Houston's new food festival

New Sugar Land food festival features more than 30 Houston-area chefs

A new food festival featuring more than 30 of the Houston’s top chefs is coming to Sugar Land. Bazaar Food and Wine takes place Saturday, May 18.

Held at Sugar Land Town Square, Bazaar Food and Wine builds on the success of last year’s Nowhere Somewhere Supper Club pop-up dinner. That night’s headliners — James Beard Award winner Paul Qui (East Side King), Top Chef finalist Dawn Burrell, and star Mexican chef Luis Robledo Richards (Comalito) — are all participating in the event, too. They’re joined by a who’s-who of Houston-area chef that includes James Beard Award nominees, CultureMap Tastemaker Award winners, and other notable names (see the full lineup below).

Organized by Rebees, the Dallas-based real estate firm that manages Sugar Land Town Square, the festival is divided into six distinct “neighborhoods” representing different parts of the world — Latin America, India & Pakistan, Asia, Africa and the Middle East, Europe, and Texas. Each neighborhood will have stations from five or more chefs along with entertainment. Performers include Dance Houston and other dance troupes, Houston country artist Sheila Marshall, African drummers, and a dragon and lion dance that will end the event.

“Bazaar celebrates and explores the special culinary heritage that is singular to the city of Houston,” Rebees executive Matt Ragan said in a statement. “Sugar Land Town Square is the perfect home for an event like this, located in one of the most diverse suburbs within one of the most diverse cities in the U.S.”

Tickets, priced at $150 for general admission and $200 for VIP, are on sale now. Purchase them and get more details at the event’s website. A portion of proceeds will benefit the James Beard Foundation.

Here’s the full lineup as of April 10:

Latin America

Victoria Elizondo, Cochinita & Co
Luis Robledo Richards, Comalito, Mayahuel, and Tout Chocolat
Victoria Marini, The Original Marini's Empanada House
Martin Weaver, Mi Tierra Mexican Kitchen
Cristina Benitez, Cafe Piquet
David Guerrero, Andes Café
Belen Baily, Sweets by Belen

India & Pakistan

Mayank Istwal, Musaafer
Dipak Aryal, Mahesh's Kitchen
Sunil Srivastava, Verandah
Kaiser Lashkari, Himalaya
Sharan Gahunia, Raja Sweets

East Asia

Benchawan Painter, Street to Kitchen
Paul Qui, East Side King & Golfstrømmen
Tom Cunanan, Soy Pinoy
Cori Xiong, Mala Sichuan Bistro
Cory Nguyen, Crawfish & Noodles
Jennifer Hoffman, Big Macarons

Africa and the Middle East

Yotam Dolev, Hamsa
Haig Tcholakian, Phoenicia Specialty Foods
Khalieb Rufael & Yems Thomas, Spice Boyz Supper Club
Adeel Khan, Haraz Coffee House
Dawn Burrell

Europe

Pedro Garcia, El Meson
Shawn Gawle, Camaraderie
Mikael Palmer, Savior
Otto Sanchez, Magnol French Baking
Bruno Amato, BB Italia
Andrea de Gortari, The Bake Happening

Texas

Jess DeSham Timmons, Camellia Monday Hospitality
Kirthan and Kripa Shenoy, Auden
Kennis Williams, Williams Smokehouse
Joseph Quellar, JQ’s Tex-Mex BBQ
Joe Cervantez, Pier 6 Seafood & Oyster House
Kathleen Morgan, Honeychild’s Sweet Creams
Alisher Yallaev, Prime 131

Photo by Amy Scott Photography

Dawn Burrell

festivals chefs news-you-can-eat

family-friendly outdoor bar

Massive, German-inspired beer garden coming to new Energy Corridor project

Photo by Eric Sandler

The new beer garden will be similar to Katy Beer Garden.

One of Houston’s most successful bar operators is bringing his talents to the Energy Corridor. Steven Salazar is opening Ashford Beer Garden at the Ashford Yard mixed-use development.

Slated to open in early 2026, Ashford Beer Garden will build on the success Salazar has had with Katy Beer Garden, the project he opened last summer at The Dryer, a mixed-use development on the property of Katy’s historic Cardiff Rice Dryer. Like KBG, Ashford Beer Garden will be large — roughly 21,000 square feet — divided into a 10,000-square-foot indoor beer hall with a companion cocktail bar and a 11,000-square-foot outdoor beer garden that’s shaded by trees.

“We’re sticking with that Bavarian charm,” Salazar says about his vision for Ashford Beer Garden. “Bring your family. It’s really relaxed. The kids are playing. You have multiple generations hanging out. It’s worked well in Katy. We’re excited to bring it to a new area.”

Of course, the new project will make some improvements on the original. Most importantly, Ashford will have a full kitchen (KBG mostly relies on food trucks and a nearby food court). Salazar says he’s looking for a chef to lead the kitchen.

In response to customer demand for private event space, Ashford Beer Garden will also have a larger second floor patio than KBG does. The beer garden will have a larger screen to make it easier for people to watch sports.

Located on the site of a former Schlumberger campus near the intersection of Dairy Ashford Rd. and Briar Forest Dr., Ashford Yard is a 12.7-acre development that will include apartments, restaurants, and retail tenants. Salazar says he found his values aligned with the projects developers, Houston real estate firms Market Square Companies and Tenon Property Company.

“We have a similar vision of quality for the community and creating a space and having great neighbors. Not being a strip center but a true development that’s above and beyond what the area has to offer,” Salazar says. Later, he adds, “It seems great for us to be surrounded by companies such as Shell and Baker Hughes and all these great neighborhoods."

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