Hugo Ortega

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Hugo Ortega
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Born (1965-01-23) January 23, 1965 (age 59)
Mexico City
Occupation
  • American Chef
  • Cookbook Author

Hugo Ildefonso Ortega (born January 23, 1965) is a Mexican-born American chef, cookbook author[1] and James Beard Award winner[2] noted for his traditional Mexican and Oaxacan cuisines served at his restaurants in Houston, Texas.

Early Life and education

Ortega was born in Mexico City, the oldest in a family of eight children. At age 10, the family moved to Puebla, Mexico to live with Ortega’s grandmother on her rancho located near the border of Oaxaca. Ortega learned the fundamentals of Mexican cooking from his mother and grandmother, making everything from scratch and with no electricity. He was also the goat herder for the family. When he was 14, the family returned to Mexico City and Ortega began working at a local factory to help support the family.

After several failed attempts to cross the border, Ortega arrived in Houston in 1984 with no money and no job but determined to make a better life for himself. He began working as a janitor and dishwasher before being left with no work and no home.A friend took Ortega to Backstreet Cafe where he found employment as a dishwasher/busboy. [3]

Vaught, owner of Backstreet Cafe and Prego, offered him a position on the line in the kitchen. He was eventually promoted to the kitchen at Prego, where he worked side-by-side with Executive Chef John Watt.[4] Vaught helped enroll Ortega in the Culinary Arts program at Houston Community College, from which he graduated in November 1992.

Ortega and Vaught were married in 1994. Ortega became a U.S. citizen in 1996.[5]

Professional career

Chef and restauranteur

Under the umbrella of H Town Restaurant Group,[6] which he co-owns with his wife and fellow restaurateur Tracy Vaught,[7] Ortega is executive chef of Backstreet Cafe, Hugo’s, Caracol, Xochi and URBE. He is also a partner in Origen[8] in Oaxaca, Mexico. Ortega also helped create a menu for Mi Almita, a concept opened by Chef Michael Mina in Honolulu in 2018 (now closed).

In 2002, Ortega and Vaught opened Hugo’s restaurant in the Montrose area of Houston, serving Authentic Regional Mexican Cuisine. In 2013, Ortega and Vaught opened Caracol, a Coastal Mexican Kitchen, in the Galleria area of Houston. In January 2017, H Town Restaurant Group opened Xochi in the Marriott Marquis Houston Downtown. [3] The restaurant opened two weeks before Houston hosted Super Bowl LI, [9]hosting celebrities, celebrity chefs and visitors during the game festivities.

In 2019, Vaught established the Hugo Ortega Endowment Houston Community College’s Culinary Arts Program[10] to support current and future HCC culinary students. The lobby of the new building is named in Hugo’s honor and features a namesake wall.

Ortega and wife Tracy Vaught opened URBE Street Food of Mexico in 2021, which has recipes from Ortega’s first cookbook Hugo Ortega's Street Food of Mexico.

Ortega has made two guest chef appearances at the James Beard House in New York City (1997 & 1999). He has also hosted three James Beard Foundation events in Houston.

Awards and accolades

  • Hugo’s named Restaurant of the Year by Houston Press in 2003[11]
  • Ortega was named Chef of the Year at the Houston Culinary Awards[12] in 2002 and 2011
  • Hugo’s named a "Top Table” ~ Bon Appetit, June 2003
  • Hugo’s named to the list of "Restaurants We Love" ~ Gourmet, October 2003
  • Hugo’s included in list of "Where to Eat Now in 30 American Cities" ~ Gourmet, October 2004
  • Hugo’s named one of the 8 Great Mexican Restaurants in America by Delta's SKY magazine ~ 2004 Hugo’s included in list of nation’s “Best Drinks” ~ Playboy, April 2005
  • Hugo’s named one of the top 5 Mexican restaurants in Texas ~ Texas Monthly, December 2010[13]
  • Hugo Ortega’s Street Food of Mexico selected by Saveur magazine as one of just six “Essential Mexican cookbooks” 2012[1]
  • Hugo’s named to Eater’s 38 Best Restaurants in America – “The 38 restaurants that defined dining in 2016”[14]
  • Hugo’s included on the “Best Mexican Restaurants in the US” list in Travel + Leisure[15]
  • Hugo’s named a "Top Table” by Bon Appetit
  • Caracol named one of Houston’s Best New Restaurants for 2013, No.2 Alison Cook, Houston Chronicle[16]
  • Caracol named Top new restaurant in Texas, Texas Monthly, January 2014
  • Caracol named to list of Where to Eat Right Now, Eater Houston, January 2014
  • Hugo’s selected as one of Houston’s Four Top Latin Restaurants, Forbes Travel Guide, 2014
  • Caracol named One of Houston’s Top Four Latin American Restaurants, Forbes Travel Guide 2014
  • Caracol featured in “Food Cities: Searching for America’s Greatest Food Cities,” [17]The Washington Post 2015
  • Caracol included on list of “120 Tacos to Eat Before You Die,” Texas Monthly 2015?
  • Caracol named one of “Houston’s Best International Restaurants, Southern Living 2016
  • Hugo Ortega named Best Chef: Southwest at 2017 James Beard Awards[18]
  • Hugo Ortega Bestowed 2017 Craig Claiborne Lifetime Achievement Award from Southern Foodways Alliance[19]
  • Xochi named Best New Restaurant in Houston by Houston Press 2017
  • Xochi included in “The Hottest Restaurants in 15 American Cities” – Zagat, May 2017
  • Xochi named one of The 12 Best New Restaurants in America – Eater, July 2017
  • Xochi named one of “The Nine Best Little Hotel Restaurants in Texas” – Robb Report, August 2017
  • Xochi named #1 Best Restaurant in Houston by Alison Cook for Houston Chronicle – September 2017[20]
  • Xochi selected as one of “12 Places to Eat Incredibly Well in Houston Right Now” – Food Republic, November 2017
  • Xochi named Best New Restaurant in Texas by Texas Monthly – March 2018[21]
  • Xochi selected as one of GQ's “Best New Restaurants in America for 2018”[22]
  • Xochi Included in Thrillist’s To 31 Mexican Restaurants in America

