Katy is now the home to one of Houston’s top Chinese restaurants, Pepper Twins. Opening in October of 2017 off of Grand Parkway, marked the fourth location for the Houston based restaurant, which opened its first location at Montrose in September of 2015.
“I hope the people in Katy like our food just like the people in downtown Houston,” Yunan Yang owner and founder of Pepper Twins said.
Over the past two years, Pepper Twins has also opened locations at River Oaks and Kirby. They continue to grow not only their business, but also their reputation in Houston. Pepper Twins has been featured in “GQ Magazine” and “Texas Monthly” for its authentic and organic country style Chinese food.
“It is a spicy and tingly type of cuisine authentic to Southwest China called Szechuan,” Yang said. “It is authentic food from my hometown in China.”
Yang said her mother-in-law taught her how to cook this authentic cuisine in 2003 while in her hometown of Chongqing, China. Yang’s love for creating delicious, homemade food started then but she never thought of it as a career option.
Yang was first a cancer research. She came to the United States for a post-doctorate fellowship program in Madison, Wisconsin. Over her five years as a researcher, she produced 27 different publications and received a grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to support her research.
While doing her research, Yang began to have some health problems that led to a complicated second-pregnancy. Through her research, Yang became friends with researchers and scientists in Houston. They shared with Yang how similar Houston’s climate was to her own hometown and that it might be a good fit for her and her family.
“I got to thinking that I really wanted to change my career,” Yang said. “I still loved making delicious food and I thought maybe I could do it in Houston.”
With Houston’s foodie culture, Yang thought her authentic Szechuan cuisine would do well and be something the diverse city would enjoy. Yang was right. Her husband and two children moved to Houston in the summer of 2015 and have already made a name for Pepper Twins.
“I wanted to offer people the authentic Chinese food of my hometown with its unique spicy and tingly flavor that is different from the spicy Mexican food around here,” Yang said. “Plus, it is very healthy.”
Everything Pepper Twins serves is high quality, organic and local if possible. Yang tries to find farms that can send their produce directly to their restaurant. Pepper Twins’ authentic Chinese ingredients are imported directly from China every three months to ensure freshness.
“I find homemade food to be more delicious than anything else,” Yang said. “I wanted to translate that concept into the restaurant.”
The name for the restaurant was actually inspired by Yang’s two children. As a going away gift from a colleague in Madison, Yang received a drawing of her two children that is now the focus of the Pepper Twins logo.
“Both of my children from a young age have loved my food,” Yang said. “Even with it being spicy, they loved it at a young age. So we thought Pepper Twins would be a good name for the restaurant and using the drawing as the logo went along with it.”
Yang is excited to bring Pepper Twins to Katy and share her hometown’s food with the people of Katy. The Katy menu has over 30 new authentic Szechuan Chinese dishes for customers to explore.
Pepper Twins is located at 1315 W Grand Parkway S and is open Tuesday through Sunday for lunch and dinner. The Katy location also features a large party room for guests to reserve that accommodates up to 25 people.
For more information about Pepper Twins, visit txpeppertwins.com. There you will find menus, locations and a full list of Pepper Twins awards and accolades.
Pepper Twins is also running a special for Katy Christian Magazine readers. Guests who mention they saw this story in the Magazine will receive a special discount Tuesday through Thursday. Be sure to stop in and let them know where you heard about them!