HOUSTON \u2013 \ud83d\udd11 Key Points<\/p>\n
Chef Omar Pereney\u2019s French bistro, Petite Lucie, is set to open in Market Square Park, Downtown Houston<\/p>\n
The concept will serve from morning coffee to evening cocktails, with plans to open in time for World Cup matches<\/p>\n
Pereney previously served as private chef to President George H.W. Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush<\/p>\n
The restaurant will feature his famous Love Croissants, which currently sell at 70+ Houston coffee shops<\/p>\n
From TV Star to Presidential Chef<\/p>\n
When Omar Pereney started cooking at age 12 in Venezuela, he never imagined his culinary journey would lead him to cooking for a U.S. president. <\/p>\n
\u201cMy dad seemed to think that I was charismatic. And so he was like, you should do a TV show. And I said, absolutely not. I\u2019m a cook. I\u2019m not an actor,\u201d Pereney recalled about his early days hosting five seasons of a cooking show on Latin America\u2019s equivalent to the Food Network. \u201cI was very serious. I really wanted to have this like chef persona. And they didn\u2019t let me wear a chef coat.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pereney worked at a seafood restaurant in Mexico City before coming to Houston when the business expanded. <\/p>\n
It was his work at that Galleria-area restaurant that led to an unexpected opportunity: becoming the private chef at age 23 for President George H.W. Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush in their final months.<\/p>\n
They always ordered from his restaurant on Sundays, Pereney said, and when a medical emergency happened with their old chef, Pereney found out he was high on the list to work for them. <\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, it was humbling because I\u2019m not a U.S. Citizen, and so I was learning about them as I was taking care of them,\u201d Pereney shares, noting with a smile that he \u201cmade way too many onion soups\u201d for the former first couple.<\/p>\n
The Croissant That Started It All<\/p>\n
After his high-profile role with the Bush family, and despite a successful job consulting to open other restaurants, Pereney took an unexpected turn \u2013 perfecting a croissant recipe. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t meant to make any money or anything because I had a job,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
But when he started selling at farmer\u2019s markets, something clicked. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe would sell out. And that\u2019s just so much dopamine man,\u201d Pereney said. <\/p>\n