Ford Fry Taps a Chef for His Houston Restaurant

Atlanta restaurant magnate Ford Fry has picked a chef for State of Grace, his forthcoming Houston venture. Bobby Matos, who has been cooking in Space City for more than seven years, will run the kitchen when the seasonal eatery opens.

"Growing up in Houston, I have a lot of great food memories and would love to play off of them in a fun way," Fry said in a prepared statement. "Houston is also so culturally diverse, which excites us as chefs, and gives us ‘license,' so to speak, to incorporate that into our cooking."

Never content to rest on his laurels, Fry currently operates seven Atlanta restaurants: JCT Kitchen + Bar and The Optimist in Westside, King + Duke and St. Cecilia in Buckhead, No. 246 in Decatur, The El Felix in Alpharetta's Avalon development, and Superica in Inman Park's Krog Street Market. He's also working on a sister restaurant to The Optimist in Inman Park's Inman Quarter development and another "Mex-Tex" restaurant in Buckhead. Marcel, Fry's planned old-school steakhouse, is on track to open next month in the former Abattoir space in Westside Provisions District.

State of Grace will be Fry's first restaurant outside the Atlanta area.