Joseph Boudreaux
Boo’s Burgers | Houston, TX
September 2025
Raised in Houston with Louisiana roots, Joseph Boudreaux learned to cook from the men in his family and always gravitated toward food, even while navigating college and a corporate career. After earning a degree in entrepreneurship from the University of Houston, Boudreaux worked as a project manager for a tech-focused bank. But, a layoff in 2018 gave him the chance to pivot. He began leaning into his longtime passion for events, music, and food, eventually co-founding The Tipping Point Coffee—a hybrid space for coffee, vintage retail, and community.
During the pandemic, Boudreaux began hosting pop-ups in the shop, riffing on breakfast sandwiches and burgers that earned him a devoted following. As a new dad at the time, a breakfast and lunch-leaning concept made the most sense for Boudreaux. He started popping up more prolifically around town, with regular rotations at neighborhood favorites like Nancy’s Hustle and The Original Ninfa’s. A social media shoutout from Chef Dawn Burrell lit the fuse, and soon, Boo’s Burgers was the word on the street.
Fast forward a few years, Boudreaux has opened Boo’s as a permanent stall on The Esplanade at Navigation. From Good Friday fish fries to collaborations with chefs across the city, his work is steeped in his childhood stomping grounds, the East Side of Houston. His food—like the lemon pepper-drenched oyster mushroom sandwich with 'Boogennaise'-mustard green-cabbage slaw, and pickled cucumbers and red onions—is a synthesis of his Creole heritage and his dedication to the foodways of the Black diaspora. The propellant for Boo’s Burgers is Boudreaux’s ambition to make his locally inspired food accessible to the Second Ward community he serves. 2025 StarChefs Houston Rising Stars Award Winner
