Pellegrino (Max’s Wine Dive)
• Mar 3: Terrance Gallivan & Seth Siegel-Gardner (The Pass & Provisions) (sold out, wait list available)
• Apr 7: Kaz Edwards (Uchi) (sold out, wait list available)
• May 12: Roy Shvartzapel (Common Bond)
• Jun 2: The Tasting Room (chefs TBA)