and the winner is...

Innovative Houston chef is the city's newest James Beard Award winner

Add another Houston chef to the city’s growing list of James Beard Award winners. Thomas Bille, chef-owner of Belly of the Beast in Spring, earned Best Chef: Texas at the James Beard Foundation’s Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony.

Held at the Lyric Opera of Chicago on Monday, June 16, Bille was one of five finalists for the award, along with fellow Houstonian Emmanuel Chavez (Tatemo), Emil Oliva (Leche de Tigre in San Antonio), Regino Rojas (Purépecha in Dallas), and Michael Anthony Serva, (Bordo in Marfa). Neither of Houston’s other finalists — Mexico City-inspired cafe Casaema (formerly known as Ema) for Best New Restaurant and fine dining tasting menu restaurant March for Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program — earned awards in their categories.

A Los Angeles native who moved to the Houston area to be closer to his wife’s family, Bille took a winding path to his James Beard Award. He opened the first iteration of Belly of the Beast in 2020 as a chef-driven taqueria that was known for its ceviches and birria tacos. He then spent about a year at Chivos, an ambitious but short-lived Mexican-American restaurant in the Heights.

In late 2023, he and his wife Elizabeth opened a new version of Belly of the Beast in a Spring shopping center. It showcased a broader array of Bille’s skills, with a wide-ranging menu that pulled from global flavors — lamb shank rendang, anyone? — that included meat, seafood, and pastas. The new restaurant quickly earned wide acclaim, including a Bib Gourmand in the 2024 Michelin Guide and CultureMap Tastemaker Award nominations for both Restaurant of the Year and Chef of the Year.

“I feel a depth of gratitude,” Bille tells CultureMap in a text message. “Knowing that my wife and I were able to reopen on our own terms. Gratitude for my family, staff, and guests to give us love and support. It is much appreciated.”

In an interview from the ceremony shared by the James Beard Foundation, Bille paid tribute to his wife, Elizabeth, for her role in the restaurant’s success.

“The risk that my wife and I took to open this restaurant is more than worth it. My wife left her industry, she was a national director for nonprofit organization,” he said. “I said, ‘We’re going to reopen Belly of the Beast. I need you with me side-by-side the whole time.’ The first iteration she held down her job and supported us. With her at my side, I’m able to focus on the kitchen, on the food, and mentoring my cooks. Able to see the bigger picture instead of just being in the weeds all the time.”

Bille is the second Houstonian to win Best Chef: Texas, joining Street to Kitchen chef-owner Benchawan Jabthong Painter, who won in 2023. Since the category of Best Chef: Texas has only been awarded since 2022, Bille is the first man to earn the title. Prior to being its own region, the James Beard Foundation included Texas in the Southwest, where chefs Robert Del Grande (Cafe Annie), Chris Shepherd (Underbelly), Justin Yu (Oxheart), and Hugo Ortega (Hugo’s) all won awards.

The only other Texas finalist to win his category was Arjav Ezekiel of Birdie's in Austin, who became the first winner of Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service, one of three beverage-oriented categories the foundation added for 2025.

In addition to Bille and Ezekiel, Texam Chad Houser, founder of Cafe Momentum in Dallas, received the Humanitarian of the Year Award. Toni Tipton-Martin, a Houston-based author, scholar, and journalist, received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Houstonian Alba Huerta, who won Outstanding Beverage Program for her bar Julep in 2022, presented one of the night’s awards.

“It’s with deep celebration that we congratulate the 2025 Restaurant and Chef Award winners — distinguished culinary, beverage, and hospitality leaders whose talent and vision are shaping our dining landscape,” said Clare Reichenbach, CEO, James Beard Foundation, in a statement. “These outstanding professionals are the epitome of ‘Good Food for Good,’ elevating our industry’s standards and redefining what’s possible in American cuisine.”

James Beard Awards 2025 Thomas Bille Belly of the Beast

Photo by Getty Images for James Beard Foundation

Thomas Bille is Houston's newest James Beard Award winner.

awards james beard award chefs thomas bille belly of the beast

we are all made of stars

Michelin Guide makes big change to 2026 Texas restaurant announcement

Michelin Guide 2025 Houston bib gourmand

Courtesy of Houston First Corporation

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Restaurant rating organization the Michelin Guide will reveal the third edition of its Texas selections on October 8, the organization stated, but it’s making a change in how it will make the announcement.

Unlike in 2024 and 2025 when Michelin held elaborate ceremonies in Houston that drew chefs and restaurateurs from across the state, the organization will distribute the list of restaurants via a press release.

Michelin employs anonymous inspectors to evaluate restaurants on five criteria: product quality; mastery of cooking techniques; harmony of flavors; the personality of the chef as reflected in the cuisine; and consistency over time and across the entire menu. Based on that, they may recognize restaurants with one of three designations:

Michelin stars, rated at one, two, or three for restaurants that offer exceptional experiences
Bib Gourmand, described as “restaurants that offer great quality food at good prices”
Recommended for good restaurants that don’t quite meet the level of either a star or Bib Gourmand

The guide also gives out professional awards, such as to Elliot Wood of Credence, who received the Michelin Service Award in 2025, and Steven McDonald of Pappas Bros. Steakhouse, who received the sommelier award in 2024.

Last year, Michelin added three starred restaurants statewide, bringing Texas’ total to 18, along with eight new Bib Gourmands and 16 Recommended restaurants. Overall, 140 restaurants are included in the Guide.

Initially, Michelin made a three-year commitment to Texas, which was paid for in part by a $900,000 partnership with the statewide tourism organization Travel Texas and local tourism organizations in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. No announcement has been made about whether those partnership will continue, but a Michelin representative provided CultureMap with the following statement about the company’s future in Texas:

“Michelin cannot discuss the terms of its relationships for competitive reasons, although Michelin respects that partners might have disclosure agreements. It’s worth mentioning that once the Guide arrives in a destination the intent is for it to remain there. Supported by partnerships, the inspectors will continue to evaluate restaurants in the current coverage areas while keeping an eye on other locales as possible culinary hotspots for inclusion.”

In terms of local additions, one possibility is Sushi Horiuchi, the intimate, six-seat omakase counter from revered Houston chef Manabu Horiuchi. Shawn Gawle, chef-owner of Camaraderie in the Heights, worked at several Michelin-starred establishments before opening his project last year, which could help draw the inspectors attention. Similarly, James Beard Award winner Benchawan Jabthong Painter already had a Bib Gourmand for her Thai restaurant Street to Kitchen, so it’s certainly possible that Janta, her eight-seat tasting menu concept, could also earn a spot in the Guide.

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