It’s the most magical time of the year—by which, of course, we mean it’s the time when we celebrate the local talent who made it as James Beard Award semifinalists. This year, 11 Houston restaurants made the list, including four in the regional Best Chef: Texas category and seven in national categories. Additionally, 11 restaurants elsewhere in the state got a spot in national categories.

Often referred to as the “Oscars of food,” the James Beard Awards are among the most coveted prizes in the US culinary community. Hundreds of judges and committee members based across the country taste year-round and ultimately settle on a list of semifinalists for that year’s award season. In lieu of releasing a Vatican-style plume of white smoke (which we think they should most definitely do in the future—but from a smoker instead of a chimney), the foundation posted its list this morning on the internet.

Notable Houstonians on the 2024 semifinalist list include Jun, chef Evelyn Garcia's year-old Heights spot, which is vying for the super-competitive Best New Restaurant award nationally. Nancy's Hustle, which was nominated for Outstanding Beverage Program last year, is now up for Outstanding Restaurant. The folks behind Bludorn and Hamsa earned nods for Outstanding Hospitality and Outstanding Restaurateur, respectively.

Show me the list already!

These Houston semifinalists are now part of a long history going back to 1991, the inaugural year of the James Beard Awards. For the uninitiated, the awards are named after James Beard, considered America’s first foodie. Born in Portland, Oregon, in 1903, Beard operated a catering business that eventually grew into a small food shop. He launched a successful career as a cookbook author in the 1940s and acquired his own segment on America’s first television cooking show on NBC. The James Beard Foundation was established in 1987, a year after his death, as a way to highlight unrecognized American chefs. (And since we’re sure you’re all wondering, the foundation’s namesake never actually wore a beard—although at one point, he did sport a pretty dapper moustache.)

Previous Houston winners of James Beard Awards include last year’s winner for Best Chef: Texas, chef Benchawan Jabthong Painter, the owner of Thai restaurant Street to Kitchen in Second Ward. She is the first Houston-based chef to win the award for the state since Texas was separated into its own category. Previous Houston-based winners for Best Chef: Southwest (our former category) include Hugo Ortega and Chris Shepherd, both now household names in Houston. In 2022, Alba Huerta’s cocktail bar Julep famously won Houston’s first award in a national category when the bar took home Outstanding Bar Program. With a bit of luck, some of Houston’s 2024 semifinalists just might make their way onto the stage in Chicago in June to accept their very own James Beard Awards.

Editor’s note: Some SagaCity Media staff members serve on the James Beard Awards committee.

The 2024 James Beard Award Semifinalists