The 10 Must-Try Dishes at Houston’s 2024 Southern Smoke Festival

Southern Smoke Festival, the brainchild of James Beard Award-winning chef Chris Shepherd, returns to Discovery Green for its eighth year this October. As tradition goes, unlimited food and drink are the main event. Dozens of lauded chefs from around the country, including a third from Houston, will gather on the green to cook up bites for festivalgoers while raising emergency relief funds for restaurant workers in need.

Many experienced festivalgoers know the deal: It’s essential to come hungry, ideally with reinforcements like disposable trays, and a game plan, because trying out dishes by 73 chefs would be an incredible feat for even the most skilled diners. Though attendees get a map that details the locations of each chef, here’s a sneak peek of 10 of the most exciting dishes on this year’s Southern Smoke Festival lineup:

Houston chefs

Abbas Dhanani, Burger Bodega: Cheeseburger samosas

The creator of one of Houston’s best burgers has kept it simple yet flavorful at Southern Smoke Festival the last few years by featuring his smash burgers. Dhanani, who is also the blogger behind HoustonEatz, is switching it up this year by fusing the samosa, a typical South and West Asian snack, with a classic cheeseburger.

Michael Ma

Graham Laborde and Benjy Mason, Winnie’s: Crab boil Rangoons

Winnie’s chefs will put a Cajun spin on an American Chinese favorite, filling crispy fried wonton wrappers with cream cheese, jumbo lump crab, crawfish tails, diced andouille sausage, corn, green onions, and the restaurant’s signature boil spices. Laborde and Mason will serve the crab puffs atop a sweet corn puree with a side salad of lump crab, herbs, pickled chiles, and Meyer lemon vinaigrette to cool things off.

Don Nguyen, Khỏi BBQ: Whole hog banh xeo

Adhering to his style of Houston barbecue infused with Asian flavors, Nguyen will roast a whole hog and serve it inside banh xeo, or crispy rice-based Vietnamese-style crepes, with a side of nuoc cham — a dipping sauce typically made with fish sauce, sugar, and citrus.

Courtesy of Don Nguyen

Benchawan Jabthong Painter, Street to Kitchen: Hor mok pla

James Beard Award-winning Chef G returns to Southern Smoke with her “unapologetic” Thai — this time, with a new, grilled take on a traditional Thai flounder red curry dish.

Martin Stayer, Nobie’s: Croquette Madam’s Wife

Inspired by one of Stayer’s favorite sandwiches, these ham-laced croquettes will feature an egg yolk center wrapped in gruyere, rolled in Dijon mustard, covered in breadcrumbs, and fried. For added cheesiness, Stayer will have a mornay sauce fountain for dipping.

Visiting chefs

Renee Erickson, The Walrus & The Carpenter: Smoked wild sockeye salmon

The James Beard Award-winning Seattle-based chef will capitalize on the Northwest’s access to fresh seafood, serving smoked wild sockeye salmon with preserved Sungold tomatoes, lentils, hazelnuts, and basil.

Mat Hayward

Meherwan Irani, Chai Pani: Bihari bun kebabs

This James Beard award-winning Asheville chef will bring a fun street food creation: a grilled sirloin kebab covered in green papaya, red chili, and aromatic masalas served on a buttered bun with a tangy tamarind-onion relish.

Christina Tosi, Milk Bar: Super Crunchy Cookies

Known for her baked goods, James Beard Award-winning pastry chef Christina Tosi will pass out Milk Bar’s Super Crunchy Cookies, which come in flavors like cinnamon toast, brown butter chocolate chip, and vanilla butter crunch. These bite-sized baked cookies feature rice cereal added for crispiness. Festivalgoers will also see Tosi break down the makings of her Rice Crispy Pie in a demonstration on the Yeti culinary stage.

Daniel Zuchnik

Rodney Scott, Rodney Scott’s BBQ: Barbecued whole hog

Best known for his Carolina cooking techniques, this James Beard Award-winning Charleston-based pitmaster will smoke up a Carolina staple — barbecue whole hog. His popular sauces will likely be on deck, too.

Shannon Finney

Lee Anne Wong, Koko Head Cafe: Curry-smoked Alaska sablefish

The Top Chef alumna behind one of Honolulu’s coolest brunch spots will serve this buttery, smoked fish with a bright curry with Maui gold pineapple, coconut, lime, and puffed rice.

Nicole Weingart

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