Houston’s annual Southern Smoke Festival always ends on the same emotional high note. Award-winning chef (and CultureMap wine columnist) Chris Shepherd takes the stage and reveals how much money the event raised for the Southern Smoke Foundation, a Houston-based nonprofit that provides emergency assistance and mental health services to hospitality workers.

“Ladies and gentlemen, one night only, no auction, $1.5 f—ing million,” he told the crowd as the more than 70 participating chefs from Houston and beyond cheered the accomplishment.

The foundation has an immediate need for the funds. In the Houston-area alone, it has granted almost $800,000 to more than 1,000 people who suffered losses during either the derecho or Hurricane Beryl. It is currently processing over 1,900 applications from people affected by Hurricane Helene.

“Understand that you guys are the change,” he said to the more than 70 chefs from Houston and all over America who participated in the event. “We’ve all made a conscious decision to be the good. This is just a small segment of our community, but we’re growing. We can do this together.”

Needless to say, the festival has come a long way from its roots as a party in the parking lot behind Underbelly, the pioneering Houston restaurant where Shepherd won a James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest in 2014. Back then, “Southern Smoke” wasn’t just the name of the event — it also described the participating chefs and the food they served. Now, the food reflects a more global range of culinary influences, and a sponsorship by Alaska Seafood makes the event surprisingly pescetarian-friendly.

Barbecue remains at the heart of the event — as always, Austin pitmaster Aaron Franklin had the longest line of the day. Carnivores could find traditional Carolina-style whole hog from barbecue legend Rodney Scott or a Vietnamese whole hog with banh xeo from CultureMap Tastemaker Award winner Don Nguyen of Khoi Barbecue. In addition to Franklin’s brisket, Leonard Botello IV of Houston’s Truth BBQ also served his brisket foldie. Burger lovers could get a wagyu smash burger from Austin Simmons (Tris), a butter burger from Ryan Lachaine (Riel), a dry-aged burger from Brooklyn pitmaster and restaurateur Billy Durney, or a cheeseburger samosa from two-time Tastemaker Award winner Abbas Dhanani (Burger Bodega).

On the seafood side, James Beard Award winner Benchawan Jabthong Painter (Street to Kitchen) earned raves for her spicy grilled Alaskan flounder, and fellow JBA winner Edgar Rico (Austin’s Nixta Taqueria) offered smoked salmon tostadas. Father-son duo Trong and Cory Nguyen (Crawfish & Noodles) served grilled shrimp with garlic noodles, and Jason Ryczek (Little’s Oyster Bar) had his fan-favorite tuna crudo with pickled watermelon. Those who wanted something fried could sample both JBA winner Ashley Christensen’s shrimp and grits hush puppy and a seafood rangoon from Winnie’s owners Benjy Mason and Graham Laborde.

Beyond the chefs’ offerings, the Southern Smoke Festival refined its use of Discovery Green. New this year was a stage devoted to cooking demonstrations by chefs such as Milk Bar founder Christina Tosi and Mason Hereford (New Orleans’ Turkey and the Wolf). A cookbook signing area allowed attendees to have another moment of interaction with the visiting chefs.

Circling back to Shepherd’s comment about “no auction,” the foundation moved its auction of rare wines, VIP culinary experiences, and more to Decanted, a wine-fueled fundraiser that took place in April. Considering that event raised $700,000, the combined total for both events amounts to $2.2 million. Once again demonstrating that Houstonians will be incredibly generous for a cause they believe in.

Photo by Emily Jaschke

The foundation recognized Feges BBQ owners Erin Smith and Patrick Feges for their contributions.