The second Houston-area location of North Italia opens October 5 at The Woodlands Mall, located at 1201 Lake Woodlands. The Woodlands’ kitchen of this Italian chain, which debuted its first Houston location at BLVD Place in 2014, is helmed by executive chef Shawney Severns, who has creative license to include her personal take on the menu.

This is in line with the company’s intent to develop chef-driven restaurants. This thoughtful approach means that menus vary slightly from location to location. Severns grew up in a military family, and as a result, moved around to various countries, including England, Germany and Italy. She relocated to the United States to attend high school, and started working in restaurants as a dishwasher.