Toasting the Tastemakers

Houston foodies help crown big winners at 2025 Tastemaker Awards

Photo by Daniel Ortiz Photography

More than 1,000 Houston foodies packed Silver Street Studios on April 3 for the 2025 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards, our annual celebration of the city's best food and drink. Trophies were presented, toasts were made, and many (many) samples were eaten — all to shine a light on Houston's top restaurant and bar talent.

The lively evening revealed the big winners and honored all nominees, which a judges' panel of industry experts had spent months analyzing and voting on, and which readers had gotten to know through a special editorial series.

The signature tasting event allowed guests gathered to rub elbows with Houston's best chefs, bartenders, restaurateurs, all to celebrate H-Town's culinary stars.

This year’s Tastemaker Awards benefited the Southern Smoke Foundation, which was founded in 2015 to offer emergency relief funding and access to mental health services to members of the food and beverage industry.

Of course, the event would not have been possible without the support of our 2025 sponsors. A big thanks goes to Stella Artois, Chardon, Jim Beam Black, Ritual Zero Proof, Seedlip, Valencia's Tex-Mex Garage, Hornitos, Ghost Hill Organic Vodka, and PicMe Events.

VIP ticket-holders got to arrive an hour early to enjoy sips from their own bar and a giant charcuterie spread in the VIP Lounge, courtesy of sponsor Chardon.

Nominated chefs and restaurants dished out their favorite plates, including:

Short rib Reuben sliders from Bar Bludorn
Smoked picanha with Swamp Sauce from Bayou Butchers
Cuban pork belly bahn mi from Brass Tacks
Smoked pork belly with Colima-style mole from Deckle and Hide
Spicy rigatoni Pasta Zaza from Drake's Hollywood
Hamachi tacos from Lee's
Short rib burnt end lollies from Leo's River Oaks
Smoked chicken flautas, Rico-style, from Little Rey
Spanish octopus with smoked potato salad from Little's Oyster Bar
Lychee ceviche from Musaafer
Octopus skewers from Októ
Mussel escabeche crostini from Ostia
Corned beef brisket and rice from Subo
Tuna tostadas from Tatemó
Vietnamese betel leaf beef from Traveler's Cart

And to satisfy the sweet tooth, pastry chefs offered these indulgent bites:

Peanut gianduja tart from Berg Hospitality
Caramel Couch O'Stick from Fluff Bake Bar
Purple Rain iced latte and The Slowpoke iced latte from Slowpokes
Affogato and fermented Mexican coffee from Tenfold Coffee Company
The Bay Fog and The Magic Johnson Macchiato from Xela Coffee Roasters

Guests mingled in the Stella Artois Beer Garden and lifted their bartender-crafted cocktails high as they honored the winners and sampled delicious dishes. The drinks included:

Meticulously Made Daiquiri from Ishtia and Meticulous Spirits
Appleteeny and Spice Melange from Lee's
Tepache Mezcalita and Southside from Melrose

Local chef, entrepreneur, and James Beard Award winner Chris Shepherd emceed the awards ceremony and handed out prizes for Bar, Chef, Bartender, and Restaurant of the Year; Rising Star Chef and Pastry Chef of the Year; Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year; Best Start-up/Pop-up; and Best Coffee Shop, this year’s wildcard category. One of the most anticipated announcements of the night was the winner of Best New Restaurant, which had been voted on by CultureMap readers.

Winners graciously accepted their beautiful glass trophies onstage and proudly smiled for the camera. See the full list of winners here.

The Tastemaker Awards program began in 2014 and has become the city’s defining food event, letting local top local chefs mix and mingle with passionate foodies.

This year, we raise a glass to the winners, plus all of the sponsors, participants, and attendees who made the evening a huge hit. Scroll through the photos above to relive all the highlights of the night. We’ll see you next year!

Photo by Daniel Ortiz

Leo's River Oaks won the Best New Restaurant category.

tastemaker awards Tastemaker Awards

What's eric eating episodes 513 and 514

Beard Award-winning chef and family dish on their new Houston restaurant

Zaranda restaurant Tracy Vaught Hugo Ortega Sophia Ortega

Photo by Nick de la Torre

Zaranda owners Tracy Vaught, Hugo Ortega, and Sophia Ortega are this week's guests.

On this week’s episode of “What’s Eric Eating,” James Beard Award-winning chef Hugo Ortega, his wife and business partner Tracy Vaught, and their daughter Sophia Ortega join CultureMap editor Eric Sandler to discuss H-Town Restaurant Group. The company operates a number of local concepts, including interior Mexican restaurant Hugo’s, Backstreet Cafe, Mexican street food eatery Urbe, and Zaranda, the company’s newly opened restaurant in downtown that’s inspired by California.

After a brief discussion of the early days of Hugo’s, the trio dives into the process of opening Zaranda. Vaught explains how she became aware of the space in the Norton Rose Fulbright Tower and why it’s proximity to Discovery Green made it particularly appealing. Chef Ortega shares how a three-week road trip throughout Mexico provided some of the inspiration for both Zaranda and Caracol, his Galleria-area seafood restaurant.

From there, chef Ortega describes how the zaranda — a wire metal basket used to cook seafood over an open flame — anchors much of the menu. He also recommends some dishes diners should try when they visit Zaranda.

Sandler asks Sophia Ortega what it’s like working with her parents. “I get that comment a lot. It is very different. A lot of people can’t imagine working with family,” she says.

“For me, I’m an only child. We’re a very close family unit. The restaurants have been a huge part of my growing up. For us, it comes very naturally to work together. It’s all we know. I’ve only ever worked for my restaurants. A lot of the employees have seen me grow up. I think we all have our own lane, but at the same time we overlap. We’re always open to hearing different opinions. That’s when the best decisions are made. I love it.”

“Sophia is very intuitive. The way she communicates is very thoughtful and sensitive. I think that’s so valuable for our staff. Everybody loves her,” Vaught adds.

Listen to the full episode for an update on Backstreet Cafe. Its original building was torn down last year to make way for an all-new structure that’s on track to open next year — hopefully in time for its legendary Mother’s Day brunch. Sandler also asks about the restaurant group’s conspicuous omission from the Michelin Guide.

In this week’s other episode, Sandler and co-host Mary Clarkson, the proprietor of newly-open wine shop Montrose Grocer, discuss the news out of the week. They begin with a discussion about the Houston Chronicle’s list of the city’s top 100 restaurants, including a discussion of Aga’s as the No.1 selection, some of the new entries on the list, and restaurants that dropped off the list entirely, such as Himalaya, Kata Robata, and Killen’s Barbecue. They also talk about Bari Ristorante opening a new location in The Woodlands and restaurateur Brian Doke’s plans to open Lazy Lane restaurant in Garden Oaks.

In the restaurant of the week segment, Clarkson and Sandler share thoughts on their recent meal at Maison Chinoise. Located next to Brasserie 19 in the River Oaks Shopping center, the new Chinese restaurant is the latest project from Dallas-based Lombardi Family Concepts, known locally for Toulouse Cafe and Bar, its French restaurant in River Oaks District, and Lombardi Cucina Italiana in Uptown Park.

Listen to the episode to hear which dishes they liked best, as well as the one that missed the mark. They also discuss its decor and how it will fit with the other luxurious restaurants in the shopping center.

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Zaranda owners Tracy Vaught, Hugo Ortega, and Sophia Ortega.

Photo by Nick de la Torre

Zaranda owners Tracy Vaught, Hugo Ortega, and Sophia Ortega are this week's guests.

podcast interview news-you-can-eat chefs