Marking the end of a successful phase, Southern Goods is saying goodbye this Saturday to pitmaster Patrick Feges, one of the team of opening chefs that included Lyle Bento and J.D. Woodward. The last of the restaurant’s popular Blues & Barbecue events is on July 1st, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Blues guitar player John Egan will provide the entertainment for the farewell event.

Feges has overseen the barbecue program at Southern Goods since it opened almost two years ago, making quite a stir with dishes like “pig wings” and beef belly burnt ends. Bento now plans to take over pitmaster duties for the restaurant.

Lately, Southern Goods has been receiving some interesting deliveries, including antique bathtubs and hot tubs. These are being employed as makeshift imus (underground ovens used in Hawaii) for roasting whole pigs. Bento has expressed an interest in broadening the overall barbecue program. Expect that he’ll continue seeking inspiration from a variety of cultures in this new role.

As for Feges’ future: he and his wife—Erin Smith Feges, the acclaimed chef formerly of Main Kitchen and Plonk! Bistro—have long hoped to someday have a restaurant together. Feges says there’s nothing to report yet as far as location or time frame, but we definitely look forward to hearing more about what’s on the horizon

Phaedra Cook

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.