Our Story
Born From Fire
A restaurant rooted in the primal beauty of cooking over live flame — and the belief that great food brings people together.
Origin
The Beginning
Ember & Slate opened its doors on South Congress Avenue in the spring of 2021 — born from a vision that had been simmering for over a decade. Chef Marco Valerio, raised in a family of Italian immigrants who ran a trattoria in Houston, grew up understanding that food is more than sustenance. It's memory. It's culture. It's love.
After culinary school at CIA in Hyde Park, Marco spent years cooking across continents — in the asadores of Argentina, the wood-fire pizzerias of Naples, and the live-fire kitchens of Copenhagen's new wave restaurant scene. Everywhere he traveled, fire was the constant. Fire was the teacher.
He returned to Texas with a singular mission: to build a restaurant that honored fire's transformative power while embracing contemporary American ingredients and plating sensibility. The result is Ember & Slate — where ancient technique meets modern restraint.
Philosophy
Our Mission
We believe fine dining should never mean inaccessible. Ember & Slate exists in the space between — where impeccable ingredients meet a warm, welcoming room. Where technique serves joy, not ego. Where every guest feels like they belong.
Source Locally
12+ Texas farm and ranch partnerships. We know exactly where our food comes from.
Cook Honestly
Fire as the primary technique. No shortcuts, no artifice. The ingredient is the star.
Welcome Everyone
Fine-casual means everyone deserves this experience — dressed up or dressed down.
The Space
Our Interior
The Main Dining Room
The Bar & Lounge
The Chef's Counter
Private Dining
The Patio
The Wine Room
James Beard
Semifinalist 2024
Meet the Chef
Marco Valerio
Executive Chef & Co-Founder
Chef Marco Valerio approaches the kitchen like a sculptor approaches stone — he removes what doesn't belong until the essential truth of an ingredient is revealed. His career spans three continents and a dozen culinary traditions, but his philosophy remains singular: the best cooking requires restraint, respect, and fire.
Before opening Ember & Slate, Marco held positions at Michelin-starred restaurants in New York and London, led the kitchen at a celebrated Napa Valley estate, and staged under fire-cooking legend Francis Mallmann in Patagonia. He was named one of Food & Wine's “Best New Chefs” in 2022.
At Ember & Slate, Marco personally develops every dish on the menu. He sources ingredients himself from farmers' markets each Tuesday and Saturday. “If I don't know where it's from,” he says, “it doesn't go on the menu.”
22+
Years Cooking
3
Continents
2024
JBF Semifinalist