Carmelo’s

Authentic Italian-American food filled with joy

SWOON:   Ben- you have a Restaurant in town called B&B Butchers (which I love!)   Where did the name come from?

B&B stands for Berg & Berg. My great-grandfather, Rudolph Berg, was a kosher butcher in Chicago.

SWOON:  When did you know you wanted to get in the restaurant business?  

I was working at a bar/restaurant in New Orleans during college and I had waited too long to take the LSAT and didn’t know what I wanted to do. A native New Yorker, I decided to go work for The Point Resort, a luxury hotel on Lake Placid, which was voted the #1 small hotel in the country at the time. I started as a bellman and worked my way up, learning every detail of the hospitality business. During my time there, my boss and mentor encouraged me to move into the restaurant industry.

SWOON:   By the way, someone told me you flooded…

Yes, we had five feet of water in our house for two weeks.

SWOON:  So a few months after Harvey you bought Carmelo’s in December. Right?  What inspired you?

Carmelo Mauro was ready to retire from the restaurant industry and reached out to me to see if I was interested in purchasing his restaurant. He knew that I was a local restaurateur and neighbor who would honor and respect the Carmelo’s name and only improve it in the years to come. We have the same, service-oriented mindsets and believe in giving back to the community. After a few short meetings, he made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.

SWOON:  This month is the 1-year anniversary of Harvey.  How has this year changed you?

It reminded me that all of the material things I lost are not important. It also made me take a step back and really appreciate my family, friends and neighbors who came out to help during that time. Everyone in our neighborhood stepped up to help and offer us their homes, clothes, etc. It was also amazing to see how resilient Houstonians were during that time. Everyone put their differences aside to help each other and get the city back and up and running.

SWOON:  Last question- what else can we look forward from you down the road?  Any new restaurants or changes?

My goal is to always bring the best to Houston and constantly create unique and unparalleled experiences for patrons. At Carmelo’s, we completely launched all new menus including a Sunday Brunch Buffet, Sunday Supper and Monday Pasta Bar. Over the next three months, I also plan to make several interior improvements to create a fresh, lively atmosphere, and eventually launch a happy hour menu.

Across the street from B&B Butchers & Restaurant, I will open a new concept called B.B. Lemon towards the end of summer or early fall. Further down the road, I will open Benjamin, a namesake restaurant inside The Star, a luxury apartment building in downtown Houston that was formerly the Texaco building.