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Shimizu, Karen (2012-07-14). "Six Essential Mexican Cookbooks". Saveur. Retrieved 2023-09-01.
  2. ↑ "Houston chef Hugo Ortega wins prestigious James Beard Award".
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lekan, Alice Levitt, Photographer Brendan (2017-07-17). "From Mexico, With Love: Meet Houston Chef Hugo Ortega - culture: the word on cheese". culture: the word on cheese - Culture, America's magazine for cheese lovers, delivers stories about cheeses, cheesemakers, travel to gorgeous cheese regions, and practical tips on buying, presenting, and cooking with cheese. Retrieved 2023-09-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ↑ "Meet John Watt of Prego". ABC13 Houston. Retrieved 2023-09-01.
  5. ↑ Video, Eater (2017-12-14). "Watch: Hugo Ortega's Journey From Dishwasher to Head Chef". Eater. Retrieved 2023-09-01.
  6. ↑ "HTown Restaurant Group | Better Business Bureau® Profile". www.bbb.org. Retrieved 2023-09-01.
  7. ↑ "Tracy Vaught". H-Town Restaurant Group. Retrieved 2023-09-01.
  8. ↑ "ORIGEN, Oaxaca - Restaurant Reviews, Photos & Phone Number". Tripadvisor. Retrieved 2023-09-01.
  9. ↑ "Hugo Ortega's new restaurant opens downtown ahead of Super Bowl". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2023-09-02.
  10. ↑ "HCC Foundation 2020 Gratitude Report" (PDF).
  11. ↑ "Best Restaurant 2003". Houston Press. Retrieved 2023-09-01.
  12. ↑ "2011 Houston Culinary Awards Winners". My Table - Houston's Dining Magazine. 2011-10-03. Retrieved 2023-09-01.
  13. ↑ "December 2010 Archives". Texas Monthly. Retrieved 2023-09-01.
  14. ↑ Addison, Bill (2016-12-05). "The Best Restaurants in America". Eater. Retrieved 2023-09-01.
  15. ↑ tommcloughlin (2021-09-24). "The 100 Best Mexican Restaurants in the USA, According to Instagram". The Travel Aisle. Retrieved 2023-09-01.
  16. ↑ "Houston's best new restaurants of 2013: Caracol, no. 2".
  17. ↑ "Houston among America's 10 best food cities".
  18. ↑ "The 2017 James Beard Award Winners | James Beard Foundation". www.jamesbeard.org. Retrieved 2023-09-01.
  19. ↑ "2017 Craig Claiborne Lifetime Achievement Award: Hugo Ortega | Southern Foodways Alliance - Southern Foodways Alliance". 2018-02-20. Retrieved 2023-09-01.
  20. ↑ McCarthy, Amy (2017-09-15). "Xochi Tops Chron Critic's List of Houston's Best 100 Restaurants". Eater Houston. Retrieved 2023-09-01.
  21. ↑ Sharpe, Patricia (2018-02-19). "2018's 10 Best New Restaurants in Texas". Texas Monthly. Retrieved 2023-09-01.
  22. ↑ Gallay, Annie (2018-04-24). "Houston Boasts Two of the 13 Best New Restaurants in America, Matching New York: You Don't Mess With Bayou City Food". PaperCity Magazine. Retrieved 2023-09-01.

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