Houston Chronicle Article: Belong Kitchen’s collaboration with Brennan’s of Houston adds shrimp gumbo to menu
Houston residents soon will be able to order chef-quality shrimp gumbo from Brennan’s of Houston while helping a local business that employs adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In January 2024, Belong Kitchen will serve shrimp gumbo every Wednesday based on a recipe the staff learned from Brennan’s of Houston.
Belong Kitchen is a nonprofit restaurant providing daily to-go meals. Employees are paid while volunteers from the local community help them in the kitchen. Belong Kitchen employs 30 people ages 21 to 48.
The collaboration with the Houston Creole fine-dining restaurant is a part of Belong’s guest chef series, in which Belong’s staff prepares local cuisine after learning and receiving the recipe from experienced chefs from the Houston area. Last year, Belong partnered with Brennan’s to make jambalaya.
“It's just a real special treat for our employees to go visit an iconic Houston restaurant and see that kitchen in action and see real chefs and learn from them,” said Kim Brown, founder of Belong Kitchen. “That's a really big deal, and it's a big honor for us that they trust us to reproduce their recipe for our customers.”
Brown started Belong Kitchen in 2019 in her backyard as a way to help her daughter find a job as an adult. After brainstorming, Brown realized she would have to find a solution herself to create a safe, fun environment for her daughter and other adults with disabilities.
In the past, Belong Kitchen has served chicken pot pie, sausage and sweet pepper pasta, lasagna soup and more to their customers.