Vasquez out, Crash Hethcox in at Ritual Third chef in 4 months announced at Heights hotspot

A burger at Ritual in the Heights A burger at Ritual in the Heights Photo: Yelp/Irene C. Photo: Yelp/Irene C. Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Vasquez out, Crash Hethcox in at Ritual 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

Ritual, the new meat-centric restaurant at the high-profile corner of Studewood and White Oak, has hired its third executive chef since opening in June. Crash Hethcox will take the reins as interim executive chef and Culinary Director for all of restaurateur Ken Bridge's Delicious Concepts brands, including Pink's Pizza,Republic Diner, Lola and Shepherd Park.

Albert Vasquez, who took over from opening chef Jordan Asher in August, stepped down last week, according to Delicious Concepts' Ken Sheppard. Ritual has already seen the departure of award-winning brewmaster Eric Ogershok of Hill-Country-based Real Ale, who was supposed to help open a brewpub in the Ritual space. After superintending the beer menu for Ritual, Ogershok moved on last month, citing conflicting visions for the brewpub he was working to open in another space.

That's a dizzying degree of change for such a young restaurant.

Hethcox brings both chef and pitmaster chops to Ritual, his first assignment in his new Culinary Director post. He has worked his way across the Southeast, starting under the tutelage of James Beard winner John Currence in Oxford, Mississippi — where he studied international business at Ole Miss — and going on to kitchen stints in Charleston, New Orleans and Memphis.

In Houston, he has worked for the F.E.E.D restaurant group — which for a too-brief period operated El Cantina Superior for Delicious Concepts in what later became the Ritual space.

Hethcox has worked the BBQ cookoff circuit, and among other media appearances, was named "Late Night King of Memphis" by Last Call Food Brawl, a late-night eats show on the Food Network.

His brief stay at Delicious Concepts will include updating existing menus, developing future menus and jumping into the mix right away at Ritual. I've only eaten there once, so far, but I came away impressed by the formidable house burger — which includes smoked short rib and a bone marrow glaze —plus the array of 40 taps. So here's hoping Hethcox will steady the ship.