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Food Writer

John-Henry Perera

John-Henry Perera is a food writer for the Houston Chronicle. JP has been with the paper for close to 10 years and is responsible for trending and buzzy food coverage, including guides and other fun things.

Prior to joining the Features desk, he was the social media lead for HoustonChronicle.com and homepage producer for Chron.com.

Stories By John-Henry Perera

Tim Hortons to launch more coffee shops in Houston this year

The Canadian coffeehouse chain was glowing about its inroads into Houston during their quarterly earnings call. They also let slip of more locations on the way. John-Henry Perera

German fast-casual restaurant expands to Sugar Land's Town Square

The fast-casual restaurant from Berlin is opening two outposts in Houston, promising its gourmet kebabs will wow customers in Sugar Land and the Heights. John-Henry Perera

Two Houston barbecue spots land on Yelp's top 10 BBQ places

Yelp has released a ranking of the top 10 barbecue restaurants in the state, and Houston made the cut. But did we get top billing above Austin and Dallas? John-Henry Perera

Rep. Crenshaw boycotts Bud Light, but beer fridge has surprise

The Texas congressman has joined the protest against Anheuser-Busch. But his fridge shows a local beer brand that has long supported the LGBT community and Black Lives Matter. John-Henry Perera

What is Mi Tienda? We took a tour of H-E-B's Mexican grocery

The Texas grocer opened its first market to the Mexican community in Houston over a decade ago. Now there's two. Here's what Mi Tienda has that H-E-B doesn't. John-Henry Perera

Biggest wine and music festival heading to Houston Botanic Garden

Come April 29, an all-star music lineup will be in Houston for what is being called the largest wine and music festival in the country. John-Henry Perera

Sweetgreen adds Uptown Park location for its healthy bowls

The healthy fast-casual restaurant is now a tenant in one of the city's more glamorous shopping destinations. It boasts indoor and outdoor patio seating. John-Henry Perera

UH chef wins cooking competition with beautiful wonton soup

Chad McDonald, a senior executive chef at UH, won a culinary contest put on by collegiate chefs around the country. He won over judges with his wonton soup. John-Henry Perera

UConn star accuses a popular Texas steakhouse of food poisoning

Prior to winning the NCAA championship, Jordan Hawkins complained of some bad calamari he had at Mastro's over the weekend. Now the steakhouse is fighting back. John-Henry Perera

UConn star accuses popular Houston steakhouse of food poisoning

Prior to winning the NCAA championship, Jordan Hawkins complained of some bad calamari he had at Mastro's over the weekend. Now the steakhouse is fighting back. John-Henry Perera

These restaurants are your best bet for delicious Korean barbecue

Korean barbecue is having another moment in Houston. Here are your best bets to enjoy delicious meats, kimchi, soju and other fare in the city. John-Henry Perera

Whataburger lands on list of restaurants with great bacon

The Texas fast-food restaurant wowed the writers over at Eat This, Not That! with their hickory-smoked bacon. It placed ninth behind Wendy's and McDonald's. John-Henry Perera

One of Texas' most popular breweries is opening a BBQ restaurant

Spoetzl Brewery announced it is opening a barbecue restaurant in Shiner at the start of April. The joint will be named after the company's founder. John-Henry Perera

Black Restaurant Week returns. Here are our favorites

Let Black Restaurant Week guide you to some Black-owned restaurants you may not have known about. This is the perfect time to try something new. John-Henry Perera

One Texas city walked away with zero James Beard nominations

Multiple Texas cities walked away with James Beard Award nominations, including San Antonio and Fort Worth. But Austin, a forever weird city, got zero mentions. John-Henry Perera

Truth BBQ and Craft Pita announce limited-time lamb shawarma

The Mediterranean restaurant and the acclaimed barbecue joint have joined forces for a special weekend special featuring smoked lamb shawarmas and rice bowls. John-Henry Perera

Great restaurants, bars near Minute Maid Park

The start of the Astros season is in Houston as they take on the White Sox. The game starts at 6 p.m., so here are the best restaurants and bars to visit before, during or after the game. John-Henry Perera

Kyuramen's first Houston restaurant already has 3-hour wait times

Kyuramen's first location in Asiatown is already buzzing, and not just for its ramen. Omurice, a fluffy egg omelet on top of fried rice, is wowing people online. John-Henry Perera

How to make Coltivare's famous cacio e pepe at home

Simple to make, but absolutely delicious. There's a reason why the Heights Italian restaurant sells 60 to 120 bowls of this gooey, peppery pasta. And it only needs five ingredients. John-Henry Perera

These downtown restaurants, bars have permanent outdoor seating

During the pandemic, downtown businesses created outdoor seating to deal with COVID-19 restrictions. Now, with the road closed, those changes are permanent. John-Henry Perera