DINING FEATURE The Gripper Kitchen
Pearland restaurant serves sandwiches too big to handle T his year will be Rytonie Durden’s 19th year of cooking professionally, but the culinary journey of The Gripper Kitchen owner began at the age of 3 when he helped prepare family meals. “Food has always been a passion of mine,” Durden said. “It’s one of those things where no matter what walk of life you come from, we can all nd something in common when we sit down and eat food.” Durden got his rst professional kitchen job at 16 at his family’s bar. Later he graduated from the Culinary Institute of Michigan and launched his own catering business, Durden Catering. In 2019, during the social media chicken sandwich war between Chick- l-A and Popeyes, Durden posted his own signature chicken sandwich to social media, and thus, The Gripper was born, rst as a food trucker and later a brick-and-mortar shop. The Gripper Kitchen name comes from the menu’s oversized sandwiches that are hard to grasp with one hand. While most of The Gripper’s sandwiches are fried chicken, guests can also choose from cat sh, fried lobster and grilled salmon. A father of three, Durden’s family is woven into the fabric of The Gripper, which he manages with his wife. The Granddaddy Gripper, a salmon sandwich, is named after Durden’s grandfather Louis Johnson. “My grandaddy is part of my inspiration as far as who I am development-wise from a family man to a businessman,” Durden said. Durden partially credits the strong reception by the Pearland community to the large migration of Detroit residents to Houston who can appreciate the restau- rant’s Detroit-inspired items like grilled chicken pita. “The community is not trippin’; they just grippin’,” Durden said of Pearland guests. “It’s been a grand welcome from the community.” BY RACHEL LELAND
The Gripper Kitchen owner and chef Rytonie Durden performs his signature “gripper pose.”
PHOTOS BY RACHEL LELAND
THE GRIPPERS The Gripper Kitchen serves sandwiches, desserts and more.
The Young Gripper ($20) features fried chicken, chipotle honey, pepper jack cheese, spicy coleslaw and Big Bang sauce.
The Grilled Chicken Pita ($20) is a Detroit classic that features grilled chicken, lettuce, tomato, cheese and sauce.
Peach Cobbler Tacos ($6.99) are served with ice cream and drizzled with warm caramel sauce.
SILVERLAKE PKWY.
The Gripper Kitchen 9517 Broadway St., Ste. 103, Pearland 832-230-8687 www.facebook.com/thegripperkitchen Hours: Tue.-Thu. 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-10 p.m., closed Sun.-Mon.
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PEARLAND FRIENDSWOOD EDITION • AUGUST 2023
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