For the fifth year in a row, the CultureMap Tastemaker Awards includes the category Best Pop-Up/Startup. It recognizes food-based businesses that don’t operate in traditional bar or restaurant settings.
These entrepreneurs reach consumers in a variety of ways, including online sales, farmers markets, and pop-ups at bars and breweries. It takes determination — and a savvy social media presence — to build a loyal following.
It’s also a solid path to success. Not only have restaurants such as Tatemo, Chopnblok, and Street to Kitchen all participated in this category in years past, they've gone on to achieve national acclaim.
Find out which nominee takes the prize at our Tastemaker Awards ceremony April 3 at Silver Street Studios. Dine on bites from this year’s nominees, sip cocktails from our sponsors, and witness as we reveal the winners. Buy your tickets now before they sell out.
Ally Barrera, Sweet Bee Bakehouse
From her kitchen in Pearland, Barrera turns out a wide range of both croissants and other pastries. Fans come to her for some of the Houston area’s best butter croissants as well as originals like the Nutella Roll, which wraps crispy croissant dough around nutella pastry cream and chocolate chips. Barrera says her future includes plans to move to a commercial space, which could make her treats accessible on a daily, rather than a weekly, basis.
Andrea de Gortari, The Bake Happening
Houstonians turn to Gortari when they need an inventive, custom cake for any occasion. From a space cowgirl theme to a putting a cute spin on a kid’s love of insects, Gortari always turns her customer’s wild ideas into a deliciously edible reality. People will also find her popping up at markets and supporting causes such as hospitality health nonprofit I’ll Have What She’s Having.
“The Bake Happening is where art, flavor and chaos meet,” the baker tells CultureMap.”I focus on flavors and ingredients inspired by my beautiful culture-rich city, My blue and yellow marbled corn cookie with sal de totomoxtle (blue corn husk ash) is one of my best sellers.”
Gabriel Gooley, Gabriel's Goodies
One of this year’s first time nominees, Gooley has developed a devoted for his expertly-made chocolate chips cookies, sourdough bread loaves, and other creations — all of which sell out in minutes via weekly “drops” that he promotes via a growing Instagram account. Part of what sets Gooley apart is how fastidious he is about his ingredients and methods. Since his sourdough is naturally leavened, it takes three days to make, for example.
“I take pride and enjoyment in everything I make and hope everyone else does too,” he says.
Gabriel Medina, Subo
After closing Click Virtual Food Hall at the end of 2022, Medina spent some time working as a private chef. Now he’s back with this pop-up that celebrates his Filipino heritage. Served every Saturday at the Urban Harvest farmers market, Subo puts a Filipino spin on breakfast with dishes such as a garlic fried rice with choice of pork belly, garlic ribeye, or coconut-chili vegetables. He’s also collaborating on dinners with other chefs, including fellow nominee Suu Khin.
Garrett Rice and Ryan Kristensen, Bayou Butchers
Typically, dry-aged beef is only served in steakhouses — as at Pappas Bros., which famously ages its beef in-house, but Bayou Butchers wants to change that perception. Rice and Kristensen are showcasing the beef in sandwiches such as a Philly cheesesteak, chopped cheese, and a Chicago-style Italian beef. “We’re here to create a unique eating experience for everybody,” Rice explains.
Joseph Boudreaux, Boo's Burgers
The chef has earned wide acclaim for his take on the classic smash burger. Part of the enthusiasm stems from the care that goes into each burger, as Boudreaux grinds his own meat, makes his own pickles, and developed a custom burger sauce. All that attention detail will serve Boudreaux well when he opens a permanent location on the Navigation Esplanade later this year.
Luciana Emiliani, La Crumb
Every weekend, Emiliani posts up at Houston coffee shops with a rotating menu of sweet and savory treats. Just don’t get too attached to any one special, as Emiliani likes to switch things up to utilize seasonal ingredients or pay homage to holidays.
“My favorite part of my pop up is always when I tell people what I’ve baked for the day and I see their eyes kinda widen,” she tells CultureMap. “My goal is always to keep a lil character in what I do and keep everyone’s requests in mind. All in all, I’m very grateful for everyone who comes out.”
Michelle Wallace, B'tween Sandwich Co.
After a successful stint at Gatlin’s BBQ, the chef set out on her own to prove once and for all that Houston has great sandwiches. At the bimonthly Rice Village market and other events, diners line up for dishes like an egg and cheese on one of Wallace’s signature biscuits or globally-inspired sandwiches like a smoked lamb torta.
“There is beauty in reimagining food and services,” Wallace says. “We are stretching the parameters of barbecue, sandwiches, and Southern-inspired food and serving them, at a high level, at farmers markets. And I think that is incredible!”
Ralph Palmer and Daniel Andrade, Deckle & Hide
Inspired by the barbecue classes he took at Truth BBQ and Austin’s LeRoy & Lewis Barbecue, Palmer, a podcast host and occasional CultureMap contributor, began popping up at local breweries in collaboration with Andrade, a welder, began infusing his Mexican heritage into Deckle & Hyde’s menus. The results are fan favorites like birria tacos, charro-style beans with smoked pork, and the soon-to-be-famous Elote Jalapeño Cheese Sausage.
“We’re weird. Like really weird. Spectacles, costumes, and meme-based barbecue events are all on the table,” Palmer acknowledges. “The only thing our outfit takes seriously is the the preservation of the craft and how our little outfit fits into the story of Houston food.”
Suu Khin, Burmalicious
After bursting onto the scene by making the finals of season 11 of the Gordon Ramsay cooking competition show Masterchef, Khin has continued to build a strong following for flavorful Burmese fare. She even drew the attention of the James Beard Awards, which recently named her a semifinalist in the Emerging Chef category. Whether at a market or her monthly appearance at Cucharita, she’s shared her culture with dishes such as laphet (tea leaf salad) or mohinga (lemongrass fish noodle soup).
“We’re on a mission to make Burmese cuisine more accessible in Houston,” Khin affirms. Could a brick and mortar be far behind?
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The Tastemaker Awards program is brought to you by Stella Artois, PicMe Events, and more to be announced. A portion of proceeds will benefit our nonprofit partner, the Southern Smoke Foundation.
Photo by Michael Ma
Suu Khin, Burmalicious
