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    Foodie News

    More Houston chefs than ever make the James Beard Award semifinalists list

    Sarah Rufca
    Feb 17, 2011 | 10:26 am
    • Anvil's mixologist Bobby Heugel, up for Outstanding Wine & Spirits Professional
      Photo by Katharine Shilcutt/Flickr
    • RDG + Bar Annie's Robert Del Grande, Outstanding Chef semifinalist
      Photo by Michelle Watson/LastNightPics.com
    • Randy Rucker of Bootsie's Heritage Cafe, Best Chef: Southwest and Best NewRestaurant semifinalist
    • Michael Cordúa, with wife Lucia at the Américas River Oaks grand opening, is onthe ballot as semifinalist for Outstanding Restaurateur.
      Photo by Michelle Watson/LastNightPics.com
    • Bryan Caswell (pictured at the James Beard Awards in 2010) is a semifinalist forBest Chef: Southwest for the third consecutive year.

    Forget the overblown Grammys and the boozy Golden Globes: For anyone who loves food and restaurants the real awards season started today with the announcement of the semifinalists for the James Beard Foundation Awards.

    The Oscars of the culinary world, a Beard nod is admittance to the A-list — and several Houston chefs and restaurateurs made the cut.

    Most notable is the inclusion of Tomball's Bootsie's Heritage Café in the Best New Restaurant category, among the most anticipated and celebrated new restaurants in the country like Jean-Georges Vongerichten's ABC Kitchen in New York, Philadelphia's Barbuzzo, and The Girl and the Goat in Chicago. Bootsie's chef/owner Randy Rucker also received a separate honor as a semifinalist in the Best Chef: Southwest category.

    Alongside Rucker in the Best Chef: Southwest category is Bryan Caswell, who was a finalist for the award in 2010. Caswell is chef and co-owner at Reef, Stella Sola, Little Bigs and the forthcoming El Real, a Tex-Mex spot on Westheimer set to open in March.

    "I couldn't be happier," Caswell tells CultureMap. "There are more people from Houston than ever on the list. There have only been three chefs from Texas to ever win a James Beard — Dean Fearing, Stephen Pyles and Robert Del Grande — so it's exciting."

    Asked what would happen if the Best Chef: Southwest award came down to him and Rucker, Caswell joked "We might just have to go out to the parking lot and scrap."

    Robert Del Grande of RDG and the new Ava Kitchen & Whiskey Bar is once again a semifinalist in the rarefied category of Outstanding Chef, putting him among the likes of José Andrés, Michael Symon, Michael Mina and Dallas' Stephen Pyles.

    "It doesn't wear off," says Del Grande, who has been a finalist four times and won Best Chef in 1992. "Mainly becuase it's a kind of recognition amongst your peers. It's also nice to know they haven't forgotten me. In the 1980s it tended to be a lot about Dallas and we were overlooked. Houston has gained a lot of stature and I think that's good."

    Del Grande says the semifinalist title only motivates him. "I always have an overreaction. I don't want to let anyone down so I just work even harder," he says.

    Michael Cordúa was nominated in the category of Best Restaurateur for his Cordúa Restaurants, which includes Artista, Amazon Cafe, Churrascos and the trio of Américas.

    "It's a great way to start the day," Cordúa says of his semifinalist news. "The first thing I saw this morning was a text from [my son] David, it said 'Good morning, wingman. Congrats.' "

    "When we first started in 1988 we said we wanted to be legendary. And we created a new dining category, not just in Houston but nationally, and people like what we're doing," adds Cordúa. "It's a great time to be Latin in America."

    Fans of Anvil Bar & Refuge will be excited by proprietor Bobby Heugel's inclusion in the Outstanding Wine and Spirits Professional category.

    "I was really surprised," says Heugel, who first heard about making the semifinalists list from Catalan's Chris Shepherd. "It's been a cool morning. To be on a list with some of these people like Sam Calagione, who makes Dogfish Head beer — I was shocked." Heugel says he's too busy with work on Hay Merchant to celebrate, but he plans to do something to reward the hard work of his staff.

