It’s that time of year again: The James Beard Foundation, the nation’s culinary institution, has announced the semifinalists in its 2015 Restaurant and Chef awards. A handful of Texas names are included among them.
Read below to see if your favorite Texas chefs, bars, and restaurants made the cut:
Best New Restaurant:
San Salvaje, Dallas (included in Texas Monthly’s Where to Eat Now 2015)
Olamaie, Austin (included in Texas Monthly’s Where to Eat Now 2015)
Outstanding Bar Program
Anvil Bar & Refuge, Houston
Outstanding Chef
Stephan Pyles, Dallas
Outstanding Wine Program
Hugo’s, Houston
Outstanding Wine, Beer, or Spirits Professional
James Tidwell, Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas, Irving
Rising Star of the Year
Mark Buley and Sam Hellman-Mass, Odd Duck, Austin
Grae Nonas, Olamaie, Austin
Best Chef: Southwest
David Bull, Congress, Austin
Omar Flores, Casa Rubia, Dallas
Aaron Franklin, Franklin Barbecue, Austin
Terrence Gallivan and Seth Siegel-Gardner, The Pass, Houston
Bryce Gilmore, Barley Swine, Austin
Matt McCallister, FT33, Dallas
Hugo Ortega, Hugo’s, Houston
John Tesar, Knife, Dallas
David Uygur, Lucia, Dallas
Justin Yu, Oxheart, Houston
Hugo Ortega’s Houston restaurant, Hugo’s, received two recognitions this year: one for Best Chef Southwest and another for Outstanding Wine Program. “It feels great to be recognized in this way,” Ortega tells Texas Monthly. “I am very proud of the work we are doing at each of the restaurants and especially happy that Sean [Beck, Hugo’s sommelier,] was recognized for his solid effort over the years.”
Bobby Heugel, owner of Anvil Bar & Refuge, says it’s always an honor to receive recognition from the James Beard Foundation. “We’re excited that our effort to open a small cocktail bar that Houstonians would love has somehow resonated with a broader national community,” he says.
The James Beard Foundation awards ceremony will take place at Lyric Opera of Chicago on Monday, May 4, 2015.