It’s that time of year again when the James Beard Foundation (a.k.a the Oscars of the culinary world) announces the semifinalists for its Restaurant and Chef Awards and in 2020, and Houston didn’t disappoint. These semi-finalists will be whittled down to finalists on March 25. The James Beard Awards are set for May 4 in Chicago.

Check out the full list of Houston-based semi-finalists below:

Best Chef: Texas (new category)

Dawn Burrell, Kulture 
Manabu Horiuchi, Kata Robata
Anita Jaisinghani, Pondicheri 
Trong Nguyen, Crawfish & Noodles
Jason Vaughan, Nancy’s Hustle

Rising Star Chef of the Year

Kaitlin Steets, Theodore Rex

Outstanding Wine Program

Rosie Cannonball

Outstanding Restaurateur

Tracy Vaught

Outstanding Restaurant

The Original Ninfa’s on Navigation

Outstanding Hospitality

Hugo’s

Outstanding Chef 

Justin Yu, Theodore Rex

Outstanding Bar Program 

Anvil Bar & Refuge

Best New Restaurant 

The Blind Goat
Squable