When considering the nominees for Chef of the Year in the 2024 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards, there’s an obvious conclusion to draw: Houston has never had more culinary talent than it does right now.
Just look at this year’s nominees. They include a James Beard Award winner, a Food & Wine Best New Chef, and a Top Chef finalist. Our group includes people who have been part of the culinary scene for more than 10 years, as well as some who have only made their mark in the past two or three. They’ve trained at top eateries all over the world and serve a wide range of cuisines that reflects Houston’s diversity.
Beyond their food, our nominees are leaders in their community, who regularly lend their talents to raise money for a range of worthy causes. They recognize the contributions of their staff and present them with opportunities for professional growth.
Who will win? Find out March 27 at the Tastemaker Awards party. We’ll dine on bites from this year’s nominated restaurants and sip cocktails from our sponsors before revealing the winners in our short and sweet ceremony.
Buy your tickets now. VIP passes are already sold out and only a few General Admission tickets remain.
Here are the nominees for Chef of the Year:
Alex Au-Yeung, Phat Eatery
While the chef continues to earn raves for the eclectic Malaysian fare he serves at his Katy restaurant, diners don’t always have to drive down I-10 to experience Au-Yeung’s cooking. Diners can count on seeing Phat Eatery at any number of culinary events, including the recent Truffle Masters competition. Residents of The Woodlands will get to experience an even broader selection of Au-Yeung’s creations when Phat Eatery opens there this year. With more space than the Katy original, the chef will expand his dim sum offering to soup dumplings and also offer Chinese BBQ.
Benchawan Jabthong Painter, Street to Kitchen
After winning both Rising Star Chef of the Year and Restaurant of the Year in the 2022 Tastemaker Awards, Chef G, as she’s known, followed up with an even more dynamic 2023. Not only did she open The Prsrv, a historically-inspired tasting menu concept with Eculent chef David Skinner, she became the first Houstonian since Hugo Ortega to win a regional chef award in the James Beard Awards, becoming just the second person to be named Best Chef: Texas. The resulting recognition paved the way for Chef G and her husband/business partner, Graham, to move Street to Kitchen to a bigger, better location that’s made the restaurant better than ever.
Emmanuel Chavez, Tatemó
After earning Rising Star Chef of the Year in last year’s Tastemaker Awards and a James Beard finalist nomination for Best New Restaurant, Chavez continued his hot streak by being named Houston’s first Food & Wine Best New Chef recipient since Justin Yu earned the title in 2014. Currently in the running for Best Chef: Texas in this year’s Beard Awards, Chavez has embraced his role as a rising star in Houston’s culinary scene by showcasing his cuisine at food festivals and other events across the country. The chef is an entertaining Instagram follow, always quick to credit Tatemó’s staff for the restaurant’s success.
Evelyn Garcia and Henry Lu, Jūn
Little about the food they served at markets could have prepared diners for the eclectic fare these two chefs created for their restaurant in the Heights. At what was arguably Houston’s best new eatery of 2023, Garcia and Lu pay homage to their personal histories — hers as the child of Mexican and Salvadoran immigrants, his as the son of Chinese parents — with dishes that range from beef tartare with sesame buñuelo to five spice pork ribs. The duo has also been sharing the stage with colleagues by hosting monthly wine diners with many of Garcia’s fellow Top Chef contestants. A semifinalist nomination for Best New Restaurant in the James Beard Awards won’t be the last national recognition these two chefs receive.
Felipe Riccio, March
To create each of March’s regionally-inspired tasting menus, Riccio leads his cooks through weeks of painstaking research. More than looking at cookbooks, they consider a region’s history and culture to develop March’s six- and nine-course progressions. No wonder that March’s output in 2023 — one menu devoted to Greece and another devoted to Sicily — earned wide acclaim. Next up, Riccio will consider Continental cuisine at the Marigold Club, the new restaurant Goodnight Hospitality is opening with chef-partner Austin Waiter.
Luis Mercado and Paolo Justo, Neo
Winners of Best Pop-Up/Startup in the 2022 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards, Mercado and Justo have firmly established Neo as Houston’s premier destination for sushi lovers looking for a top-notch omakase. Not only do the Uchi veterans dry-age many of the fish they serve, each piece of nigiri gets a precise topping that enhances its flavors. The chefs travel regularly to take in new ideas, and sometimes those trips yield collaboration dinners such as recent meals with Gaijin, an ambitious Japanese restaurant in Copenhagen, Denmark. They’ve challenged themselves in other ways, too, such as partnering with Refuge for a sold-out series of dinners that included cocktails pairings. To paraphrase Ferris Bueller, if you have the means, we highly recommend experiencing the chefs’ creations.
Mayank Istwal, Musaafer
After training at top hotels in India, the chef made a 100-day journey through the country’s 29 states to foster inspiration for Musaafer’s eclectic menu. Istwal draws upon his deep knowledge of spice blends to craft both elevated takes on classic dishes for the a la carte menu and more creative fare for its tasting menu. By frequently collaborating with guest chefs, Istwal both introduces his regulars to new flavors and keeps things fresh for his staff.
Terrence Gallivan, ElRo Pizza & Crudo
After taking a couple years off when The Pass & Provisions closed in 2019, Gallivan returned to the food scene with a Montrose restaurant that serves Neapolitan-inspired pizza alongside raw dishes and some quirky shareables. The same attention to detail that made P&P one of Houston’s best restaurants exists at ElRo, where pizzas come out of the oven properly charred and crudos come together thanks to balanced flavors and contrasting textures. After all, it takes a pretty talented chef to serve an equally compelling spicy tuna on housemade bread and a first-rate meatball sub. Gallivan also oversees his wine list, creating a tidy group of well-priced choices that pair well with his food.
Travis McShane, Ostia
Credit the chef for creating a restaurant that feels far more established in Montrose than a place that only opened in 2020. After growing up in Kingwood, McShane worked alongside legendary New York chef Jonathan Waxman before returning home to launch his Italian restaurant in Montrose. The chef’s time in New York has served him well, as demonstrated by the excellent technique on display with Ostia’s signature roast chicken and precisely baked pizzas. He demonstrates Ostia’s hospitality by always serving a core group of classic pastas — such as carbonara, cacio e pepe, and all'amatriciana — even when they aren’t listed on the menu.
Musaafer/Facebook
Mayank Istwal, Musaafer.
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The 2024 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards ceremony takes place 6-10 pm Wednesday, March 27 at Silver Street Studios (2000 Edwards St.).
The Tastemaker Awards ceremony is brought to you by Stella Artois, Rías Baixas Albariño, Topo Chico Sparkling Mineral Water, 8th Wonder Cannabis, Tito's Vodka, CASE Chocolates, and more to be announced. A portion of proceeds will benefit our nonprofit partner, the Southern Smoke Foundation.
