Winner will appear in Taste of Home magazine, cook with Carla Hall, and take home $25,000

Quarter-Finalist

Joseph Oliver

Houston’s own! Blending Creole + Latin flavors, building Bayou del Mesa from scratch, and serving soul in every bite.

Currently 4

in the Quarter-Finals

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You decide who will appear in Taste of Home magazine, and win $25,000!

Voting for Semi-Finalists ends Thursday the 23rd of July at 7PM PDT

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What is your signature dish?

Bayou Platter (signature dish) Our Jambalaya de la Casa crowned with golden fried catfish, served alongside red beans and rice and one boudin empanada.

Who is your culinary inspiration?

Bayou del Mesa is inspired by the generations of cooks in my Louisiana family. My parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles, who taught me that food brings people together. Our menu honors those Creole roots while adding my own Latin-inspired perspective.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I’d use the $25,000 to invest directly into the future of Bayou del Mesa. Right now, I rent my food trailer, and this opportunity would help me purchase it outright, giving me the stability and freedom to truly scale the business. It would allow me to invest more into operations, events, staffing, and growing our presence across Houston while continuing to share the Louisiana-inspired flavors and family traditions that built Bayou del Mesa.

James Beard Foundation

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