HOUSTON – (By Michelle Leigh Smith for Realty News Report) – As with Mozart, genius emerged early for Omar Pereney.
Originally from Venzuela, Pereney was the teenage star of a Spanish language TV show about cooking. The quick rise of his culinary career has taken Pereney around the nation to a number of renowned kitchens, leading up to his prestigious stint as the private chef for a former U.S. President.
Now the chef’s destiny has taken him to the historic Market Square Park in downtown Houston on a block bounded by Travis, Milam, Preston and Congress streets. It’s a city block with a long history. In the 1840s, Houston’s early day City Hall stood there along with kiosks for local merchants. The municipal facility burned down a couple of times, but it was rebuilt after each fire before eventually becoming a city park in 1976. In recent years, a local Greek restaurant, Niko Nikos, operated a kiosk there for a while before leaving the park without a food vendor.
Niko Nikos’ departure was the cue for the downtown entry of Chef Omar Pereney, a former child prodigy who now seeks “a life of unlimited creativity.”
In the spring of 2025, the chef’s Petite Lucie will open there, with outdoor dining areas, as a new French bistro-style eatery with sit-down service, full bar service, an espresso bar, and a pre-opening promise for “culinary brilliance.”
‘Houston will Change Completely Over the Next 10 Years, and I Want to Be at the Forefront,’ says Chef.
After an expansive pitch competition between more than 10 chefs, the Houston Downtown Management District board of directors selected Chef Pereney to operate a new Market Square Park restaurant.
“Market Square picked me,” Pereney says wistfully. The young chef (who adores films like Ratatouille and The Big Night with Stanley Tucci and Tony Shalhoub) is very much a downtown devotee.
‘We Knew Then He was a Rock Star’ says President Bush’s Chief of Staff
Before Downtown Houston+ embraced Pereney, the late President George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush selected him to serve as their private executive chef in their home in Houston’s Memorial area and in Kennebunkport, Maine.
“I could not be happier for Omar’s great success,” says Jean Becker, former Chief of Staff to President George H.W. Bush. “He came into the life of George and Barbara Bush at a critical time and brought much joy – not to mention great food — into their lives. We knew then he was a rock star.”
A major food TV network in Latin America signed Pereney at age 14 for a five-year contract for Yo Cocinero, broadcast in every Latin American country except Brazil
By 16, the executive chef boy-wonder had finished high school while assuming his first executive chef position at Dalai Restaurant and Lounge. He then moved to Miami, where he interned for Chef Douglas Rodriguez, the Godfather of Nuevo Latino Cuisine in South Beach. “He took me to Philly, New Jersey where we opened other new restaurants.” Rodriguez won acclaim at the famed Fountainbleau hotel in Miami Beach and several nominations for Rising Chef of the Year from the James Beard Foundation.
Pereney taught at Le Cordon Bleu Mexico in Cancun, and later served as Corporate Chef for La Trainera Restaurant Group in Mexico City. In Belize, he consults with Victoria House, which was the favorite hotel of the late Texas music legend, Jerry Jeff Walker.
With a long resume of restaurants and ownership of Culinary Matters, a creative consulting firm that envisions restaurant concepts and startups, Pereney is staking a claim in the heart of Houston where he arrived years ago as an ambitious young chef budding with optimism.
At age 20, he came to Houston and was invited to serve as executive chef at Peska Seafood Culture. He began consulting for restaurant start-ups like Duchess, Vibrant, Saigon Hustle, The Nash downtown, Patio by La Pasha at 5810 Beverly Hill, Travelers Table at 520 Westheimer in Montrose and Homestead in the Heights.
Chef Pereney, who also owns of Love Croissants in Houston’s Midtown at 2808 Caroline, now envisions upcoming creation, opening and operation of the Petite Lucie bistro at 301 Milam.
Gensler architecture firm was been hired to design the promising bistro in the park. The new Petite Lucie is envisioned as a place that will conjure up memories of stories of Madeleine and Eloise at the Plaza, part dreamy confection and part escape to French culinary heaven.
