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    Splashy BBQ

    Acclaimed pitmasters aim to make a splash at new Typhoon Texas waterpark with best barbecue in Katy

    Eric Sandler
    Feb 25, 2016 | 1:07 pm

    Typically, dining at a theme park is more unfortunate necessity than something people look forward to, but Typhoon Texas hopes to change that. When the Katy waterpark opens on Memorial Day, it will feature a variety of scratch-cooked options including pizza baked fresh on-site, burgers made to order, and even grilled salmon.

    In particular, Typhoon Texas has made a commitment to serving top quality barbecue by hiring Misty and Russell Roegels as consultants. Over the last year, their restaurant, Roegels Barbecue Co., has emerged as one of Houston's most reliable destination for all forms of smoky deliciousness. The transformation from its previous incarnation as a Baker's Ribs franchise has been so thorough that Texas Monthly barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn named Roegels as one of his top 25 new and improved barbecue joints.

    As Russell Roegels explains, the partnership began when he and Misty were on a Christmas shopping trip to Katy Mills and met Typhoon Texas owner Keith Dalton.

    "We get to talking about the waterpark, and he mentioned there was going to be barbecue in there. I asked them how they were going to do it, and he told me they thought they’d be too big to cook it there," Roegels says. "I said, 'no, you’re not.' A few days later he showed up here. After he came here he ate, he liked it . . . One thing led to another to where we came on as consultants."

    The park will employ the same Bewley smokers that Roegels uses at his restaurant, and Roegels will train the park's pitmaster. The barbecue won't be branded as Roegels, but it will utilize the same recipes and techniques.

    "We’re going to set everything up and try to put out the best barbecue in Katy," Roegels says. The park's staff has the same aspirations.

    "Russell is an up-and-comer in the barbecue space, and we’re tapping into that," adds Typhoon Texas general manager Evan Barnett. "We believe that he provides a product that is incomparable to what most places have. He’s been involved with the planning stages all the way to the execution."

    All of the food options will be available for group events — as in, no more frozen chicken fingers for kids' birthday parties —and the barbecue will even be available for park visitors to take home for dinner after their visit.

    Could the park provide a mechanism for people who aren't interested in water slides and wave pools to get some barbecue?

    "As of right now, it will be available for park visitors," Roegels says. "We’ll see what happens with that. That’s not me. That’s in their court."

    Misty and Russell Roegels are lending their barbecue expertise to Typhoon Texas.

    Roegels Barbecue Russell Misty
      
    Photo by Eric Sandler
    Misty and Russell Roegels are lending their barbecue expertise to Typhoon Texas.
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    and the winner is...

    Innovative Houston chef is the city's newest James Beard Award winner

    Eric Sandler
    Jun 17, 2025 | 6:00 am
    James Beard Awards 2025 Thomas Bille Belly of the Beast
    Photo by Getty Images for James Beard Foundation
    Thomas Bille is Houston's newest James Beard Award winner.

    Add another Houston chef to the city’s growing list of James Beard Award winners. Thomas Bille, chef-owner of Belly of the Beast in Spring, earned Best Chef: Texas at the James Beard Foundation’s Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony.

    Held at the Lyric Opera of Chicago on Monday, June 16, Bille was one of five finalists for the award, along with fellow Houstonian Emmanuel Chavez (Tatemo), Emil Oliva (Leche de Tigre in San Antonio), Regino Rojas (Purépecha in Dallas), and Michael Anthony Serva, (Bordo in Marfa). Neither of Houston’s other finalists — Mexico City-inspired cafe Casaema (formerly known as Ema) for Best New Restaurant and fine dining tasting menu restaurant March for Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program — earned awards in their categories.

    A Los Angeles native who moved to the Houston area to be closer to his wife’s family, Bille took a winding path to his James Beard Award. He opened the first iteration of Belly of the Beast in 2020 as a chef-driven taqueria that was known for its ceviches and birria tacos. He then spent about a year at Chivos, an ambitious but short-lived Mexican-American restaurant in the Heights.

    In late 2023, he and his wife Elizabeth opened a new version of Belly of the Beast in a Spring shopping center. It showcased a broader array of Bille’s skills, with a wide-ranging menu that pulled from global flavors — lamb shank rendang, anyone? — that included meat, seafood, and pastas. The new restaurant quickly earned wide acclaim, including a Bib Gourmand in the 2024 Michelin Guide and CultureMap Tastemaker Award nominations for both Restaurant of the Year and Chef of the Year.

    “I feel a depth of gratitude,” Bille tells CultureMap in a text message. “Knowing that my wife and I were able to reopen on our own terms. Gratitude for my family, staff, and guests to give us love and support. It is much appreciated.”

    In an interview from the ceremony shared by the James Beard Foundation, Bille paid tribute to his wife, Elizabeth, for her role in the restaurant’s success.

    “The risk that my wife and I took to open this restaurant is more than worth it. My wife left her industry, she was a national director for nonprofit organization,” he said. “I said, ‘We’re going to reopen Belly of the Beast. I need you with me side-by-side the whole time.’ The first iteration she held down her job and supported us. With her at my wide, I’m able to focus on the kitchen, on the food, and mentoring my cooks. Able to see the bigger picture instead of just being in the weeds all the time.”

    Bille is the second Houstonian to win Best Chef: Texas, joining Street to Kitchen chef-owner Benchawan Jabthong Painter, who won in 2023. Since the category of Best Chef: Texas has only been awarded since 2022, Bille is the first man to earn the title. Prior to being its own region, the James Beard Foundation included Texas in the Southwest, where chefs Robert Del Grande (Cafe Annie), Chris Shepherd (Underbelly), Justin Yu (Oxheart), and Hugo Ortega (Hugo’s) all won awards.

    The only other Texas finalist to win his category was Arjav Ezekiel of Birdie's in Austin, who became the first winner of Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service, one of three beverage-oriented categories the foundation added for 2025.

    In addition to Bille and Ezekiel, Texam Chad Houser, founder of Cafe Momentum in Dallas, received the Humanitarian of the Year Award. Toni Tipton-Martin, a Houston-based author, scholar, and journalist, received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Houstonian Alba Huerta, who won Outstanding Beverage Program for her bar Julep in 2022, presented one of the night’s awards.

    “It’s with deep celebration that we congratulate the 2025 Restaurant and Chef Award winners — distinguished culinary, beverage, and hospitality leaders whose talent and vision are shaping our dining landscape,” said Clare Reichenbach, CEO, James Beard Foundation, in a statement. “These outstanding professionals are the epitome of ‘Good Food for Good,’ elevating our industry’s standards and redefining what’s possible in American cuisine.”

    James Beard Awards 2025 Thomas Bille Belly of the Beast
      

    Photo by Getty Images for James Beard Foundation

    Thomas Bille is Houston's newest James Beard Award winner.

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