Cooking has always been a large part of Christopher Nichols' family dynamic. He grew up watching his mother run her catering business, and he began cooking in his late teens, after watching the Food Network and Gordon Ramsay.

In July 2023, Christopher Nichols and his parents opened Oliver’s Gourmet in Missouri City, serving Southern gourmet food in the form of specialty sandwiches and soups with plans to eventually offer breakfast all day.

But for Christopher Nichols, the story behind Oliver’s Gourmet deals with more than just food.

“Anyone can cook food and serve it, but when you have a story, it connects with people on a different level,” he said.

How we got here

Four years ago, Christopher Nichols' son Oliver, or Ollie, was born eight weeks early, and his esophagus was not attached to his stomach. Ollie underwent a surgery that was rarely successful on an infant so tiny, and surgeons at Texas Children's were able to reattach his esophagus to his stomach in one surgery.

After 85 days in the NICU, Ollie was released home with a gastrostomy tube, and Christopher Nichols was warned that his son faced the possibility of permanently struggling to eat by mouth.

Flash forward to today, and 4-year-old Ollie meets all the metrics that NICU babies are measured by. Christopher Nichols said if you look at him, you would never know he spent time in the NICU. Ollie loves to eat all kinds of foods and can tell you the names of all his favorite dinosaurs, Christopher Nichols said.

Oliver's Gourmet is named after Oliver 'Ollie' Nichols, a happy, healthy four-year-old.
Oliver's Gourmet is named after Oliver "Ollie" Nichols, a happy, healthy 4-year-old.

A family affair

The name of the restaurant is not the only tribute to Ollie—he has an entire wall dedicated to sharing his story. Ollie’s family sees him as a gift from God, and they hope his story will inspire customers to believe in their own miracles, Christopher Nichols said.

“It's not just filling people's stomachs, but filling their spirits,” Christopher Nichols said. “His story is so incredible and continues to evolve and change, and so with that, we've been able to update his story periodically and let people know what's going on with him.”

Christopher Nichols said anyone can cook food and serve it, but a story like Ollie’s connects with people in a different way.

Something to know

Christopher Nichols said his mom, Lawanda, is the main chef in the kitchen who makes sure everything is up to the restaurant’s standards, while Scott Nichols, Christopher Nichols’ father and owner of Oliver’s Gourmet, tends to take all of the orders at the counter.

Christopher Nichols said his family has always been service-oriented, and the restaurant is just an extension of that.

“At the end of the day, when you see a smile on somebody's face and you hear their story, and they connect with what you're doing and you made their day brighter ... it's huge. That makes all the difference,” Christopher Nichols said.

One more thing

Oliver’s Gourmet is open for breakfast and lunch from Tuesday through Saturday. Christopher Nichols said customers especially love the Reuben sandwich and the overnighter, a tender pork shoulder sandwich that is cooked Mississippi style.