A mix of Houston’s food and beverage visionaries gathered on Thursday, June 26, at City Cellars for an “Accelerate” networking event hosted by What Now Media Group. Despite heavy rain and a severe electrical storm, the event proceeded indoors, offering a lively evening of conversation, collaboration, and business insights.
City Cellars, a modern restaurant and wine bar located at 2850 Riverby Road, Suite 110, hosted the free event, bringing together over two dozen representatives from businesses featured on What Now Houston. This included a wide range of local restaurants and hospitality professionals, as well as several members of What Now Media Group’s network of Preferred Partners. Attendees connected over drinks and light bites before settling in for a presentation focused on business growth, operational efficiency, and sustainability.
The event was led by Caleb Spivak, founder and CEO of What Now Media Group, who welcomed guests and guided the evening’s conversation. Among the many restaurateurs present was Daniel Wolfe, owner of City Cellars, the venue hosting the event. Anette Trevino and Paloma Scott of Açaí Brasil attended to share insights on their rapidly growing superfruit bowl brand. Also present was Paul Kirchhoff, co-owner and sommelier behind Paul’s Wine Pix, a boutique wine concept set to open soon in Bellaire.
Representing Unity Coffee and Sports Lounge was Lanard Butler, who is reimagining the community café space with a hybrid sports and coffee bar. Analyn Norato and Enrique Norato, co-franchisees of Niky’s Mini Donuts, were also in attendance, offering updates on their sweet treat venture. From the team at Pearl Dynasty, a long-standing staple for Chinese cuisine in the Houston area, Lisa Shum, Michael Shum, and Angelina Shum joined the evening’s discussion. Angela and Michael Burgess, co-owners of Mo City Eatz, discussed their mission to spotlight Southern comfort food in Missouri City.
Several restaurant operators currently expanding in the Houston market also joined the conversation, including Aliyah Slater, franchisee of Playa Bowls — a health-focused eatery that blends açai bowls with beach culture — and Arshi Khan and Caitlin Davies of Sky Yoga & Coffee, a hybrid yoga studio and café centered on wellness and community.
In total, 24 restaurant professionals representing 15 concepts attended the event, supported by eight attendees from six Preferred Partner companies. From general contractors to payroll specialists, these partners came equipped with solutions to help hospitality businesses operate more efficiently and scale sustainably.
Among the partners in attendance were Mauricio Torres and Nelly Deal of US Foods, one of the nation’s largest food distributors. This event provided a valuable prospecting opportunity for the team to connect with emerging local restaurants. Elizabeth Valdez of Contreras Building Group connected with operators looking to build or renovate locations. Representing audio-visual needs, Dick Butler of Dimensional AVL was present to advise on tech solutions for entertainment and digital signage.
From Heartland, Lucy Whittington spoke with operators about payroll solutions tailored for the hospitality industry. Dan Schrobligen of Our Town America was also on hand to share strategies around direct mail marketing that targets new movers in the area. Meanwhile, Thomas Pham and Ali Sepehri of SLIQUE Media provided content marketing and branding services to restaurant owners seeking to expand their digital presence.
The restaurant owners and industry-leading experts from What Now Media Group’s network of Preferred Partners shared valuable insights, operational highlights, and expert advice, creating an engaging and informative evening that was both enriching and beneficial for all attendees.
This led Caleb Spivak to delve even deeper into the conversation by discussing critical business points, such as having an exit plan and efficiently managing operations after expanding to multiple locations. After Caleb and the guests shared their tips, knowledge, and concerns, everyone became quickly interested in learning more about their businesses and how they could help one another.
This event provided a valuable platform for restaurant owners and industry partners to collaborate, brainstorm, and establish new connections. It’s clear that the Houston restaurant community is eager to continue innovating and evolving, and What Now Media Group’s Accelerate events provide the perfect space for these conversations to take place.
What Now Media Group shares restaurant opening news in 33 cities across North America, breaking news, and provides timely insight into yet-to-open brick-and-mortar businesses. The platform shares news of thousands of openings across all 33 cities annually.
The industry-leading experts in What Now Media Group’s network of Preferred Partners help new businesses open and existing businesses grow.
Stay tuned for future Accelerate events from What Now Media Group in 2025. For more details, see the Accelerate page here.
Click here for a complete list of our partners. To learn more about becoming a preferred partner, click here.
Photo: Official
