Houston’s food scene keeps getting better and it has the accolades to prove it.
This year, Houston chefs and restaurants received twelve semi-finalist nominations for the James Beard Awards; seven on the national level, five on the regional.
These awards are considered the Oscars for Culinary Arts.
The Bayou City's food scene is as hot as it is diverse.
“It's incredible,” said Brenda Fluth, a patron we caught up with at Pondicheri. “You can have anything that you want! Best Indian food in Houston.”
Pondicheri’s owner, Anita Jaisinghani, is a semifinalist in the Best Chef Southwest category.
“It really has turned into a foodie city,” added Pondicheri patron, Donna Lacey.
Houston’s 10,000 restaurants represent dozens of countries and offer a variety of cuisines including chef Hugo Ortega’s Xochi, nominated for Best New Restaurant.
This is chef Hugo’s 7th nomination. Last year, he won the Best Chef Southwest category for Hugo’s, one of his other restaurants.
“I still today… I cannot believe it,” said Hugo. “I mean, it's just an incredible, overwhelming feeling.”
The twelve nominees are:
Xochi: Best New Restaurant
Anvil Bar & Refuge: Outstanding Bar Program
Jill Bartolome, Aqui: Outstanding Pastry Chef
Tracy Vaught & H-Town Restaurant Group: Outstanding Restaurateur
Hugo’s: Outstanding Service
Pappas Bros. Steakhouse: Outstanding Wine Program
Martha de Leon, Pax Americana: Rising Star Chef of the Year
Ross Coleman and James Haywood, Kitchen 713: Best Chef: Southwest
Anita Jaisinghani, Pondicheri: Best Chef: Southwest
Trong Nguyen, Crawfish & Noodles: Best Chef: Southwest
Ryan Pera, Coltivare: Best Chef: Southwest
Ronnie Killen, Killen’s Steakhouse: Best Chef: Southwest
This year, there are more Houston nominees than ever before.
“The city is very energetic and has been this incredible explosion of great talent and I think the best is still to come,” said chef Hugo.
The awards are voted on by more than 600 culinary professionals who will announce the finalists in March and the winners in May.