Never underestimate the power of good food.
After bonding over the delicacy that is macaroni and cheese, Chefs Malachi “Spank” Jenkins and Roberto “News” Smith took their talents to the kitchen and created Trap Kitchen LA. Now, the concept is being taken to Texas.
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From The Trap To The Kitchen
“We really came from the trap. The only thing we did to turn a negative to a positive was, switch out the product. The product happened to be food,” said Jenkins in a previous interview with Blavity. “Everybody loves food…food is a universal language.”
Sharing The Love
Now, Trap Kitchen is headed to Houston, TX, bringing fresh ingredients, flavors, and recipes to the city, thanks to Cali owner Oscar Edwards.
“The menu is full of exciting and approachable dishes we think will be a perfect fit for Houston’s diverse culture and dynamic culinary scene,” said Edwards. “Cali takes the concept of a Trap Kitchen location in Houston to a whole other level, expanding the menu to include Trap Kitchen signature dishes, along with the best recipes we have from chefs in California and other locations, and bringing them home to Texas with local chefs and flavors.”
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Where It All Started
The concept that is Trap Kitchen LA began in Smith’s grandmother’s house back in 2013. The chefs began to challenge the narrative known to the world as “trap,” and turned it into their own acronym: “Take Risks And Prosper.”
“You would have thought we [was] in there selling drugs, the way the house was always jumping,” Smith said, according to Blavity, in regards to the name.
“Someone was always by the door trying to pick up a plate. You got people running out the house, you know? So, the look of it was a trap, but we were in the kitchen,” he added. “So, it was Trap Kitchen. We just went with it.”
Now, it has a new concept called “Cali,” which a press release describes as “an exciting new culinary infusion of California cuisine from L.A.’s Trap Kitchen and a taste of Texas, with some Cajun flair,” heading to Houston, TX.
Although the location coming to Houston is inspired by the famous cookbooks created by both Jenkins and Smith, this isn’t the first time they’ve been taken on the road.
From three Los Angeles trucks and brick-and-mortar restaurants in Oakland and Portland to a pop-up in Las Vegas, plus a weekly stand at Smorgasburg Miami, their love for food continues to touch people from coast to coast.
