Calling all Houston food lovers. The time has come to open those wallets, because the Southern Smoke Festival has revealed the lineups, venues, and pricing for all three of this year's events, which will place October 21-23.
For its first in-person event since 2019, Southern Smoke Foundation co-founder Chris Shepherd has recruited more than 60 chefs that include many of his fellow James Beard Award winners, Top Chef fan favorites, and plenty of local talent. The event raises money for the Southern Smoke Foundation, the non-profit Shepherd started to provide cash assistance to hospitality workers in crisis situations like medical emergencies, natural disasters, lost wages, and other unexpected events. To date, the foundation's Emergency Relief Fund has distributed almost $10 million to recipients nationwide.
Here's the overview for each event, including locations and prices. All tickets go on sale at noon on Tuesday, August 30.
The weekend kicks off Friday with the H-Town Welcome Wagon. Held at Hermann Park's Lott Hall, the event features food prepared by more than a dozen Houston chefs, a few carefully-chosen out-of-towners, and Top Chef's Gail Simmons — paired with live music and Texas wines. Tickets are priced at $125 for general admission or $250 to enter one hour early. Here's the full lineup:
- John Avila, Henderson & Kane (Houston)
- Bun B, Trill Burgers (Houston)
- Terrence Gallivan, Elro (Houston)
- Mason Hereford, Turkey and the Wolf (New Orleans)
- Chad Houser, Café Momentum (Dallas)
- Brian Jupiter, Frontier and Ina Mae Tavern (Chicago)
- Rebecca Masson, Fluff Bake Bar (Houston)
- Gabriel Medina, Click Virtual Food Hall (Houston)
- Trong Nguyen, Crawfish and Noodles (Houston)
- Benchawan Painter, Street to Kitchen (Houston)
- Jacklyn Pham, Saigon Pagolac (Houston)
- Jeff Potts, 93 Til (Houston)
- Jordan Rubin, Mr. Tuna (Portland, Maine)
- Easton Sadler, R-C Ranch Butcher Shop (Houston)
- Chris Shepherd (Houston)
- Gail Simmons (New York)
- Paola Velez (Washington, D.C.)
- Joshua Weissman, YouTube (Houston)
- Jack Yoss, Hai Hospitality (Houston)
Southern Smoke on Ice takes place Saturday at the Houstonian Hotel. This premium event features a raw bar prepared by some of the South's top chefs paired with high-end wines. Kata Robata chef Manabu Horiuchi will break down a whole tuna and serve hand rolls. Tickets, described by organizers as "very limited," cost $1,000. The participants are:
- Ashley Christensen, AC Restaurants (Raleigh, North Carolina)
- Manabu "Hori" Horiuchi, Kata Robata (Houston)
- Cheetie Kumar, Garland (Raleigh, North Carolina)
- Mike Lata, FIG (Charleston, South Carolina)
- Nicole Mills, Peche Seafood Grill (New Orleans)
- Jason Stanhope, FIG (Charleston, South Carolina)
Sunday's East Downtown Throwdown most closely replicates the original Southern Smoke Festival with a wide array of chefs serving dishes cooked with live fire. As always, barbecue legend Aaron Franklin headlines. This year, he's joined by Top Chef judge Tom Colicchio as well as several former cheftestants, food TV star Andrew Zimmern, barbecue stars from across the country, and lots of local favorites. Expect a range of beverage options along with live music and a silent auction.
Tickets cost $225 for general admission or $450 for VIP. Spending the extra money brings early admission and access to indoor and outdoor VIP lounges. Lexus drivers who purchase VIP tickets will also receive premium parking.
Top Chef alumni:
- Karen Akunowicz, Fox & the Knife (Boston)
- Dawn Burrell, Late August (Houston)
- Tom Colicchio, Crafted Hospitality (New York)
- Sarah Grueneberg, Monteverde (Chicago)
- Stephanie Izard, Girl & The Goat (Chicago)
- Erick Williams, Virtue Restaurant (Chicago)
- Brooke Williamson, Playa Provisions (Los Angeles)
- Claudette Zepeda, VAGA (San Diego)
Beard Award winners and other national notables:
- Chris Bianco, Pizzeria Bianco (Phoenix)
- Jamie Bissonnette, Little Donkey (Boston)
- Katie Button, Katie Button Restaurants (Asheville, North Carolina)
- Chris Cosentino, Rosalie Italian Soul (Houston)
- Jeremy Fox, Rustic Canyon (Santa Monica, California)
- Marcus Jacobs, Marjie's Grill (New Orleans)
- Steven Redzikowski, Oak at Fourteenth (Boulder, Colorado)
- Stephen Stryjewski, Link Restaurant Group (New Orleans)
- Andrew Zimmern (Minneapolis)
Barbecue stars:
- Leonard Botello IV, Truth BBQ (Houston)
- Billy Durney, Hometown BBQ (Brooklyn, New York)
- Patrick Feges and Erin Smith, Feges BBQ (Houston)
- Aaron Franklin, Franklin Barbecue (Austin, Texas)
- Greg Gatlin, Gatlin's BBQ (Houston)
- Sam Jones, Sam Jones BBQ. (Ayden, North Carolina)
- Pat Martin, Martin's BBQ Joint (Nashville)
- Robin Wong, Blood Bros. BBQ (Houston)
Texans:
- Aaron Bludorn, Bludorn (Houston)
- Tavel Bristol-Joseph, Canje (Austin)
- Stephen Conklin, Hai Hospitality (Houston)
- Chris Davies, Underbelly Hospitality (Houston)
- Abbas Dhanani, Burger Bodega (Houston)
- Kevin Fink, Hestia (Austin)
- Diego Galicia, Mixtli (San Antonio)
- Shaun King, Hai Hospitality (Houston)
- Graham Laborde, Winnie's (Houston)
- Fermín Núñez, Suerte (Austin)
- Ryan Pera, Agricole Hospitality (Houston)
- Greg Peters, Underbelly Hospitality (Houston)
- Tim Reading, Underbelly Hospitality (Houston)
- Felipe Riccio, Goodnight Hospitality (Houston)
- Martin Stayer, Nobie's (Houston)
- Rico Torres, Mixtli (San Antonio)
- Chris Williams, Lucille's (Houston)
The Southern Smoke Festival returns in October.
