CFF lineup revealed

Houston's top chefs and hottest new restaurants star in farm-to-table food festival returning this fall

A Dallas-based food festival will return to Houston for its second year. Chefs for Farmers will be held Saturday, September 30 and Sunday, October 1 at Autry Park, the new mixed-use development near the intersection of Allen Parkway and Shepherd Drive.

Saturday’s event is a barbecue-themed happening titled “You Can’t Handle the Truth.” Led by Truth BBQ owner Leonard Botello IV, the event will also feature chefs such as Christian Hernandez (Albi), Travis Lenig (Field & Tides), and three representatives from Blood Bros. BBQ: co-owner Robin Wong, chef Arash Kharat, and pitmaster/co-owner Quy Hoang.

It also offers a first taste of four restaurants that will open at Autry Park later this year: Annabelle Brasserie; an all-day restaurant from Berg Hospitality; Turner's Cut, a luxurious steakhouse from Berg Hospitality; Auden, a globally inspired, vegetable-forward restaurant; and Mayahuel, a Mexico City-inspired cantina and cocktail bar.

At Sunday’s “Flavor Face Off,” attendees will vote for their favorite creation from a roster of more than 25 participants. Headliners include James Beard Award winner Hugo Ortega (representing Backstreet Cafe), Top Chef finalist Evelyn Garcia and her business partner Henry Lu (Jun), CultureMap Tastemaker Awards Rising Star Chef of the Year nominee Jerrod Zifchak (Navy Blue), and James Beard Award semifinalist Alex Au-Yeung. (See below for a full list of participants for both days.)

Early bird pricing for both days is $135 for general admission and $180 for VIP passes that offer entering an hour earlier. Prices rise to $150 and $200, respectively, on Saturday, August 19. Tickets include food, wine, beer, cocktails, live entertainment, and more.

Having covered the “chefs” aspect of the event, let’s turn to “for farmers.” According to press materials, the event worked with local nonprofit Urban Harvest to identify local farmers who will supply ingredients for the chef’s dishes. CFF hopes to foster relationships between the participating chefs and farmers in the hope of exposing the farmers to new customers.

A representative tells CultureMap that each participating chef is given a $200 stipend to spend with the local farmer they partner with. Confirmed farms include Animal Farm, Stakar Farms Wagyu, Laughing Frog Farm, Blackwood Educational Land Institute, and Verdegreens Farms.

In addition, the Houston Food Bank will be on-site promoting its Empty Bowls fundraiser. Created by local artists, each $25 bowl sold benefits the food bank. Last year, CFF donated $5,000 to Urban Harvest and $5,000 to the Houston Food Bank, which also raised an additional $1,500 from selling bowls.

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Participants for Saturday, September 30

Albi – Christian Hernandez
Annabelle Brasserie and Turner’s Cut – Russell Kirkham
Auden – Kirthan Shenoy
Blood Bros BBQ – Robin Wong, Quy Hoang, Arash Kharat
Chi’Lantro BBQ – Ryan Sumagaysay
Craft Creamery – Steve Marques
Davis St. at Hermann Park – Mark Holley
Field & Tides – Travis Lenig
Georgia James – Greg Peters
Loch Bar – Aaron Panganiban
Mayahuel – Luis Robledo Richards
SmallBites Mini Donuts – Erika Villarreal
Truth BBQ – Leonard Botello IV
Wolfgang Puck Catering Houston Commissary – Larry de la Flor

