In brutal time for restaurants, Houston newcomers push ahead with ‘wacky confidence’

Chef Mike Hartley and his wife and co-owner, Miriam Leek-Meira will open Yuma, a Brazilian and Cuban sandwich shop in the former Ninja Ramen space in the spring. (Rebekah Flores)

Having her own restaurant was always the dream for Florangel Polanco, known as chef Flo.

She will open Flor y Miel in Houston this spring, bringing Latin Caribbean food just south of the Heights in an upscale-casual format. But she'd be lying if she said she wasn't nervous to open. Local restaurants close weekly, impacted by high costs across the board and customers pulling back on going out.

"There's a lot of chances we're taking, especially in this economy," Polanco said."It's been a big roller coaster."

She says opening a restaurant has long been a family dream. Her mom immigrated with her when she was about five years old from the Dominican Republic. Polanco has been working in hospitality since she was 15, and her mom has worked in restaurants most of her life. She has worked alongside Polanco since she opened Flor y Miel as a food truck in 2023; the food truck recently closed. Before that, Polanco worked in various corporate chains and led the kitchen at former James Harden restaurant Thirteen.

"I feel like I was made for this," Polanco said. "I feel like we have something different to offer, and I think Houston is looking for that."

Chef Florangel Polanco is opening a brick-and-mortar after running a food truck. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle)

Funding is a major obstacle for first-time restaurant owners. She had plans to open in a different location when her investor pulled out due to fears of the economy, she said. Now, she and her boyfriend are pouring their life savings into the restaurant. She's currently working as a private chef for two high-profile clients as she handles permitting to open Flor y Miel, on top of having a newborn child.

Angelo Emiliani says funding is ultimately why his Second Ward restaurant Cafe Louie, which became Louie's Italian American, closed in 2023 with location and an unclear identity also being big factors.

"If you're gonna take a stab on a neighborhood that's less established, you've got to be ready to not make money for three years. And we weren't," Emiliani said.

He thought he'd never open another restaurant again, but his business partner roped him into bringing his popular pizza pop-up to a brick-and-mortar in the Heights. He's prepping to open Angie's Pizza in the summer, and location and identity were top of mind this go-around.

Houston was first introduced to his pizza in 2020, when the pop-up quickly became a hit. Emiliani trained under pizza savant Chris Bianco.

Sister and brother partners Lucianna "Louie" and Angelo Emiliani are turning their Cafe Louie into Louie's Italian American, a new Italian restaurant on Harrisburg. (Annie Mulligan)

The Angie's Pizza concept has been something Emiliani has wanted to open since before Cafe Louie. He says he's past the nerves. For why he feels confident to open this time, he jokes, he's maybe "a little mentally crazy."

Similarly, Miriam Leek-Meira says it takes a "wacky confidence that borders on delusion" to open a restaurant. She and her husband are opening Yuma, a Brazilian and Cuban sandwich restaurant, this spring after running as a pop-up since 2023.

"We'd be nervous no matter what the economy was like - we're newbies. But that being said, I feel like we've placed ourselves strategically in building this concept up until now to be as successful as we possibly can be," Leek-Meira said.

She points to having built clientele over the years with the pop-ups and their own restaurant experience. She and her husband met while working at Brasserie 19 and have long worked in hospitality with the dream of opening a restaurant one day.

She says she's become desensitized to the high costs she's faced ahead of opening. The cost of Brazilian-imported products have particularly spiked due to tariffs, which is making them rethink how to source those ingredients to avoid an uptick in menu prices. And she's already had some unexpected trials like having to switch contractors due to reasons out of her control. But she has faith in Yuma's success.

"The consequences of failure are huge. But I feel that we've hedged our bets as best we can. It's something that is a gamble at the end of the day," Leek-Meira said.