Houston chefs win two James Beard Awards, spotlighting city’s food scene

Houston’s restaurant world landed two of the night’s biggest James Beard prizes in Chicago, with Adrian Torres of Maximo winning Emerging Chef and Evelyn Garcia and Henry Lu of Jūn taking Best Chef: Texas at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. For Harris County diners and the people who work in its kitchens, the results did more than add trophies to a local shelf, they showed how far Houston’s dining identity has moved beyond a narrow fine-dining model.

Houston had six finalists in all, a showing that kept the city at the center of Texas’ culinary conversation. The other local nominees were June Rodil of March for Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service, Ope Amosu of ChòpnBlk for Best Chef: Texas, Agnes and Sherman for Best New Restaurant, and Hugo Ortega and Tracy Vaught of H-Town Restaurant Group for Outstanding Restaurateur. Even the finalists who did not win helped underline a broader point: Houston’s national reach now stretches across beverage service, neighborhood restaurants, and chef-driven kitchens rooted in a mix of cultural traditions.

The wins also fit a pattern that has been building for years. Houston’s only previous national-category James Beard win came in 2022, when Alba Huerta and Julep captured Outstanding Bar Program. Houston-area chefs have now won Best Chef: Texas in three of the last four years, including Benchawan Jabthong Painter of Street to Kitchen in 2023 and Thomas Bille of Belly of the Beast in 2025. That run suggests that Houston’s influence is no longer limited to a few marquee addresses. It is increasingly defined by chefs building loyal followings in neighborhoods from the Heights to Spring and by operators who have turned local culture into a competitive advantage.

Torres, a DACA recipient, told the Chicago audience that he is proud to be an immigrant and a son of immigrants, a sentiment that resonated in a city shaped by generations of newcomers. Garcia said Houston is a city of dreams and hopes and thanked the city’s creatives and first-generation communities, putting immigrant identity and local ambition at the center of the story.

The economic stakes are real, too. Visit Houston has said Beard recognition can bring significant visibility and, in some cases, short- and long-term benefits for businesses. That matters in a county where food and hospitality remain part of the local economy and a visible source of civic pride, alongside energy and health care. Houston-based Southern Smoke Foundation, led by Chris Shepherd, was also among the 2026 Impact Award honorees, reinforcing how the city’s reach now extends beyond restaurants themselves.