C·CAP Launches Houston Advisory Council

We’re proud to announce the official launch of the C•CAP Houston Advisory Council: Led by Chef Aaron Bludorn as Chair, the exceptional group of culinary leaders includes: Andrea Bonner, Chester Chambers, and Warren Luckett.

Together, they’ll help guide C•CAP’s mission to empower Houston’s next generation of food & hospitality leaders.

Chef Aaron Bludorn (Chair)Chef/Partner, Bludorn Hospitality Group Chef and next-generation restaurateur, Aaron Bludorn’s mission is to create meaningful experiences through food and hospitality. Hailing from the Pacific Northwest, Aaron was drawn to the kitchen at an early age during his first job working as a dishwasher and prep cook in a small diner on Bainbridge Island. Energized by the comradery demonstrated in restaurants, Aaron pursued a career in hospitality and began his journey at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park. His learnings at CIA led to a prosperous career working under the country’s most celebrated chefs including Michelin-starred Chef Douglas Keene and Daniel Boulud. While working as Executive Chef in Manhattan’s Café Boulud, Aaron met his now-wife, Victoria Pappas Bludorn, and was cast in Netflix’s blockbuster culinary competition show, The Final Table, where he competed alongside renowned chefs from across the globe. That same year, he was honored by Star Chefs when he earned New York City’s Rising Star Community Chef Award.

In 2020, Aaron made his way from New York City to Houston, Texas, where he opened his namesake restaurant, Bludorn, a new American restaurant featuring French-inspired dishes with roots in the Texas Gulf Coast. Two years later, he opened Navy Blue, a contemporary seafood destination in Houston’s Rice Village, and in March 2024, Bar Bludorn, a quintessential neighborhood tavern that has quickly become one of the city's most coveted reservations. Most recently, he debuted Perseid, the all-day restaurant at Bunkhouse Hotels' Hotel Saint Augustine, which was just named one of Bon Appétit's Best New Restaurants of 2025.

Since opening his restaurants in Houston, Aaron has been honored as Eater Houston’s ‘Chef of the Year’ (2021) and recognized as a James Beard Award Best Chef: Texas semifinalist (2022). In 2024, Bludorn was named a James Beard Award semifinalist for Outstanding Hospitality and included in Robb Report’s list of 10 Rising Power Players in American Fine Dining. Perseid, Bludorn’s latest venture, is located at Hotel Saint Augustine which earned spots on Travel + Leisure’s It List and Esquire’s Best New Hotels list

Andrea Bonner
Andrea Bonner is the Division Chair of Consumer Arts and Sciences Center of Excellence at Houston Community College leading the areas of Fashion Design, Fashion Management and Merchandising, Culinary Arts, Pastry Arts and Hospitality Administration. Prior to her career in education, she worked for over 20 years in marketing, sales, and public relations in the healthcare industry.

Andrea is active in the community and volunteers for various agencies directly and through Volunteer Houston. She serves on the Board of Directors of The Ivy Educational and Charitable Foundation of Houston, Inc., and Art Colony Association which produces the world-renowned Bayou City Art Festival.

Andrea served as Regional Director of Fashion Group International of Houston, Inc. from 2012 – 2013 and holds memberships with the Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce, the African American Arts Advisory Association at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, the Port City, TX chapter of The Links, Incorporated, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. – Alpha Kappa Omega Chapter where she currently serves as Vice President of Operations.

Andrea holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas, a Master of Professional Studies in Fashion Business from LIM College in New York, NY, and is a current doctoral candidate at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. She is the recipient of several community awards including the Federation of Houston Professional Women – Woman of Excellence award and the Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce STEAM Role Model award.

Chester Chambers
Chester Chambers is an aspiring restaurateur in Houston, TX who has been cooking in pop-ups and food trucks for 7 years. His pop-up restaurant Cornrow explores connections between indigenous food and soul food, highlighting ingredients from Texas farmers. Chester recently completed the James Beard Foundation Legacy Network program as an advisor, and he currently serves as a chef in residence for Plant It Forward in Houston and Strategy Manager at US Foods.

Warren Luckett
Warren Luckett is an accomplished entrepreneur with more than 15 years of experience in owning a successful business. After graduating from Morehouse College in 2007 with a Bachelor of Science in Finance, and a quick foray into trading with Morgan Stanley in New York, Warren took his talents home to Houston to obtain his M.B.A from Texas Southern University’s Jesse H. Jones School of Business and begin executing God’s Plan.

In 2016 Warren established Black Restaurant Week dedicated to celebrating the flavors of Black American, African, and Caribbean cuisine nationwide.

Warren’s professional and civic affiliations have included the Court of Master Sommeliers, Houston Minority Supplier Development Council, City of Houston’s “Minority Business Enterprise,” and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. He was also named one of The Houston Chronicle’s “Most Stylish People of 2017.” He has served on the junior board of the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture and the board for the Greater Houston Black Chamber of Commerce (GHBC) were he has served as the Board Treasurer and 2nd Vice-Chair.

In 2020 Warren was a founding member of the Feed the Soul Foundation, established to aid marginalized entrepreneurs in the culinary industry with business development resources and support in order to foster sustainable business growth. He also currently sits on the Advisory Board for the University of Houston’s Conrad N. Hilton College of Global Hospitality Leadership.