Man On a Mission

FOOD JUSTICE

PHOTOGRAPH: TREVOR PAULUS

Dishes carried provocative names like “Assimilation is Not Freedom,” and Rhodes would enter the intimate dining room mid-meal to share knowledge about African American history, foodways, and agricultural oppression, or the ways enslaved and impoverished people used ingenuity to create delicious foods from hunting, fishing, growing food, and leftovers, despite lack of land ownership. Elements of this social justice and history education will continue in the store.

Over time, Rhodes’s focus shifted. “I could have kept my mouth shut and just kept cooking and making money on that (Restaurant Indigo) concept,” Rhodes says. “But when I look at what brings fulfillment to my life and family name, I never wanted to build off vanity.”

As the pandemic set in, Rhodes pivoted to offering groceries and fresh produce, first the restaurant, and later, down the street at the first location of Broham Fine Soul Foods and Groceries. Both the restaurant and the original Broham Grocers are closed now, allowing Rhodes to focus fully on the development of Food Fight Farms, product production, and plans for the East River store that bears an evocative name: Broham is a term of endearment among Black men, while Rhodes uses the “fine soul food” to elevate the cuisine and give it the respect it deserves.

At East River, Broham’s 4,000-squarefoot space will offer fresh produce grown at Food Fight Farms such as strawberries, peas, sweet potatoes, onions, carrots, collard greens, and even coffee, alongside locally sourced meat, bread, pastries, cheese, and more. Shelves will hold products produced at the farm such as cornbread muffins, chicken rosemary breakfast sausage, yam skin molasses, okra seed oil, Carolina gold rice ice cream, and yellow barbecue sauce.

A membership program will let customers support the Broham and Food Fights mission while reaping perks like tours of the farm. “We want to offer people transparency, and to let you see where your food is coming from,” Rhodes says. Key to store operation will be accepting all forms of payment, including food stamps, cash, and credit cards. While details such as decor are still in the works, Rhodes says the store won’t include a restaurant.

Meanwhile, Rhodes keeps racking up accolades, including his 2022 inclusion among Business Journal’s Texas 100 people who are movers and shakers in the state. But his aspirations are linked to ending food apartheid, not the latest ranking.

“These problems didn’t start today and they’re not going to end tomorrow,” Rhodes says. “But it’s easier to pass the torch when it’s lit and hot.” (Opening in 2023 at East River.) a

Horowitz came to Houston 31 years ago from New Hampshire to attend Rice University and afterward he earned a law degree. He pivoted to hospitality and restaurants more than sixteen years ago, becoming a partner in The Tasting Room and Max’s Wine Dive concepts, and later heading the parent company overseeing the Original Ninfa’s on Navigation Tex-Mex restaurant and the Antone’s Famous Po’ Boy sandwich business. Horowitz also serves as an officer on the board of the Texas Restaurant Association and has worked as a hospitality industry consultant.

To accomplish the Midway mission, Horowitz brings together complex and ineffable variables including location, industry data analytics, operations, decor, and menu. “I always keep up on what is happening in the marketplace and the restaurant industry, taking into account demographics of the neighborhood/area, the location, emerging trends, and much more,” Horowitz says. “The marketplace will very quickly tell you if you hit it or not. It tells you what it wants, and you must listen.”

Right now, the marketplace is clamoring for fast-casual dining, Horowitz says, that includes healthy options within cuisines such as Mediterranean or Asian, for both to-go as well as dining in.

Already, Midway has engaged in partnerships at Century Square in College Station, Horowitz says. PORTERS: Dining + Butcher is owned by Midway and is operated by a third-party restaurant management company, the DKC Group. Midway and DKC Group have also partnered in the recently opened Juanita’s Tex Mex Cantina which serves elevated Tex-Mex at the heart of Century Square. Midway also created Sharky’s Waterfront Grill for Kings Harbor in Houston, and once established, sold it to a neighboring restaurateur.

Juanita’s also illustrates culinary trends, Horowitz notes, as it offers unexpected menu items like grilled salmon and healthy salads with a TexMex twist.

The pandemic has brought changes that Horowitz says will be apparent going forward in new restaurants in Houston and around the country. Online ordering and third-party delivery are major aspects of operations now and will continue into the future. “That impacts how restaurants are designed,” he says. “Restaurants are figuring out how they’re going to handle both inperson dining and takeaway or delivery dining.”

Horowitz adds, “Being able to contribute to the process of developing amazing spaces and restaurant experiences with a group that does awesome work is a very special opportunity.” a