Houston food lovers, chefs, and hospitality workers—the moment is here: The 2026 James Beard Award finalists have been revealed, and the city is one step closer to even more bragging rights. Once again, Houston made an impressive showing, with six chefs and restaurants named as finalists.

Here’s a full list of Houston-area chefs and restaurants who went beyond the semifinalist round:
Outstanding Restaurateur: Hugo Ortega and Tracy Vaught, H-Town Restaurant Group (Hugo's, Xochi, Urbe, and others)

Best New Restaurant: Agnes and Sherman

Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service: June Rodil from March

Best Chef: Texas: Ope Amosu from ChòpnBlọk and Evelyn Garcia and Henry Lu from Jun

Emerging Chef: Adrian Torres from Máximo (West University Place)

The 2026 semifinalist list generated buzz in late January when the city learned that a dozen Houston-area restaurants and chefs had made the cut. Notable mentions who did not advance to the finalist list include Shawn Gawle from Camaraderie, Manabu Horiuchi from Katami, and Kent Domas and Seth Siegel-Gardner from Milton’s. 

Southern Smoke Foundation also showed out this year, earning a spot as a 2026 Impact Award honoree. Launched last year, this award builds on the previous Leadership Awards that retired in 2024. According to the foundation, these awards recognize "changemakers actively working to push for standards that create a more equitable, sustainable, and economically viable restaurant industry and food system for producers, workers, and consumers alike."

Other Texas cities also fared well. San Antonio's tasting menu restaurant Mixtli advanced in the Outstanding Restaurant category. Tavel Bristol-Joseph, of the newly Michelin-starred dessert-tasting-menu restaurant Nicosi in San Antonio, and Maggie Huff, of the chef-owned Italian restaurant Lucia in Dallas, also advanced as finalists for Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker. Despite an impressive showing in the semifinal round, Austin ultimately fell short. 

Winners will be announced in a ceremony held at the Lyric Opera of Chicago on Monday, June 15. 

Known as the “Oscars of food,” these prestigious culinary awards are named for James Beard, America’s first “foodie,” who rose to fame after a successful run of cookbooks, a stint as the host of the country’s first food program, and the establishment of the James Beard Cooking School. Although established in 1990, the inaugural in-person ceremony didn’t take place until a year later. Every year since, the James Beard Foundation sends out hundreds of judges to survey several restaurants and find the best of the best.

Last year, Thomas Bille of Spring’s Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant, Belly of the Beast, won the title of Best Chef: Texas—an exciting feat after Houston failed to take home an award in 2024. 

In 2023, chef Benchawan Jabthong Painter, the co-owner of Thai restaurant Street to Kitchen, won Best Chef: Texas, marking the first time a Houston chef had won the newly created category (Houston was grouped under Best Chef: Southwest before 2020). And in 2022, Alba Huerta’s cocktail bar, Julep, earned Outstanding Bar Program, marking the city’s first win in a national category. Other past Houston winners include chefs Chris Shepherd and Hugo Ortega, who won Best Chef: Southwest in 2014 and 2017, respectively. 

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