Two Dallas-area chefs were finalists for 2026 James Beard Awards, but neither took home the coveted medal from the star-studded awards ceremony, held June 15 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

They were:

• Maggie Huff, Lucia (Dallas), nominated for Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker
• Scott Girling, Osteria il Muro (Denton), nominated for Best Chef: Texas

While she didn't win the Beard Award, Huff's Lucia won Dessert Program of the Year in the 2026 CultureMap Dallas Tastemaker Awards.The nomination read, "With Maggie Huff, 2026 James Beard finalist for Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker, at the helm, it’s no surprise Lucia’s dessert program is a standout. The intimate, award-winning Italian eatery in Bishop Arts serves a rotating menu with sweet bites such as semolina cake with roasted grapes, rosemary, honey, and pistachio ice cream. Diners can opt for a tropical escape with coconut sorbet with nectarines and lime and mint pesto. For an earthy experience, there’s the hazelnut frangipane and goat cheese tart with figs and balsamic vinegar ice cream."

Girling, meanwhile, was nominated for Dallas Tastemaker Awards' Rising Star Chef of the Year. His nomination read, "This chef is making waves far beyond the walls of his cozy Italian eatery in Denton. Girling was recently named a 2026 James Beard finalist for Best Chef: Texas. The Culinary School of Fort Worth graduate, who later moved to Italy to immerse himself in the cuisine, has been serving homestyle Italian dishes at the reservation-only restaurant since 2021. He crafts traditional plates such as ricotta gnocchi, fried squash blossoms, and oysters finished tomato mignonette and Thai basil."

Considered the Oscars of the food world, the awards recognize excellence by chefs and other culinary professionals in a wide range of categories from Outstanding Chef to Best New Restaurant. In 2025, the James Beard Foundation added three new categories to recognize the beverage side of hospitality: Best New Bar, Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service, and Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service.

Winners must also have “demonstrated commitment to racial and gender equity, community, sustainability, and a culture where all can thrive,” according to the organization’s website.

Agnolotti at Osteria il Muro in Denton, where chef Scott Girling has been named a James Beard Award finalist. Facebook/Osteria il Muro

Houston wins big
Texas was well represented by Houston, which had a historic night at the Awards. Two of Houston’s six finalists took home prizes for both national awards and Best Chef: Texas:

• Emerging Chef: Adrian Torres, Maximo
• Best Chef Texas: Evelyn Garcia and Henry Lu, Jūn

Houston’s other finalists were: June Rodil (March) for Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service; Ope Amosu (ChòpnBlọk) for Best Chef: Texas; Agnes and Sherman for Best New Restaurant, and Hugo Ortega and Tracy Vaught (H-Town Restaurant Group) for Outstanding Restaurateur.

Other Texas nominees included: Tavel Bristol-Joseph (Nicosi, San Antonio) for Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker and Mixtli in San Antonio for Outstanding Restaurant.

The other nominees for Best Chef: Texas were: Gabe Padilla and Melissa Padilla, (Cafe Piro in Socorro), and Finn Walter (The Nicolett in Lubbock).

Lindsey Brown, center, and Chris Shepherd, right, at the Impact Awards. Photo by Max Flatow

In addition, the Houston-based Southern Smoke Foundation, a nonprofit that provides emergency assistance and mental health services to hospitality workers, received an Impact Award at a separate ceremony on Sunday, June 14.

Houston's two wins establish the city as a culinary destination. They follow Thomas Bille of Belly of the Beast in Spring winning Best Chef: Texas in 2025 and Benchawan Jabthong Painter (Street to Kitchen) winning the same category in 2023, meaning the city’s chefs have now won three of the last four awards in that category. Torres is only the second Houstonian to win a national award, following Southern-inspired cocktail bar Julep’s win for Outstanding Bar Program in 2022.

“I am proud to be the son of immigrants. I am proud to be an immigrant. And I am proud to be a DACA recipient,” Torres, 27, said to applause from the crowd of culinary professionals as he accepted his Beard Award.

“Tonight, the headline is that a brown kid from the Northside, 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,” he added.

Evelyn Garcia and Henry Lu won Best Chef: Texas.Photo by Casey Giltner

After establishing themselves by serving casual fare at pop-ups and farmers markets, Garcia and Lu opened Jūn in 2023. Billed as a New Asian American restaurant, it features a wide-ranging menu that includes charred cabbage with tofu Caesar dressing, carrots with everything salsa matcha, and the signature fried chicken that’s seasoned with shrimp paste, ginger, and Thai chili. In 2025, they opened Third Place, a daytime concept in the Jūn space that showcases pop-ups from both established and up-and-coming chefs.

Like Torres, Lu also celebrated his immigrant parents. “I want to thank our immigrant parents who lived the American dream and put us where we are today. They invested so much in us. Everything we are today is because of them,” he said.

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Stephanie Allmon Merry contributed to this story.