However Austin fancies itself — a food truck paradise or an up-and-coming fine dining destination — there is one group of Austinites especially driving that culinary evolution. The city's top chefs are pushing the boundaries, and Austinites are meeting them where they are, sometimes out of loyalty alone. Any of these chefs could open a restaurant tomorrow and end up with instant regulars.
These 11 chefs represent the freshest ideas, the strongest resistance to pretense, and of course the best food around town. Chosen by our 2024 Tastemaker Awards judges — both editorial staff and the prior year's winners — they are the true faces of Austin food.
Find out which wins Restaurant of the Year on April 11 at the 2024 Tastemaker Awards party at Distribution Hall. We’ll dine on bites from this year’s nominated chefs and restaurants, and sip cocktails from our sponsors before revealing the winners in our short and sweet ceremony.
This is our last best-of list before the big day. Catch up on all the Tastemaker Award nominees in our special editorial series, then be sure to buy your tickets to see who triumphs.
Here are the nominees for Chef of the Year:
Aaron Franklin, Franklin Barbecue
If an outsider knows any chef from Austin, it's probably Aaron Franklin. This famous pit master is known for his purist brisket and light barbecue sauce, but folks far afield probably aren't aware of his other ventures. Loro, the Asian smokehouse, is already well-loved, and the New Orleans-inspired Uptown Sports Club is well on its way after its first year to becoming an East Austin staple. The best part is Franklin's friendly charisma, which keeps the community well-connected and represented beyond Texas' borders.
Colter Peck, Elementary
Colter Peck is a relative newcomer to the scene. Elementary gained popularity as a pop-up, but it was the move to a brick-and-mortar location on South Lamar that marked his ascent to food festivals and other public appearances. Peck got his start at farms and farmers markets, and even in this new phase of culinary excellence, he's still been actively tying his work to these local food havens. You can take a chef out of the farm, but you can't take the farm out of the chef.
Fiore Tedesco, L'Oca d'Oro
The creative force behind one of Austin's top neighborhood restaurants, L'Oca d'Oro, knows just how important it is to keep hospitality workers happy, while also putting together a delicious seasonal menu. What makes Tedesco a shining star in Austin’s dining scene isn’t just his skills in the kitchen, but his dedication to helping others in the local community, and his zeal for supporting up-and-coming chefs. Picture-perfect homemade pasta dishes are just the cherry on top.
Fermín Núñez, Suerte
It's not just luck that's making Fermín Núñez a local household name. This chef has the chops for fine dining, but devotes much of his work and public image to tacos. The combination has proved — in a city that really needs to hear it — that street foods are worthy of culinary adulation. While some Austin chefs are making appearances on National Geographic and Top Chef, Núñez has been filming Taco Mafia episodes for Austin PBS. Talk about keeping it local.
Grae Nonas, Bufalina, Palm Pizza
Not many Austin restaurants can claim to make a true New York-style pizza, and that’s exactly what Grae Nonas brings to the table at Palm Pizza. (Sounds like his New Jersey upbringing helped.) Meanwhile, Bufalina’s fluffy Neapolitan pies are works of art. This versatile chef has worked at many popular local spots, and seems to be circling his ultimate personal brand in homey Italian foods. With the return of Nonas’ pasta-focused Le Cowboy concept in summer 2024, he'll be on a whole new level.
Jo Chan, Bureau de Poste
Speaking of Top Chef, here's a chef who made the top three. Jo Chan, then working at the storied and elegant Eberly, is now spearheading French restaurant Bureau de Poste with resounding success. The airy, casual eatery is a deceptively heavy hitter in terms of flavor and technique — but Austinites saw that coming. Thanks to Chan's reputation and business partner Steph Steele's cult success at Tiny Grocer, folks knew from the second the collaboration was announced that it'd be one to watch.
Sarah Heard & Nathan Lemley, Foreign & Domestic
The intimate, comfortable atmosphere Sarah Heard and Nathan Lemley consistently provide at Foreign & Domestic is something many local hangs have yet to perfect. It’s not uncommon to find these chefs chatting with diners from behind the counter as they prepare their meals. And the duo's commitment to treating their staff like family members don’t result in empty promises; The restaurant collects a surcharge for health insurance for full-time employees.
Sarah McIntosh, Épicerie
Sarah McIntosh’s keen knowledge about French-Louisiana cuisine – coupled with her limitless pastry and beverage versatility – makes her a triple threat among our list of nominees. (She’s also up for an award for Pastry Chef of the Year.) Besides turning Épicerie into the esteemed bistro and boulangerie it is today, she’s also helped develop its bar program, showing firsthand how her expertise within all areas of the culinary industry has brought her the popularity she very well deserves.
Tavel Bristol-Joseph, Canje
This acclaimed chef has drawn national recognition thanks in part to his passion for experimenting with Caribbean cuisine. Like other nominees this year, Bristol-Joseph earned his stripes as a pastry chef before expanding his repertoire to include culinary prowess. He’ll return to his dessert roots later this year when he opens the no-phones-allowed, 18-seat dessert bar Nicosi inside Pullman Market in San Antonio.
Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel, Birdie's
Family restaurants aren't always quaint and DIY. Chef Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel and her husband, "wine guy" Arjav Ezekiel, have really spread their wings at Birdie's, which is constantly snagging nominations and praise by national publications. Malechek-Ezekiel's European and fine dining sensibilities don't override the familial feeling, though. Her skills lead her straight to comfort foods and family recipes, and Austinites feel at home with the counter service approach.
Smoked turkey from Loro puts both Texan and Asian twists on the traditional spread.Photo courtesy of Loro
SusieCakes is ready to make the cutest things on the table.Photo courtesy of SusieCakes