Intimate Conversation Series set in the Hobby Center’s Founders Club
(Houston, TX) – The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts reveals the 2026-27 Season of Breaking Bread, a live conversation series in partnership with James Beard Award–winning chef, entrepreneur and television personality Chris Shepherd. In its second season, the three-event series returns with Bravo’s Top Chef Judge, producer and author of the new book Guesting, Gail Simmons; Houston Ballet artistic director Julie Kent; and James Beard Award-winning author Toni Tipton-Martin. Tickets on sale Thursday, Sept. 3 at thehobbycenter.org.
Hosted in the Hobby Center’s intimate Founders Club, Breaking Bread places the audience steps away from the conversation. Shepherd trades his chef’s jacket for a microphone, sitting down with creatives and leaders who have inspired him personally and influenced culture. Together, they share candid, unscripted exchanges about craft, risk, reinvention and the experiences that shaped them. Each evening pairs small-club energy with a menu curated by Shepherd, creating a setting where food and dialogue share the spotlight.
“Season One was such an amazing experience for me. I had the opportunity to speak with amazing individuals doing the things that they were born to do,” says Shepherd. “With Season Two of Breaking Bread coming up on the horizon, we will continue this journey with friends new and old. I can’t wait to sit down with my good friend Gail Simmons and talk about her new book Guesting, Bravo’s Top Chef and just catch up. I am so very excited to be able to speak with Julie Kent of Houston Ballet. My wife Lindsey is very involved with Houston Ballet, and I have become friends with some of the dancers over the years. Now to be able to sit down with one of the world’s premier ballerinas is an absolute dream. For the last show, I’m going to talk with a woman I admire so much in this industry. Toni Tipton-Martin is a true culinary historian and storyteller that has shaped the way we read and understand foodways. This season is set up to be amazing! I will see you there!”
The series takes its name from a ritual associated with Shepherd’s former restaurants, where whole loaves of bread were set on tables to be torn and shared, sparking connection among strangers. Though he has stepped away from restaurant life, that belief in gathering people around a table remains central to his work.
“The best experiences stay with you long after the evening ends,” says Hobby Center vice president of programming and education Deborah Lugo. “Breaking Bread creates those moments by inviting audiences into conversations that usually happen away from the spotlight—whether in the kitchen after service, the studio after rehearsal, or the candid dialog where artists and creators reflect on the decisions, challenges, and triumphs that shaped them.”
The return of the series reflects the Hobby Center’s commitment to expanding programming beyond the stage and creating space for stories that explore the spark of human creativity.
“BREAKING BREAD” 2026-27 CONVERSATIONS:
Breaking Bread: A Conversation hosted by Chris Shepherd with Gail Simmons| Tuesday, Nov.17, 2026 at 7:30pm
When Chris Shepherd sits down with Gail Simmons, it won’t be a formal interview—it will be two longtime friends sharing stories. Best known as a judge and executive producer of Bravo’s Top Chef, Simmons joins Chris for an evening of conversation about the people, moments, and lessons that have shaped their careers. Along the way, they’ll explore mentorship, leadership, and the evolving culture of food, with the warmth, humor, and honesty that come from years of friendship.
Signed copies of Gail’s third book, Guesting, set to publish November 3, 2026 by Flatiron Books, will be available with advance ticket purchase and at the event.
Breaking Bread: A Conversation hosted by Chris Shepherd with Julie Kent | Saturday, Jan.30, 2027 at 7:30pm
Few people understand the lifelong pursuit of excellence quite like Julie Kent. Following a distinguished 30-year career with American Ballet Theatre, she now leads Houston Ballet as its Artistic Director, shaping the future of one of the country’s premier dance companies. Joining Chris Shepherd for an evening of conversation, Julie reflects on the people, decisions, and defining moments that have shaped her career, revealing how the values behind exceptional ballet and exceptional hospitality—discipline, creativity, collaboration, and care—are more connected than they first appear.
Breaking Bread: A Conversation hosted by Chris Shepherd with Toni Tipton-Martin | Saturday, Feb. 20, 2027 at 7:30pm
Toni Tipton-Martin has spent her career changing the way America understands its culinary history. A three-time James Beard Award winner and recipient of the Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement Award, she has uncovered and preserved the stories of African American cooks whose contributions have shaped American food for generations. With Chris Shepherd guiding the dialog, Toni muses on food as history, storytelling, and cultural identity, exploring how the meals we share connect us to our communities, preserve our heritage, and carry stories from one generation to the next.
Breaking Bread patrons can experience Shepherd’s exclusive Founders Club menu including Birria Taquitos with warm spicy broth and jalapeño cabbage slaw; Caviar, Crème and A Can featuring Altima Kaluga caviar with crème fraîche and sour cream and onion Pringles; and Crackling Queso with crispy chicharron and hatch chile queso. The full menu is available online at thehobbycenter.org/lafcmenu.
Tickets on sale Thursday, Sept. 3 at thehobbycenter.org, with individual tickets starting at $35 and a three-show package available for $89.25. Doors open at 6 pm for guests to relax and socialize before the show. Patrons are invited to purchase full tables of four or meet new friends. Parties of one, two and three may be seated with other guests.
Breaking Bread is sponsored by Lexus.
Visit thehobbycenter.org for more information. Patrons can become Hobby Center Insiders by signing up at thehobbycenter.org/news/stay-connected to receive updates and additional perks.
ABOUT CHEF CHRIS SHEPHERD:
Houston-based chef, entrepreneur, restaurateur, author, wine guy, TV host, and flag-bearer for bringing kickass flavors back to our food.
