Vote for Houston's Chef of the year

On Monday, November 16, Eater will present the 2015 Eater Awards, our sixth annual celebration of all that's made the restaurant world run — and run wild — in the past 12 months. Winners will be selected on both the local and national levels in five major categories, and the voting begins right now. The poll's now closed for restaurant of the year. Next up? Chef of the Year. Cast your vote for the chef that really made a difference this year below.

This particular poll was especially difficult because of Houston's knack for retaining seasoned culinary talent like Chris Shepherd of Underbelly and Jean-Phillipe Gaston of Izakaya to expand and flourish, but this year we saw introductions from some very exciting and up-and-coming culinary minds who blew us away like Omar Pereney of Peska.

Here's how the voting works: Eater editors have named nominees in Houston for each of five major categories. Eater readers will vote, narrowing the nominees to three finalists. From those three finalists, the Eater editorial team will select a winner. Ready to play your part? This poll will be open for 24 hours; voting irregularities will be strictly policed.