‘The Butter We Use is Purely French’
Pereney leads a team of 20 that he expects to grow to 60 by this time next year. “Houston will change completely over the next ten years, and I want to be at the forefront,” Pereney says. “I want my group to attract people who want to be chefs, sommeliers and who see it as a career. I want to build a life of unlimited creativity,” Pereney says. “Greatness is in the agency of others. I can’t think of a more rewarding endeavor.
He has a commissary kitchen at Highway 290 and 34 Street on Houston’s northwest side. “That’s where all the magic happens,” he explains. “The pastries, the croissant production, the sauces are all created here. The butter we use is purely French and our flour is milled in the Champagne region of France.” His family’s blood lines go back five generations in France, on his father’s side.
“Downtown’s historic district has a timeless authenticity and walkability Houstonians and visitors alike are craving,” says Kris Larson, President and CEO of Downtown Houston+. “That is why our organization is enhancing Market Square Park and the Main Street Promenade— they’re unique places only found Downtown.
“Chef Omar is one of a number of rising culinary stars flocking to Downtown, Houston because it’s a cosmopolitan place that also feels welcoming. Look at POST Houston, where you have a food hall serving up cuisine as diverse as Houston itself. And remember, one in four Houstonians is foreign born, so even locals often want home cooking from another country or continent.
The 6,000-SF French-inspired bakery, café, and bar, Petite Lucie will attract international diners, theater goers and downtown residents to Market Square Park where they can relax and enjoy an Aperol Spritz or a Lillet.
“Chef Omar’s Love Croissants are a prized delicacy among Downtown Houstonians, selling out every weekend at the Market Square Park Farmers Market,” says Larson. “With Petite Lucie, Love Croissants fans can enjoy Omar’s delicious creations from early morning until evening in a new and convenient location. The eagerly anticipated revived Market Square Park food and beverage program will be a keystone of a retail and restaurant renaissance coming to Downtown’s Historic District.”
A Chef’s Love Letter to Downtown
“My ‘love letter’ to Downtown Houston, Petite Lucie will be the perfect spot to start your day with a freshly baked croissant and a steaming cup of coffee,” says Chef Pereney. “We’ll be open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. As the day progresses, the café transforms into an inviting lunch spot, offering a variety of savory dishes and refreshing beverages, as well as an expertly curated selection of wines, handcrafted cocktails, aperitifs, and premium beers.”
In the evening, Petite Lucie exudes a romantic ambiance, ideal for a leisurely dinner or a drink at the bar. Their market-driven bistro menu is a global tribute to the culinary genre, drawing inspiration from regions like Provence, Normandy, and the Mediterranean coast. Chef Pereney also plans to customize the menu for fan-favorite events, including Movies Under the Stars, Blanket Bingo, and other park programming.
Petite Lucie will also debut a comprehensive executive catering program from day one, offering an impressive selection of pastries, premium breakfast and lunch boxes, and beverage services to Downtown offices and residents, including people who live in one of the three high-rise apartment towers (Aris Market Square, Market Square Tower, and the 46-story Brava) overlooking Market Square Park.
In addition to the residential towers around the park, there are several small, old brick buildings, dating back to the 1800s, now used as restaurants or bars, including the La Carafe tavern which operates at 813 Congress in an 1837-vintage building that would fit right in at the French Quarter in NOLA.
With the new Petite Lucie bistro, surrounded by hundreds of new downtown high-rise residents and with the Main Street Promenade emerging a block away, it’s easy to say Market Square hasn’t looked so promising since Houston’s first City Hall opened there in 1841.
Dec. 26, 2024 Realty News Report Copyright 2024
Images: Courtesy Downtown Houston +, Omar Pereney
Architecture: :Gensler
THE RALPH BIVINS PROJECT PODCAST
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LISTEN: THE RALPH BIVINS PROJECT with Kris Larson of Downtown Houston +
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