James Beard ‘Taste America’ Stops in Houston for a Foodie Affair at Four Seasons Downtown

MARK YOUR CALENDARS! Taste America, James Beard Foundation's 20-city culinary series, is coming to town Sept. 12 with a lineup of award-winning Houston chefs.

The event, co-hosted by Houston First and taking place at the Four Seasons Hotel Houston, is your chance to experience the best in local culinary innovation and cutting-edge immersive art all in one luxurious place.

The James Beard Foundation, which aims to showcase the country’s food culture, kicked off its annual culinary series in July. A few Houston talents who will be participating include James Beard Award-winning Hugo Ortega, Street to Kitchen’s Chef G, and two-time Beard-nominated Emmanuel Chavez, the chef behind the Mexican tasting-menu restaurant Tatemó. Chavez will lead Tasting America as host chef.

Attendees who opt for Premier tickets($250) to Taste America will receive a gift bag, which sounds like it’s worth the ticket price alone. Each includes exclusive access to a sneak peek of Meow Wolf Houston before the new Fifth Ward immersive art museum opens to the public.

Starting at 6pm, ahead of the main event, Premier ticket holders will be served exclusive drinks and bites, including Champagne and caviar, and specially crafted Meow Wolf cocktails created to encapsulate the immersive art experience.

Premier guests don't get all the fun, though. General ticket ($175) holders will get something special from Meow Wolf, too. After enjoying food and beverage stations from Houston's most talked-about chefs (see menu below), guests will leave with a special take-home gift from Meow Wolf and other event participants.

Here’s a first taste of what will be served throughout the evening:

• Host chef and James Beard nominee Emmanuel Chavez of Tatemó will serve Hoja Santa ice cream
• James Beard semifinalist Ope Amosu of ChòpnBlọk will serve Agege Sliders with Nigerian eggs and Liberian greens aïoli
• James Beard semifinalist Dawn Burrell cooks up seared marinated duck breast with buckwheat kinche "grits" and berbere-spiced cream
• James Beard semifinalist Victoria Elizondo of Cochinita & Co. dishes masa cake with maracuyá passionfruit mousse, candied guava paste, caramelized pineapple, and coconut-amaranth tuile
• Sergio Hidalgo and James Beard nominee Chris Williams of Late August will serve a crudo of cobia with turnip mignonette, mole crunch, and shallots
• James Beard winner Benchawan Jabthong Painter of Street to Kitchen plates Nam Prik Noom Sai Oua with seasonal veggies
• James Beard winner Hugo Ortega of Xochi will serve slow-cooked, pork-stuffed plantain “torpedoes”
• Jason Ryczek of Little's Oyster Bar is grilling Spanish octopus with Schug and Little’s Pimenton
• Erin Smith of Feges BBQ puts together brisket "foldies" with pickles and sauce
• Sherman Yeung of Money Cat brings his sea urchin cream puffs with kaffir lime pastry cream and lychee syrup glaze
• Four Seasons Hotel Houston's own Jonathan Esparza of Toro Toro will serve Peruvian Ceviche of red snapper with leche de tigre, sweet potato, canchas and morita chile oil