Participants for Sunday, October 1

Amrina – Jassi Bindra
Andiron – Mario Da Silva
Backstreet Café – Hugo Ortega
Brasserie 19 – Michael J. Hoffman
Craft Creamery – Steve Marques
Degust – Micah Rideout
Eau Tour – Kent Domas
Eunice – Drake Leonards
Frankie B. Mandola’s Catering – Adolfo Monjaras
Hidden Omakase – Marcos Juarez
Jūn – Evelyn Garcia and Henry Lu
Lees Den – Maria Gonzalez
Liberty Kitchen & Oysterette – Luis Machuca
Lick Honest Ice Creams – Anthony Sobotik & Kendall Melton
Local Foods – Geoff Hundt
Lulu’s – Jose Monterrosa
Magnol French Baking – Otto Sanchez
Mayahuel – Luis Robledo Richards
Navy Blue – Jerrod Zifchak
Nobu Houston – Joe Murphy
Ostia – Travis McShane and Ray Melendi
Phat Eatery – Alex Au-Yeung
Rainbow Lodge – Mark Schmidt
Roma – Shanon Scott
Rosewood Beef – Michael Scott
Th Prsrv – David Skinner
Toro Toro – Paul Peddle
Wild Concepts – German Mosquera

Photo by Robert Jacob Lerma

Sample dishes from more than 25 restaurants at Chefs for Farmers.

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Oscars of the Food World

Houston earns 6 finalist nominations in the 2026 James Beard Awards

Courtesy of Chopd & Stewd

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Houston had an impressive showing in the next round of the 2026 James Beard Awards. Of the city’s 12 semifinalist nominations, four have been named finalists in the nationwide categories as well as two for Best Chef: Texas. The six total nominations are two more than the four that Houston chefs and restaurants earned in 2025.

Here are all of the nominees in the national categories:

Emerging Chef: Adrian Torres, Maximo (Houston)
Best New Restaurant: Agnes and Sherman (Houston)
Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service: June Rodil, March (Houston)
Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker: Tavel Bristol-Joseph, Nicosi (San Antonio)
Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker: Maggie Huff, Lucia (Dallas)
Outstanding Restaurateur: Hugo Ortega and Tracy Vaught, H-Town Restaurant Group (Houston)
Outstanding Restaurant: Mixtli (San Antonio)

The nominees for Best Chef: Texas include three people from Houston. Here are all of the nominees in the category:

Ope Amosu, ChòpnBlọk (Houston)
Evelyn Garcia and Henry Lu, JŪN (Houston)
Scott Girling, Osteria il Muro (Denton)
Gabe Padilla and Melissa Padilla, Cafe Piro (Socorro)
Finn Walter, The Nicolett (Lubbock)

Along with the finalist announcement for its Restaurant and Chef Awards, the James Beard Foundation announced that the Houston-based Southern Smoke Foundation will be an Impact Award honoree. According to the foundation, the Impact Awards "recognize achievements by individuals and/or organizations who are actively working to push for standards that createa more equitable, sustainable, and economically viable restaurantindustry and food system for producers, workers, and consumers alike."

In the semifinalist round, Houston led the way among Texas cities with 12 nominations. Austin earned nine nominations, followed by eight in Dallas and seven in San Antonio. Last year, Houston had four finalist nominations, including Thomas Bille of Belly of the Beast in Spring, who won Best Chef: Texas.

Notably, all of the Texas nominees are first-time finalists, except for Hugo Ortega, who won Best Chef: Southwest in 2017. March, the restaurant June Rodil leads as the CEO of Goodnight Hospitality, earned a finalist nomination in 2025 for Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program. Bristol-Joseph has earned significant national recognition from other groups, including a Food & Wine Best New Chef Award in 2020 and a Michelin star for Nicosi. Mixtli also holds a Michelin star.

Considered the Oscars of the food world, the James Beard Foundation announced the finalists for its Restaurant and Chef Awards on Tuesday, March 31. The awards recognize excellence by chefs and other culinary professionals in a wide range of categories ranging from Outstanding Chef to Best New Restaurant. Last year, the James Beard Foundation added three new categories to recognize the beverage side of hospitality: Best New Bar, Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service, and Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service.

Winners must also have “demonstrated commitment to racial and gender equity, community, sustainability, and a culture where all can thrive,” according to the organization’s website.

The awards also include media categories that will be announced on May 6. The Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony will be held at the Lyric Opera of Chicago on June 15.

Courtesy of Chopd & Stewd

Ope Amosu is participating in the James Beard event.

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