Belly of the Beast, which is owned and operated by Thomas Bille of Spring, was awarded the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Texas in 2025. This achievement represents a significant milestone for the culinary sector in Houston.
Chef Thomas Bille, who owns Belly of the Beast in Spring, Texas, won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Texas. This is one of the most prestigious awards in the food industry. The award was presented on Monday night at the foundation's annual ceremony in Chicago. This makes Bille one of the best chefs in the country.
Other candidates from San Antonio, Dallas, and Marfa, as well as Tatemó's Emmanuel Chavez, gave Bille a hard time. His win is another big honor for Houston's lively food scene, which had 13 semifinalists this year.
Bille, who was emotional after getting the award, said, "This feels like the culmination of 20 years in the kitchen."
In Old Town Spring, Bille opened Belly of the Beast for the first time just five weeks before the COVID-19 outbreak shut down restaurants nationwide. He closed the first location in 2021 and worked for a short time at Chivos in the Heights before returning to his dream and restarting Belly of the Beast, planning a series of pop-ups that garnered a lot of attention.
Bille was born in Southern California and has worked in a wide range of kitchens, from breakfast diners and hotels to fine dining and gastro pubs, honing a Mexican-inspired cooking style that comes from his background. Readers of the Houston Chronicle and the Michelin Guide both liked his food so much that they put the restaurant in their Top 100 and gave it a Bib Gourmand.
Despite the praise, Bille said he was not expecting much. "To be honest, I did not think I had a chance of winning."
Liz Bille, his wife, quit her job to help with the reopening, which was a big step in his journey. That is when he told her, "If I do this again, I need you by my side."
Monday night, other great players from the Houston area were still in the game. March was in the running for Outstanding Wine Program, and Casaema, along with Stephanie Velasquez as their pastry cook, was in the running for Best New Restaurant. Both of them missed wins.
Houston, on the other hand, had already won games earlier this year and was honored with an America's Classics Award, Gaido's, a Galveston institution for 114 years, and a Lifetime Achievement Award for her work in food writing by author Toni Tipton-Martin.
Arjav Ezekiel of Birdie's in Austin, Texas, won for Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service. He was the only winner from Texas that night.
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