    And Austin's Uchi, which is currently working on a Houston location, will only have more Houston buzz with Uchi and little sister Uchiko receiving a quartet of nominations for Best New Restaurant (Uchiko), Best Chef: Southwest (Tyson Cole), Outstanding Pastry Chef (Philip Speer) and Rising Star Chef (Uchiko's Paul Qui).

    You can check out all the James Beard Award semifinalists here. The finalists will be announced on March 21, with the winners chosen in New York on May 9.

    unspecified
    news/restaurants-bars

    hola, mayahuel

    Netflix chef's modern Mexican restaurant opens in Houston this month

    Eric Sandler
    Jul 7, 2025 | 6:45 pm
    Mayahuel restaurant
    Photo by Bethany Ochs
    Mayahuel's menu combines seasonal ingredients and heirloom corn.

    The countdown is on to Houston’s newest modern Mexican restaurant. Mayahuel will officially open for dinner on Friday, July 18.

    Located in the Autry Park mixed-use development, Mayahuel united Culinary Khancepts — the hospitality group behind Liberty Kitchen, State Fare, and Leo’s River Oaks (among others) — with star chef Luis Robledo Richards. Known locally for his short-lived taqueria Comalito, Richards is the pastry chef behind Mexico City’s celebrated Tout Chocolat. His resume includes serving as a judge on the Netflix series Sugar Rush: The Baking Point and being named the Best Pastry Chef in Latin America by the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.

    At Mayahuel, Richards will feature dishes made with seasonal ingredients and heirloom corn that’s imported from Mexico. At opening, it will be a tidy group of 16 savory dishes — divided into starters, “Tacos y Masa,” and entrees, as well as a separate tasting menu. The restaurant takes its name from the Mexica goddess of the maguey plant, which only blooms once, to emphasize its connection to Mexico’s land and culture.

    “At Mayahuel, we’re not just preparing food — we’re honoring time, place, and process,” Richards said in a statement. “Our ingredients are chosen only when they’re at their best. We don’t force nature to fit our schedule — we follow its lead.”

    Dinner at Mayahuel could begin with dishes such as bread and tortillas served with miso and salsa matcha butters, a bluefin tuna tostada with uni cream and yuzu aioli, salmon aguachile, or a beef carnitas croquette. The “Tacos y Masa” section includes beef cheek and shrimp tacos, a duck confit tamal, and a squash blossom tetela. Entree choices include filet mignon with mole negro, cochinita with black bean puree and tortillas, and sea bass with potatoes and salsa Veracruzana.

    Brunch is a more casual affair built around items such as chilaquiles, French toast, enfrijoladas, and a Mexican take on eggs Benedict topped with salsa roja hollandaise.

    Large format desserts each take inspiration from one of three ingredients — vanilla, coffee, or cacao. Priced at $28 each, the menu describes them as “a thoughtful, interactive finale that honors tradition through technique, seasonality, and imagination.”

    Pairings include cocktails made with agave spirits, fresh juices, and house made syrups. Notably, all tequilas will be additive-free, which means some prominent brands may not be featured behind Mayahuel’s bar.

    The restaurant occupies an approximately 5,100-square-foot space that’s divided into a 16-seat bar, a 40-seat dining room, an eight-seat chef’s table, a 36-seat, second floor dining room, and a 34-seat patio. It joins other concepts in Autry Park such as French restaurant Annabelle Brasserie, sushi spot Doko, fine dining steakhouse Turner’s Cut, Vietnamese restaurant Annam, and a still-unnamed concept from Austin’s Emmer & Rye Hospitality.

    “Mayahuel is about creating a sense of place and story,” Culinary Khancepts founder Omar Khan said. “It’s a natural evolution for our group — rooted in culture, crafted with care, and designed to be as memorable as it is welcoming.”

    Mayahuel will be open for happy hour and dinner Monday-Saturday and brunch on Saturday and Sunday. Reservations are available on OpenTable.

    Mayahuel restaurant
      

    Photo by Bethany Ochs

    Mayahuel's menu combines seasonal ingredients and heirloom corn.

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    news/restaurants-bars

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