UPDATE (6:25 p.m.): Bringing a big win for Houston with the first award of the night, Adrian Torres of Máximo won the James Beard Award for Emerging Chef.

Called “the Oscars of the food world,” the Beard awards recognize the talents of restaurateurs, chefs, media members and an array of food-and-beverage industry professionals. As far as honors go, it’s right up there with making the Michelin Guide.

This year’s awards are being held this year at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Semifinalists were named months ago, and from there the finalists were revealed in March.

Houston showed up big this year with six finalists. It’s a noticeable number for a few reasons: One, it’s a record showing compared to previous years. Two, Houston outperformed other Texas cities, including Austin, San Antonio and Dallas. And three, its finalist class is more or less comparable to some other big metro areas around the country, like the Minneapolis-St. Paul area (5), Los Angeles (5), New York City (7), and San Francisco (8).

Before 2026, Houston last took home a James Beard just last year, when Thomas Bille of Spring’s Belly of the Beast won Best Chef: Texas. Benchawan Jabthong Painter of Houston’s Street to Kitchen won in the same category two years earlier. Julep, along Houston’s Washington Corridor, won the James Beard for Outstanding Bar Program in 2022, marking the city’s first national award.

Adrian Torres (Máximo) — Emerging Chef

“Shortly after my parents immigrated from San Luis Potosí, Mexico to the United States…my mom set my sister and I [down], and had a conversation with us that I will never forget. She said, ‘Never tell anyone about your legal status, never talk about our immigration journey. ‘ For a long time, fear was our story. Today, standing on this stage, I want to say something that I never thought my younger self would have the opportunity to say: I am proud to be a son of immigrants. I am proud to be an immigrant. I am proud to be a DACA recipient.

“This week, while many of us flew to Chicago, my family and I drove across the country to be here. Not because we wanted to take a road trip, but because that’s the reality that so many immigrant families still live with. Even in moments of celebration, there are reminders that our journey is different. But tonight, I refuse to let fear be the headline.

“Tonight, the headline is that a brown kid from the North Side, raised by parents who sacrificed everything for the chance at a better life, is standing on this stage accepting one of the highest honors in this industry.”

Here’s the list of Houston’s finalists for 2026:

This is a developing story. Check back in for updates on who won at the end of the night.