Houston Has 12 James Beard Award 2018 Semifinalists
Xochi isn't just one of the best new restaurants in Houston, it's one of the best new restaurants in the nation.
Image: Cooper + Ricca
If “eating some of the best food Houston has to offer” was on your to-do list for this weekend but you’re not sure where to start, you’ll want to check out the list of Houston restaurants and chefs named as semifinalists for the 2018 James Beard Awards. Considered by many to be Oscars of the food world, it’s always nice to see Houston get some national attention, and with 12 semifinalists selected Houston is definitely feeling the love today.
Here’s the list of Houston semifinalists:
- Best New Restaurant: Xochi
- Outstanding Bar Program: 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: 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
With these 12 nominations, Houston has more semifinalists than Austin, Dallas and San Antonio combined. The 2018 James Beard Award finalists will be announced on March 14, and here’s hoping that Houston continues to get the love when those are announced. Congrats to all the semifinalists.
