A Starry Inside Look at Texas’s First-Ever Michelin Guide Ceremony

After years of anticipation and speculation, the Lone Star State finally got its stars. The Michelin Guide kicked off its inaugural Texas Michelin Guide at Houston’s 713 Music Hall to celebrate some of the best restaurants in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. More than 115 Texas restaurants were recognized: Fifteen Texas received one star, including six in the Houston area, and 45 received Bib Gourmands.

The concert hall’s walls and carpets were cloaked in signature Michelin red; the Michelin man mascot himself making the rounds for photo ops with attendees. A cocktail hour featured passed hors d’oeuvres, a jamon Iberico carving station, caviar, charcuterie cones, mini apple pies, and more to a soundtrack of modern tunes and live violin. Houston mayor John Whitmire; Adriana Cruz, the executive director of Texas Economic Development and Tourism; and Texas’s first lady, Cecilia Abbott, attended in support, and floating astronauts from the International Space Center delivered a message to kick off the event.

Texas chefs, most of who were awardees, rolled in deep from their respective cities. Austin chefs had their own cheering section in the audience, while Houston chefs could be spotted, drinks in hand, taking selfies and group photos together. The real excitement kicked off when the awards were announced. Houston chef Chris Williams and Blood Bros. BBQ’s Robin Wong say that chefs and restaurateurs were on the edge of their seats as host Java Ingram transitioned from individual awards to Michelin recommendations, to Bib Gourmands to stars.

Reactions were heartfelt, from some tears to loud cheers. Julian Shaffer of Dallas’s Rye helped set the tone as he approached the stage with a grin that Ingram called a “Texas-sized smile” while accepting the Michelin’s Exceptional Cocktail Award. Chef Edgar Rico of Austin’s Nixta, awarded the Young Chef Award, soon followed, emphasizing his joy of celebrating Mexican culture through cuisine, “putting corn on the map,” and making a statement: “We all know immigrants are what make this country and this state an amazing place to eat,” he said.

The ceremony ended with a bang, literally. As chefs and restaurateurs toasted on stage to their accomplishments, a loud burst of confetti signaled the Texas Michelin Guide’s finale. But the celebrations didn’t stop there — soon after the event’s concluding moments, Texas awardees made their way to the cocktail area and, later, to bars and restaurants around the city to fete the occasion.