Luxurious Houston Chef Competition Featuring Fresh Truffles Returns March 6
MAD Houston, which won The Truffle Masters in 2019 with a dessert by pastry chef Karla Espinoza, repeated the feat for 2022. On the far right is executive chef Luis Roger. Photo by Emily Jaschke.
The 2023 edition of the eagerly anticipated annual Houston event, The Truffle Masters, is happening on Monday, March 6 at The Revaire, located at 7122 Old Katy Road. This tasting event and chef competition was founded by Diane Roederer, owner of Houston-based luxury food purveyor DR Delicacy, and features highly coveted fresh, black truffles. In addition to being a must-attend event for gourmands, this year The Truffle Masters also raises funds for the Houston Symphony. Musicians from the Symphony are also going to be present and performing live. As of press time, only 10 VIP tickets and a few dozen general admission tickets were still available to purchase online.
“We are thrilled to continue our tradition of gathering Houston’s finest chefs for a uniquely exquisite evening at the 2023 Truffle Masters,” said Roederer via a press release. “Our guests are in store for another incredible year of bites that incorporate world class truffles paired with amazing cocktails, entertainment, and community. This event is representative of Houston’s finest culinary artists and it is a pleasure and privilege to host this event again this year.”
Each competing chef is tasked with creating the ultimate fresh truffle dish; DR Delicacy supplies each with a pound of truffles to work with. Dishes served at prior The Truffle Masters events have included traditional preparations, such as truffles with cheese and pasta, and imaginative creations with truffle shavings accenting sashimi, chocolate truffles and much more.
The chef roster reads like a who’s who of Houston’s food scene and includes:
- Alex Au-Yeung, Phat Eatery
- Jassi Bindra, Amrina
- Felipe Botero, Le Jardinier
- Ryan Bouillet, The Revaire
- David Cordua, The Lymbar
- Roberto Crescini, Davanti
- Daniel Davidson, Doris Metropolitan
- Tim Eckard, McCormick & Schmick’s
- Angelo Emiliani, Louie’s Italian American
- Maurizio Ferrarese, Alba Ristorante
- Masaru Fukuda, Pacha Nikkei
- Joseph Geiskopf, Ciel
- Jose Hernandez, Brasserie du Parc
- Richard Huber, Swift & Company
- Billy Kin, 5Kinokawa
- Russell Kirkham, Artisans
- Joe Murphy, Nobu
- Benchawan Painter, Street to Kitchen
- Luis Roger, MAD/BCN
- Greg Shade and Brandon Jolley-Samples, Masraff’s
- Austin Simmons, TRIS
- David Skinner, Eculent
- Niki Vongthong, Hidden Omakase
- Michelle Wallace, b’Tween Sandwich Co (forthcoming restaurant)
In addition to the numerous sips and truffle-accented bites, guests can also indulge at an espresso bar helmed by chef David Skinner of eculent, who also owns Meticulous Spirits.
After winning The Truffle Masters numerous times in the past, executive chef Manabu “Hori” Horiuchi of Kata Robata is serving as a judge this year — because who better to determine what makes for a great truffle dish? He joins 11 other judges, mostly food journalists, including Phaedra Cook of Houston Food Finder (yep, that’s me), Pat Sharpe of Texas Monthly, Greg Morago of Houston Chronicle and Loretta Ruggerio of Houston Press, but also others in hospitality or hospitality-adjacent such as Charles Carroll from River Oaks Country Club and Melissa Stewart of the Texas Restaurant Association.
VIP tickets cost $395, and general admission costs $295. The VIP ticket perks (again, be reminded there are only a handful of these tickets left) include complimentary valet, entry an hour early for a VIP party with judges, chefs, sponsors, and media and access to a VIP-only lounge during the main event with a private full bar, special pin and gift bag. Buy tickets online.
Disclosure: DR Delicacy is a valued Houston Food Finder sponsor, and without supporting local businesses like this one, we wouldn’t be able to pay our writers and expenses. You can also support our local journalism; email us for details, services and pricing.
Phaedra Cook has written about Houston’s restaurant and bar scene since 2010. She was a regular contributor to My Table magazine (now closed) and was the lead restaurant critic for the Houston Press for two years, eventually being promoted to food editor. Cook founded Houston Food Finder in November 2016 and has been its editor and publisher ever since.
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