Chris Shepherd

James Beard Award-winning Chef Chris Shepherd has reshaped Houston’s culinary landscape since opening Underbelly in 2012. Built on a commitment to Houston’s food community and its suppliers, Underbelly earned national acclaim as a James Beard semifinalist for Best New Restaurant, one of Bon Appétit and Esquire’s best new restaurants, and one of Eater’s 38 essential restaurants in America. In 2013, Shepherd was named one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs in America, and the following year he received the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest.

Shepherd went on to be a semifinalist for the James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef in 2019 and was named Chef of the Year by Robb Report that same year. His first cookbook, Cook Like a Local, published in 2019, was nominated for a James Beard Book Award. In 2023, he launched the TV show Eat Like a Local on Houston’s KPRC-TV, which earned a Lone Star Emmy Award the following year.

Alongside his restaurant and nonprofit work, Shepherd has become a respected wine writer and storyteller, blending culinary perspective with deep exploration of winemakers and their craft. In 2024, he was named Editor in Chef for Food & Wine, where he brings his chef’s lens to coverage of food, wine, and hospitality culture. That same year, Wine Enthusiast named him to their prestigious Future 40 list, recognizing trailblazers shaping the future of wine and dining.

Shepherd began his fine dining career at Brennan’s of Houston—both in the kitchen and as wine director, later opening Catalan Food & Wine in 2006, which was named one of Esquire’s Best New Restaurants in America.

He also co-founded the Southern Smoke Foundation, which has distributed more than $14.8 million in direct emergency relief and funded over 8,675 no-cost counseling sessions for food and beverage workers.