Birds of a Feather at Le Colonial

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The River Oaks District’s sexy-scene-y Le Colonial  (713.629.4444) has welcomed award-winning executive chef Hassan Obaye — formerly with La Table — to its culinary team helmed by Nicole Routhier.


The duo has collaborated on the launch of a new menu, which touts items like the coveted Long Island duck with bao, or steamed bread rolls. The dish, which also comes with hoisin sesame sauce and brown sticky rice, requires 48 hours’ notice and serves up to four.

And on the lighter side, there’s the Goi Bo, or the spicy beef carpaccio salad, drizzled with sweet-chili-and-agave dressing. And the Sup Bi Ngo is a sweet and creamy coconut-squash soup, topped with spiced pumpkin seeds.

Food+Travel

How did you get to where you are today? The present moment is a combined history of my family, my time as an athlete, my passion for learning, and my desire to see the world be better. I grew up as a successful springboard and platform diver, however, an injury caused me to seek alternative treatments to heal my body. In that process, I discovered the power of yoga, exercise, meditation, mindset, and nutrition. This holistic approach eventually led me to open a Pilates and cycling studio called DEFINE body & mind. I opened studios around the nation, and after selling most of my business between 2017-2019, I was ready to explore how I could make an even greater impact on the wellbeing of our community. In 2023, I started actively working on a brand new multi-family/apartment concept called, Define Living. The idea focused on offering health and wellness services within a beautiful apartment setting to increase the wellbeing of our residents. Having a strong sense of community is the number one factor in living a happy life, so why not build a community where daily fitness, cooking classes, and social connection are the norm? We opened Define Living in March of 2024, and we couldn’t be happier with how things are being received. We are already looking at building more concepts like this in the Houston area and beyond.

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How did you get to where you are today? A few key principles integrated into my life: setting clear goals, maintaining a growth mindset, building strong habits, and surrounding myself with the right people. Goals provided direction, while a growth mindset helped me turn challenges into opportunities for learning. Consistent habits, like disciplined work and effective communication, kept me moving forward. Being surrounded by motivated, supportive individuals has elevated my standards and kept me accountable. They’ve provided advice, encouragement, and sometimes that extra push I needed to stay on track. With these elements, I’ve been able to create a framework that helps me succeed and ensures I continue to grow and evolve.

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