james beard semifinalists 2022

Oscars of the food world recognize Houston chefs and restaurants with 12 semifinalist nominations

Chef-owner Alex Au-Yeung.

Photo by Kimberly Park

The James Beard Awards have returned. After a two-year hiatus, the James Beard Foundation revealed its semifinalists for its 2022 Restaurant and Chef Awards.

Considered the Oscars of the food world, the awards recognize outstanding chefs and other culinary professionals in a wide range of categories ranging from Outstanding Chef to Best New Restaurant and a range of media categories. This year will be the first time the foundation has given an award for Best Chef: Texas, which it created after the 2019 awards to recognize the state’s diverse collection of talent.

Houston restaurants and bars are well represented among both the national and regional awards. Overall, the city earned five national nominations and leads the way with seven nominations for Best Chef: Texas.

They are:

Outstanding Restaurateur: Chris Williams, Lucille’s Hospitality Group
Best New Restaurant: Pier 6 Seafood & Oyster House
Outstanding Pastry Chef: Ruben Ortega, Xochi
Outstanding Hospitality: Hugo’s
Outstanding Bar Program: Julep

Best Chef: Texas nominees:

Alex Au-Yeung, Phat Eatery
Aaron Bludorn, Bludorn
Sylvia Casares, Sylvia's Enchilada Kitchen
Christine Ha and Tony J. Nguyen, Xin Chào
Quy Hoang, Blood Bros. BBQ
Kaiser Lashkari, Himalaya Restaurant
Felipe Riccio, March

Elsewhere in Texas, Dallas-Fort Worth garnered five national five Best Chef: Texas nominations. San Antonio earned four national and four Best Chef: Texas nominations. Austin trailed with two national nods, both for Emerging Chef, and two Best Chef: Texas nominees.

Barbecue pitmasters faired well in the Texas category. In addition to Hoang, Esaul Ramos Jr. (2M Smokehouse in San Antonio), Ernest Servantes and David Kirkland (Burnt Bean Co. in Seguin), and Damien Brockway (Distant Relatives in Austin) all lead barbecue joints that named to Texas Monthly’s recent 50 best list.

Including pitmasters reflects the foundation’s goal to broaden the types of chefs and restaurants that it considers for its awards. After the foundation canceled its 2020 awards, the New York Timesreported that none of 2020’s Black nominees won their categories. The organization also faced criticism that it nominated people accused of unethical behavior.

After an audit, the foundation overhauled the awards process. Nominees must now provide an alignment statement that demonstrates their support for at least one of the foundation’s stated values of equity, transparency, respect, integrity, community, and passion. In addition, the foundation changed eligibility requirements for voting. Whether these changes are enough to satisfy critics remains to be seen.

The Beard Foundation will announce the finalists for its restaurant and chef awards as well as the honorees for the Leadership, Lifetime Achievement Award, and Humanitarian of the Year Awards on March 16. Media award finalists will be revealed on April 27. Winners will be awarded in Chicago on June 13.

Christine Ha and Tony Nguyen, Xin Chao.

Photo by John Suh/Xin Chao

Christine Ha and Tony Nguyen, Xin Chao.

awards

BA hearts HOU

Houston haunt earns only Texas spot on Bon Appètit best new bars list

Photo by Julie Soefer

Lee's is one of America's best new bars, says Bon Appètit.

A Houston bar is basking in the national spotlight. Bon Appètit has named Lee’s in Rice Village to its list of The 9 Best New Bars of 2025.

Published last week, the list spotlights new bars in cities ranging from cocktail staples like New York and New Orleans to an establishment in Madison, Wisconsin that served a menu inspired by the Great British Bake-Off. “These places remind us why we go out in the first place: not just to drink, but to drink in community, creativity, and craft,” the magazine writes.

Lee’s is the only Texas establishment to make the list. Open since January, it’s the companion cocktail bar to Milton’s, the nostalgic Italian-American restaurant that Local Foods Group opened last year. Just as Milton’s is named for LFG owner Benjy Levit’s father, Lee’s is named for his mother. The bar earned a CultureMap Tastemaker Award Bar of the Year nomination for its ability to blend a quirky cocktail menu with a warm, welcoming atmosphere.

In its entry, Bon Appètit recognizes Lee’s for cocktails such as the Black Hat, a black Manhattan that’s also black in color courtesy of cuttlefish ink, and the Pale Blue Eyes, an Old Fashioned that’s blue thanks to a clarified blue corn syrup. “Much of the inspiration at Lee’s is understated, from drink names that reference the Velvet Underground to complex mixology,” the magazine adds.

“I am extremely honored for Lee’s to be recognized on such a short, meaningful list by Bon Appètit,” Levit said in a statement. “The article describes a great bar as being about ‘mood, memory, effortless hospitality, and a sweet suspension of time.’ It’s everything we strive for at Lee’s and across all Local Foods Group concepts.”

Shortly before Bon Appètit named Lee’s to its list, the bar made a quiet change in personnel when director of bars Máte Hartai left the company in mid-May. Hartai, whose resume includes both Refuge and Tongue-cut Sparrow, is the cocktail expert who created the menu that earned Lee's its award. In his place, the company has named former March bartender Chad Matson as the bar manager for both Lee’s and Milton’s.

“The LFG team is grateful for [Hartai’s] contributions and wishes him the best in his future endeavors, which will without a doubt be fun and creative,” a representative tells CultureMap.

cocktails nightlife lee's lists bon appetit