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Houston Grad Chris Shepherd Raises $500,000 for Hurricane Harvey Relief

Chef Chris Shepherd, chef and owner of Underbelly and One Fifth restaurants in Houston, Texas, dedicated his 2017 “Southern Smoke” benefit to raise money for Hurricane Harvey relief. Shepherd, who was named the 2014 James Beard Foundation Award Winner in the category of Best Chef: Southwest, raised $500,000 to assist hurricane victims. His community commitment was featured in an article in the Charleston Post and Courier.

Shepherd’s Southern Smoke fundraiser, now in its fourth year, had raised half a million dollars to benefit individuals living with multiple sclerosis. But this year, Shepherd chose to dedicate fundraising efforts to Hurricane Harvey relief. He told the Houston Press, "Houstonians are fighters, and we are going to fight for our city. It's going to take a lot to make Houston whole again. I want to bring the country together—whether you can attend this event or not—for my city, my hometown. We're Houston strong!"

Shepherd earned an Associate of Applied Science in Culinary Arts from The Art Institute of Houston in 1996. In addition to his community service, Shepherd’s accolades include:
•    Being named one of the Top 10 Best New Chefs in America by Food & Wine magazine
•    Underbelly Restaurant was named to the National Eater 38 (one of 38 essential restaurants in America) in 2015
•    Underbelly Restaurant and as one of the best new restaurants in the country by Bon Appetit and Esquire in 2014

Learn more about Shepherd by visiting his Underbelly website.