Breaking Bread: A Conversation hosted by Chris Shepherd with Gail Simmons

Gail Simmons is the guest at The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts on Tuesday, Nov. 17, as part of the Breaking Bread series. She'll be in conversation with Chris Shepherd, who hosts the whole run. The night is held in the Founders Club, and the conversation starts at 7:30 PM, with doors opening at 6 PM.

Simmons is a judge and executive producer on Bravo's Top Chef and the author of the book Guesting. Shepherd describes her as a longtime friend, so this isn't a formal interview—it's a conversation between two people who know each other. The Breaking Bread series pairs these small-club conversations with a menu curated by Shepherd himself.

Shepherd has a deep history in the food world. He's a James Beard Award winner and the former editor in chief of Food & Wine. He launched the restaurant concept Underbelly to celebrate Houston's immigrant cultures and published the cookbook Cook Like a Local in 2019. The series takes its name from a ritual at his former restaurants, where whole loaves of bread were set on tables to be torn and shared, sparking connection among strangers.

Tickets start at $35, and there's a three-show package for $89.25 if you want to catch more than one night in the series. The conversation is at the Founders Club inside The Hobby Center, Tuesday, Nov. 17, starting at 7:30 PM, with doors open from 6 PM.