Chris Shepherd has seen every side of the culinary industry, but nothing’s made more of an impact than the thriving immigrant cultures found across Houston. Those uncelebrated chefs were the spark that lit a fire—one that would eventually land him a James Beard Award, inspire his first cookbook, and make him a household culinary name across the country.
Chris’s journey started in Tulsa, elbow-deep in the sink of a small sushi restaurant and eventually led him to the Art Institute of Houston. During that time, Chris fell in love with his city’s rich immigrant cultures, and he wanted the world to see the real face of Houston through the food of its Vietnamese, Korean, Indian, Thai, and Chinese citizens.
So, after nearly a decade working in the city’s high-end culinary scene, he launched Underbelly, a restaurant concept designed to celebrate Houston’s uncelebrated cultures. He published his first cookbook Cook Like a Local in 2019, opening people’s eyes to a new way of seeing their city, its foods, and the people behind both of them. Then, Chris launched the Southern Smoke Foundation, a non-profit that supports food and beverage workers in crisis. He’s joined Food & Wine magazine as Editor in Chef, where he mentors each class of Best New Chefs, participates in demos and discussions at their F&W Classic events around the country, and even writes an article from time to time.
Through his work, Chris has been honored with a James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest, a James Beard nomination for his cookbook, two Lone Star Emmys for Eat Like a Local, his show on KPRC-TV, and several “Best Of” appearances including GQ, Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, and Esquire.
Despite the awards and notoriety, Chris’s driving force hasn’t changed. He’s hungry to de-bland the food business and highlight the uncelebrated humans hidden in plain sight.
ABOUT GAIL SIMMONS:
Gail Simmons is a trained culinary expert, food writer, and dynamic television personality. Since the inception of Bravo’s Emmy-winning series Top Chef in 2006, she has lent her expertise as a permanent judge, and now as an executive producer. Now in its 23rd season, Top Chef is rated the #1 food show on cable television.
Gail was formerly co-host of the syndicated talk show The Good Dish and host of Iron Chef Canada. From 2004 to 2019, she served as special projects director at Food & Wine. In 2012, Gail published her first book, a memoir titled Talking With My Mouth Full: My Life as a Professional Eater. Her first cookbook, Bringing It Home: Favorite Recipes from a Life of Adventurous Eating, was released in 2017 and nominated for an IACP award for best general cookbook.
Gail frequently appears on daytime television shows such as Today on NBC, The Drew Barrymore Show and The Kelly Clarkson Show and was named the #1 Reality TV Judge in America by The New York Post. She is co-founder of Bumble Pie Productions and sits on the board of several nonprofit organizations, including City Harvest and Hot Bread Kitchen in NYC. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, Jeremy, and their two children, Dahlia and Kole.
ABOUT JULIE KENT:
Julie Kent became Artistic Director of Houston Ballet in July 2023, joining Stanton Welch AM in leading America’s fourth-largest classical ballet company. She was the longest-serving ballerina in American Ballet Theatre’s 84-year history, performing a vast repertoire of classical and contemporary works during a distinguished 30-year career. She also appeared as an international guest artist with companies including New York City Ballet, Mariinsky Ballet, Teatro alla Scala, Australian Ballet, and Houston Ballet.
Julie is the recipient of the Prix de Lausanne, Erik Bruhn Prize, and the Prix Benois de la Danse, becoming the first American dancer to receive the honor. Following her performing career, she served as Artistic Director of ABT’s Summer Intensive and later led The Washington Ballet, where she expanded the company’s repertoire and commissioned more than 26 world premieres before joining Houston Ballet.
Julie married former ABT Associate Artistic Director and Principal Dancer Victor Barbee in 1996, and, as a mother of two children, she has helped redefine the image of the American Ballerina.
ABOUT TONI TIPTON-MARTIN:
Toni Tipton-Martin is a three-time James Beard Book Award winner and recipient of its Lifetime Achievement Award. She is the former Editor-in-Chief of Cook’s Country magazine by America’s Test Kitchen and a cast member of its PBS television show. Toni is the founder of a nonprofit organization that leverages cultural heritage and cooking to build community. She is recipient of the prestigious Julia Child Award, an honor given to an individual or team who has made a profound and significant difference in the way America cooks, eats, and drinks, as well as the International Association of Culinary Professional’s Trailblazer Award.
Toni’s celebrated books are Juke Joints, Jazz Clubs & Juice: Cocktails From Two Centuries of African American Cookbooks, Jubilee: Recipes From Two Centuries of African American Cooking, and The Jemima Code: Two Centuries of African American Cookbooks. In 2024, Toni shepherded, When Southern Women Cook: History, Lore, and 300 Recipes with Contributions from 70 Women Writers, a first-of-its-kind cookbook for America’s Test Kitchen.
The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts deepens understanding of shared humanity by presenting engaging performances and educational programs that strengthen a sense of belonging and help shape a more cohesive and connected Houston community. Opened in 2002, the Hobby Center campus features three distinctive performance spaces: 2,650-seat Sarofim Hall, 500-seat Zilkha Hall, and the intimate 150-seat Founders Club. Welcoming more than 450,000 audience members each year, the Hobby Center presents a broad range of arts experiences, including the Memorial Hermann Broadway at the Hobby Center series, a full season of musical theater produced by Principal Resident Company Theatre Under The Stars, and performances by Houston, national, and international artists. Education and accessibility initiatives are central to the Hobby Center’s impact. Through programs such as the ExxonMobil Discovery Series, the Hobby Center welcomes thousands of students to free, curriculum-connected performances while providing educators with classroom resources to extend learning beyond the stage. Please visit TheHobbyCenter.org. Follow the Hobby Center on Facebook and Instagram.
