They’ve been to San Francisco, Los Angeles and Washington DC three times. They visited Dallas in 2007 and New Orleans in 2003, but it wasn’t until this year that StarChefs.com deigned to visit Houston, thanks in large part to a persistent Twitter campaign launched by Houston Chowhounds founder Jenny Wang.
It was a big deal for the Houston culinary community. Houston’s talented chefs were finally being given the opportunity to show their stuff and get recognized by their industry on a national level, and after sampling dishes from more than 60 of Houston’s chefs, StarChefs.com selected fourteen Rising Star Chefs.
Tonight’s StarChefs.com Rising Stars Revue™ Gala celebrated the rising stars and the dishes that “clinched it,” in other words, the actual dishes that StarChefs.com tasted during the Rising Stars selection process.
Held on the patio next to the pool at the Four Seasons Hotel, the sold out Revue Gala had an exuberant quality about it. After all, it was like having an exquisite fourteen course meal with wine and alcohol pairings. The Rising Star Chefs all worked their own booths, giving everyone an opportunity to mix and mingle with the chefs themselves.
I loved the way the chef’s personalities began to shine through as the night wore on. About halfway through the gala, Randy Rucker’s team from Bootsie’s ran out of forks and began plating their food on the table sans plates. “People can eat with their hands,” Randy said.
An exultant Chris Shepherd won the vote for fan favorite of the night, earning the much coveted professional Jade Range, just in time for his upcoming grand opening of Underbelly.
After the the awards presentation, I spied Manabu Horiuchi chilling out with a beer, toasting “kanpai” with his former chef de cuisine Jean-Philippe Gaston. People swarmed around Houston’s own Next Iron Chef contestant and local food celebrity Bryan Caswell. Many other Houston area chefs, like Hugo Ortega from Hugo's and Jonathan Jones from Beaver's came out to show their support.
It goes without saying that the food was spectacular. The wagyu beef with brocolli puree, toasted nori yogurt, kaeshi sauce and wasabi vinaigrette from Kata Robata’s Seth Siegel-Gardner was my favorite of the night, but truly, everything was superb. From the amazingly tender braised short ribs, corn veloute, red wine cabbage, mushroom ragout and port syrup from 26 year-old chef Jeramie Robison, the youngest of the Rising Stars; to Jamie Zelko’s sauteed shrimp, white cheddar polenta and sweet soy agave nectar; to Chris Leung’s roasted texas carrot and ruby red grapefruit mousse, grapefruit marmalade, hay sherbet, clove meringue and miso foam.
I tried to taste everything but it was too much. Too much fun. Too much amazing food. Too much good wine, alcohol, cocktails and sake. What an amazing night.
For a full list of the Houston's Rising Star Chefs, visit www.StarChefs.com.
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