Houston’s food scene continues to distinguish itself as one of the best in the nation with 12 restaurants and chefs in the city on the James Beard Foundations semifinalist list.
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The 2018 James Beard Awards Restaurant & Chef semifinalists have been announced! Who was James Beard, and why is there such a prestigious culinary award bearing his name? #JBFA Cc: @beardfoundation https://t.co/bi1y25RgYX
— Biography.com (@biography) February 15, 2018
Hugo Ortega brought home an award for the Bayou City last year in the Best Chef – Southwest category, and his restaurant Xochi is among the finalists for this year’s Best Restaurant award, according to Eater.
"Each mole tells a story about the village, town, or state that it comes from, which makes them incredibly important dishes" says @ChefHugoOrtega. Plus, the #jbfa winner shares his recipe for duck confit with mole poblano https://t.co/EByWrrFBiP
— James Beard Foundation (@beardfoundation) February 16, 2018
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Some heavy hitters in Houston’s restaurant scene and previous nominees return for another shot this year, alongside newcomers some may find surprising:
Locals will probably recognize Anvil Bar & Refuge, but Pondicheri’s Chef Anita Jaisinghan and Crawfish & Noodles’ Trong Nguyen are in the running for the first time this year in the Best Chef – Southwest category.
Here’s the entire list of Houstonians up for an award in 2018:
- Best New Restaurant:Â Xochi
- Outstanding Bar Program:Â Anvil Bar & Refuge
- Outstanding Pastry Chef: Jillian Bartolome, Aqui
- Outstanding Restaurateur: Tracy Vaught, H Town Restaurant Group (Hugo’s, Caracol, Xochi, and others)
- Outstanding Service: Hugo’s
- Outstanding Wine Program:Â Pappas Bros. Steakhouse
- Rising Star Chef of the Year: Martha De Leon, Pax Americana
- Best Chef: Southwest: Ross Coleman and James Haywood, Kitchen 713; Anita Jaisinghani, Pondicheri; Trong Nguyen, Crawfish & Noodles; Ryan Pera, Coltivare; Ronnie Killen, Killen’s Steakhouse
As Houstonia magazine described it, “the Oscars of food really likes what Houston is doing.”
Some reflections on this year's crop of James Beard semi finalists from Houston and Texas https://t.co/KzKnfVancG via @houstonchron
— Alison Cook (@alisoncook) February 15, 2018
According to the James Beard Foundation’s website, the finalists will be announced via an event in Philadelphia on March 14. The gala will be live streaming on Twitter and nominees will be announced in real time on their feed.
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BREAKING: Houston chefs and restaurants dominate this year’s list of James Beard Award semifinalists https://t.co/JuJVzCNr6p pic.twitter.com/gKpy0yRNOP
— Eater Houston (@EaterHouston) February 15, 2018
Good luck and eat up, Houston!