Rising Star Chef of the Year Nomination

Meet the 11 rising star chefs mixing up Houston's dynamic restaurant scene

By Eric Sandler, Feb 18, 2025

The time has come to begin celebrating the nominees in this year’s CultureMap Tastemaker Awards. As always, we begin with Rising Star Chef of the Year.

Our nominees cover a diverse set of backgrounds, professional experiences, and roles in the Houston culinary scene. Some are leading restaurants included in the Michelin Guide. Others are working alongside some of Houston’s top chefs and restaurateurs.

They’re united by a commitment to high standards and demonstrating leadership in their kitchens. That’s why our judges’ panel of local restaurant industry experts and former Tastemaker Award winners has selected them. We expect them to guide Houston towards its culinary future.

Who will win? Find out at our Tastemaker Awards ceremony April 3 at Silver Street Studios. Dine on bites from this year’s nominees, sip cocktails from our sponsors, and witness as we reveal the winners. Buy your tickets now. Early Bird VIP tickets have already sold out, and a limited number of Early Bird General Admission tickets remain. All tickets will sell out before the event, so don't wait.

Ope Amosu, ChòpnBlọk
Already a minor media celebrity after appearances on Top Chef and Marcus Samuelsson’s No Passport Required, Amosu stepped things up by opening ChòpnBlọk’s new location in Montrose. A bigger kitchen meant room to add new items such as the Buka bowl, a red stew made with short rib, and the Black Star bowl that features grilled shrimp. By working with designers Zainob Amao of AMAO Creative and Gin Braverman of Gin Design Group, Amosu also improved ChòpnBlọk’s design, creating an immersive environment that takes diners to Lagos without leaving lower Westheimer.

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