Houston Food Finder Founder Announces Departure and Search for New Owner
Phaedra Cook is preparing to depart the local food media company she founded, Houston Food Finder, and pursue other goals. Photo by Phaedra Cook.
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Contact: Phaedra Cook
September 23, 2026 — After more than 16 years of covering and championing Houston’s food and beverage community — first as a freelance writer and later through her own media company, Houston Food Finder — Phaedra Cook is preparing for her next chapter while seeking a new owner to carry the business and its social media channels forward. However, she isn’t saying goodbye to Houston’s food scene.
Cook founded Houston Food Finder in November 2016 after spending six years covering local restaurants, bars and other hospitality businesses, including as a restaurant critic and food editor for the Houston Press and as a longtime writer for My Table magazine (which no longer publishes, but is still online). Houston Food Finder will celebrate its 10th anniversary on November 5, 2026.
“I’m incredibly proud of what Houston Food Finder has become and grateful to everyone who has been part of the journey,” said Cook. “Houston’s hospitality community has given me many wonderful opportunities, friendships and experiences. Houston Food Finder’s 10th anniversary seems like the right moment for me to begin a new chapter. However, I want to give Houston Food Finder a chance to thrive under new ownership.”
Cook’s goal is to transition ownership by the end of November, although that is not a firm deadline. During the search for a new owner, Houston Food Finder will continue operating through its social media channels, “Top Stories” email digests and website.
Cook believes the ideal buyer will see an opportunity to build upon the publication’s established audience and reputation among Houston diners and the city’s food and beverage community.
“I believe Houston still needs Houston Food Finder. I’m just not the right person to run it anymore. I think there are business people out there who could bring some great new ideas to the business while maintaining the trustworthy reputation we’ve worked hard to build.”
The acquisition opportunity includes the Houston Food Finder brand and its digital presence at houstonfoodfinder.com, along with its social media channels and existing audience. The business has built an established following among Houston diners and a network of relationships with restaurants, chefs, hospitality businesses and other members of the local food community.
Cook also recognizes the contributions of current social media manager and content creator Mario-Sebastian Berry and hopes the new owner will offer him the opportunity to continue his work with Houston Food Finder.
Interested parties may contact Phaedra Cook at [email protected].
What’s Next for Phaedra Cook
Cook’s next chapter will be twofold: building on her years of experience creating and hosting Houston food and beverage events, and launching a brand-new company, Perfect City Days, that will cover cities beyond Houston.
While running Houston Food Finder, Cook has created, co-created and hosted numerous food- and beverage-focused events, including “The Perfect 10 Gala,” featuring 10 chefs and 10 beverage professionals; special luncheons and dinners at restaurants and bars such as Michelin-starred Musaafer, Michelin-recognized The Marigold Club and Caracol, part of James Beard Award-winning chef Hugo Ortega and restaurateur Tracy Vaught’s H Town Restaurant Group; a series of dessert shop events in collaboration with Callebaut, and creative offerings such as “Sweets For The Sweet,” which showcased many of Houston’s pastry chefs.
Her newest event offering is “Le Duel Culinaire,” a Houston chef competition co-created with Bistro Mistral executive chef and owner David Denis. All tickets for the inaugural five-week competition, hosted every Tuesday beginning September 29 and featuring two Houston chefs each night, sold out within 36 hours. Cook and Denis are already planning a second series for early 2027 featuring a new group of Houston chefs.
“Le Duel Culinaire has been an incredibly exciting project, and I’m very proud of what Chef Denis and I have created,” said Cook. “He came to me with his initial idea, and we’ve both worked to develop what I think is a wonderful concept. The chefs who are participating are just incredible, and I can’t wait to see who our top three winners will be. I’m already looking forward to planning the next Le Duel Culinaire.”
Next up will be “Autumn On The Spice Route”, a new four-course dinner at Musaafer, at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 24. The experience will include complimentary welcome bubbles and is limited to 24 attendees. Tickets will be on sale soon. Interested parties may email Cook to get on the wait list.
Cook also hopes to revisit some of her other event concepts, including “Sweets For The Sweet,” which she developed to spotlight Houston pastry chefs.
“Pastry chefs sometimes do not get the same level of acclaim and recognition as executive chefs, but they do incredible, exacting work. I’d really like to showcase them again.”
Introducing Perfect City Days
Cook’s departure from Houston Food Finder also marks the beginning of a new venture: Perfect City Days, a project she is creating with her husband, professional photographer Chuck Cook.
Perfect City Days will expand the couple’s longtime interest in exploring, photographing and telling stories about cities beyond Houston, beginning with destinations across the United States and potentially expanding internationally. During her years with Houston Food Finder, Cook has also become adept at telling stories through social media video, a skill she plans to bring to the new venture.
The project will focus on creating and sharing ideas for experiencing a city — from morning coffee and breakfast through sightseeing, dining, drinks and the distinctive people and places that make a destination memorable.
Planned coverage includes not only Houston, but cities the Cooks have already begun exploring. There is footage “in the can” from Los Angeles and San Diego, and the Cooks will be shooting in New York City over the holiday season (including at SAAQI, the speakeasy at the New York location of Musaafer). They also plan to return to El Paso, which they found to be an unexpectedly compelling food city, and Chicago, a longtime favorite destination with an exceptional restaurant and bar scene. Perfect City Days may even go international: Cook is in talks with acclaimed chef David Skinner, owner of eculent in Kemah, about a group tour of Barcelona or Madrid, and with PR professional Ruth McCartney (yes, of that famous family) about a group tour of Liverpool, the hometown of all four Beatles. McCartney says that these days, Liverpool is quite a food city.
“I love covering Houston. Houston is always going to be an important part of my story, and we’re going to have plenty of ‘Perfect City Days’ entries about it. I’m also ready to spread my wings,” Cook said. “I’ve spent years helping people find great places to eat in Houston and telling the stories behind them. I’m looking forward to broadening that experience and including coverage of additional places, such as museums, parks, art galleries, theaters and so much more. Change can be bittersweet and even a little scary, but I believe this is the next thing that I’m meant to do.”
About Houston Food Finder
Founded by Phaedra Cook in 2016, Houston Food Finder is an independent publication covering Houston’s restaurant, food, beverage and hospitality community. Over its decade of operation, the publication has connected Houston diners with restaurants, chefs, bars, events and food-related businesses through editorial coverage, social media, newsletters, events and promotional partnerships.
About Perfect City Days
Perfect City Days is the upcoming travel, food and city-exploration venture of Phaedra Cook and photographer Chuck Cook. The project explores the places, people, food, culture and experiences that can turn an ordinary day in a city into a perfect one, beginning with destinations across the United States and potentially expanding internationally.
Phaedra Cook has written about Houston’s restaurant and bar scene since 2010. She was a regular contributor to My Table magazine (now closed) and was the lead restaurant critic for the Houston Press for two years, eventually being promoted to food editor. Cook founded Houston Food Finder in November 2016 and has been its editor and publisher ever since.
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