Blind 'MasterChef' Winner To Open Space In Downtown Houston Food Hall
Christine Hà, a blind chef who wowed viewers with her win on season three of Fox's "MasterChef," will open her first restaurant, The Blind Goat, in Downtown Houston's forthcoming Bravery Chef Hall.
“I am very excited to be opening my first food concept since winning ‘MasterChef,’” Hà told the Houston Chronicle. “Everyone has been waiting to taste my dishes, and after doing pop-ups all over the world, I am finally ready to turn my dream into a reality.”
Hà has neuromyelitis optica, in which a person's own immune system attacks the optic nerves and spinal cord. She was diagnosed in 2004 and gradually started losing her vision, and was almost completely blind by 2007. Hà depends on her other senses in the kitchen, connecting to the food with taste, feel, smell and touch.
For her first restaurant, Hà chose her hometown of Houston, where she will be serving up Nhau cuisine, a type of Vietnamese cooking meant to be consumed while drinking. She joins an eclectic mix of high-profile chefs in Bravery Chef Hall, including Andes Cafe's David Guerrero and Ben McPherson, formerly of Prohibition Supperclub & Bar.
Five chefs will operate in the 9K SF hall at the new Aris Market Square. Each stall at Bravery Food Hall will feature seating for 30 to 40 counter-service diners. Bravery Chef Hall is expected to open this summer.
