Chef Adrian Torres is the executive chef at Maximo. (Courtesy Will Blunt)
Maximo chef Adrian Torres said that as a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, recipient who has overcome his share of challenges due to his status in the country, he is choosing to use his platform as a James Beard winner to advocate for immigrant rights by sharing his own story.
“I've always had the thought of my parents and their sacrifice and everything they did. ... They left their country, their home, their dreams, their lives to come here ... for their kids' dreams. ... Something that's been very present to me is repaying that sacrifice,” Torres said. “Especially this last year and a half, I've been given a stage and the privilege to speak on what is true to me.”
During the 2026 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards hosted June 15 in Chicago, Torres was awarded the Emerging Chef prize, given annually to one chef nationwide, according to the awards website.
Meet the chef
Torres recalls being introduced to the culinary scene during his early years while watching the reality television show "Cake Boss." At the time, Torres said his interest in cake baking and cooking was purely a hobby. However, after taking culinary classes in high school, his chef aspirations were ignited.
Maximo earned a culinary degree from San Jacinto College. (Courtesy Adrian Torres)
With dreams to study culinary arts on a professional level at a private culinary school, Torres learned that, unlike the rest of his classmates, his legal status kept him from being accepted.
“Because of my legal status, being a DACA recipient, those schools could not accept me. So that was a little bit disheartening at the time,” he said.
Refusing to allow his status to get in the way of achieving his goals, Torres went on to study culinary arts at San Jacinto College.
“My directors and instructors pushed me from very early on, and while I was in culinary school, I actually got my first kitchen job at Xochi in Downtown Houston,” Torres said.
Chef Adrian Torres stands next to Evelyn Garcia and Henry Lee at the James Beard ceremony. (Courtesy Maximo)
Staying local
Crediting his mother as his biggest supporter, Torres said his mother always pushed him to do what he wanted so long as he worked his best at it.
“Every restaurant that I worked at, every position that I was in, that's kind of the way I treated it,” he said. “Like I don't know it yet, but I want to learn it, and I want to be the best at it.”
As a Houston local with Mexican roots, Torres said many of his culinary techniques are adopted from the diverse culture the city brings, including Japanese and Chinese cooking techniques as well as Texas barbecue smoking methods.
“I think it's hard to find a restaurant in Houston that doesn't have somewhat of an influence from what is around,” Torres said.
Maximo has a selection of masa items on the menu featuring tostadas, tetelas, tacos and even cornbread. (Courtesy Carla Gomez)
On the menu
Founded in 2020 with a different chef, Torres said Maximo was originally operated with a fast casual concept. In 2024, when he took over as executive chef, Torres revamped the concept to offer an upscale version of Mexican cuisine.
Known for its nixtamalized tortillas made with corn imported from Mexico and mixed with an alkaline solution, Maximo is one of a handful of restaurants offering authentic Mexican nixtamalized tortillas, Torres said.
“For me, it's about the foundation of the food, like all the food tasting like home,” Torres said. “I want everybody that comes in here to be like, oh my god, this tastes like my mom's cooking or my grandma's cooking, or this tastes like a meal that I had in Mexico.”
The pork belly carnitas are made with smoked pork belly, chicharron, escabeche, guacamole and served with flour tortilla. (Courtesy Sydney Cooper)
One of Torres' favorite dishes he offers includes the pork belly carnitas smoked in house, which creates a crispy exterior and a tender and moist interior.
“I want to continue bringing awareness of what it means to be a Mexican American,” he said. “I am an immigrant, and if you're enjoying my food, the food you're enjoying comes from immigrant hands, and it's important for people to know and understand what that means. So that's another part of my journey, and you know I'm still figuring things out, but that's somewhere where I want to grow, and I want to be a spokesperson for our community, and that's something that's at the very top of my list.”
