The James Beard Awards were held on the evening of Monday, June 16 at Lyric Opera in Chicago, and while Dallas had the most nominees of any other Texas city, only one took home top honors. Chad Houser, the founder, CEO, and executive chef of Cafe Momentum, earned the prestigious Humanitarian of the Year Award from the James Beard Foundation for his work with previously incarcerated teens.
The James Beard Foundation recognizes leaders in the culinary and food media industries from around the country across 25 categories, and is commonly referred to as the “Oscars of the food world”. This year, in honor of the Awards’ milestone 35th anniversary, three new categories, including Best New Bar, Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service, and Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service, were incorporated.
Houser, a Dallas native and longtime chef, created Cafe Momentum with the goal of equipping teens who have come out of the criminal justice system with life skills, education, and employment opportunities, and guiding them with a path forward. In 2020, he launched an expansion initiative with a national team to further his reach. Houser has since expanded his footprint from Dallas to Atlanta and Pittsburgh, with a location in Dever on the horizon.
As part of the esteemed win, Houser will receive a $20,000 cash award from the Michael Phillips Humanitarian Fund, established by Michael Phillips, president of Jamestown Properties and a James Beard Foundation trustee. The generous prize will undoubtedly catapult Cafe Momentum into an even brighter national spotlight, as Houser plans to have 10 locations and a national flagship restaurant and training center by 2035.
Houser’s win is monumental to say the least, especially since Dallas has not seen a win for Best Chef at the James Beard Awards since 1994. This year showed great promise, with other Dallas nominees including Mabo for Best New Restaurant, Bar Colette for Best New Bar, Regino Rojas of Purepecha for Best Chef: Texas, and Starship Bagel for Outstanding Bakery, but the days leading up to the awards were not without drama. On Monday morning, just hours before the awards ceremony, news broke that RJ Yoakum, who was in the running for Emerging Chef, parted ways with Georgie and Travis Street Hospitality.
Here is the complete list of winners of the 2025 James Beard Chef and Restaurant Awards.
