Houston’s Spiciest Chef Fight — The New Ismaili Center Serves as a Grand Stage For This Cardamom Battle

See What Dishes Won, Wowed and Impressed

By Shelby Hodge // Jun 18, 2026

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Chef Jett Hurapan of Thai Cuisine & Sushi Bar preparing Curried Beef Short Ribs for Spice Routes: The Cadamon Competition, at Ismaili Center. (Photo by Alex Montoya)

Double winner Chef Paul Friedman of The Chef's Table during Spice Routes: The Cardamon Challenge held at Ismaili Center (Photo by Alex Montoya)

Betty Feng, Sunny Xu at Spice Routes: The Cardamon Competition held at Ismaili Center (Photo by Alex Montoya)

Culinary Matters team chefs Omar Pereney, Diana Nadira at Spice Routes: The Cardamon Challenge held at Ismaili Center (Photo by Alex Montoya)

Al-Karim Alidina, Omar Samji at Spice Routes: The Cardamon Competition at Ismaili Center (Photo by Alex Montoya)

Chef Aaron Bludorn's Tartlette with Pistachio Frangipane, Cardamom Mousseline, and Rose Loukoum at Spice Routes: The Cardamon Competition (Photo by Alex Montoya)

Doc's Jazz Club's Chef Jose Avila, Daniella Rea with Rose Coconut Pistachio Tiramisu at the Cardamon Challenge at Ismaili Center (Photo by Alex Montoya)

Hatem Saleh, Adam Saleh at Spice Routes: The Cardamon Challenge (Photo by Alex Montoya)

Hearsay Gastro Lounge's mocktail offered at Spice Routes: The Cardamon Challenge (Photo by Alex Montoya)

Mary Ann Hebrank at Spice Routes: The Cardamon Challenge held at Ismaili Center (Photo by Alex Montoya)

What: The Spice Routes: Cardamon Challenge

Where: The Ismaili Center

PC Moment: It’s all about the reveal of the winner in the competition that charged chefs with creating dishes using the exotic spice cardamon. (Perhaps not so exotic by the way as I was introduced to it in my youth in Louisiana with it used in pastry cooking). Chef Paul Friedman of The Chef’s Table won not only the judges’ Savory Choice first place price but was also the People’s Choice award with most of the 400 foodies attending the afternoon event selecting his lamb bobotie as their fave.

Bobotie is one of South Africa’s most beloved dishes — a casserole with curry spiced ground lamb on the bottom of rich savory buttermilk and egg custard.

Chef Christian Hernandez of Barbacana won the Sweet Choice first place for his orange creamsicle & cardamom ice cream sandwich.

Bludorn bite (Photo by Alex Montoya) — Chef Aaron Bludorn’s Tartlette with Pistachio Frangipane, Cardamom Mousseline, and Rose Loukoum at Spice Routes: The Cardamon Competition (Photo by Alex Montoya)

Competing chefs were invited to explore the history, complexity and global influence of cardamom through their inventive sweet and savory creations. Sysco Nourishing Neighbors and McCormick donated cardamom and pantry staples to the participating chefs.

It was a joyful afternoon of touring the center and its nine acres of gardens, tasting the chef’s entries, and shopping in The Bazaar, a curated marketplace featuring culinary and cultural goods. Merchants included Empty Bowls, Cacao & Cardamom, the Ismaili Center bookstore, Qamaria Yemeni Coffee Co., Soft + Salted, Style Esteem Wardrobe, and Vintage Allison. Through sales at The Bazaar, Empty Bowls, a program benefiting the Houston Food Bank, raised enough to provide 3,120 meals to those facing food insecurity.

Betty Feng, Sunny Xu (Photo by Alex Montoya) — Betty Feng, Sunny Xu at Spice Routes: The Cardamon Competition held at Ismaili Center (Photo by Alex Montoya)

The main event, emceed by foodie personality Megha McSwain, raised funds for Urban Harvest, represented by executive director Janna Roberson.

PC Seen: President of the Ismaili Council for the USA Al-Karim Alidina, lecturer and author Christopher Rothko, Untitled Art fair leaders Michael Slenske and Clara Andrade Pereira, Alecia Harris, Clifford Pugh, Marcy de Luna, Carol Neuberger, Lisa Neuberger Fernandez, Adrian Duenas and Marcelo Saenz, Patricia Restrepo, Greg Hebrank, Ernie Manouse, Michele Leal and George Farah, Alim Adatia and Madyson Chavez, Sanford Steinberg and Untitled Art fair leaders Michael Slenske and Clara Andrade Pereira.