Chef and restaurateur
Under the umbrella of H Town Restaurant Group,[12] which he co-owns with his wife and fellow restaurateur Tracy Vaught,[13] Ortega is executive chef of Backstreet Cafe, Hugo's, Caracol, Xochi and URBE.[14] He is also a partner in Origen in Oaxaca, Mexico.[15] Ortega also helped create a menu for Mi Almita,[16] a concept opened by Chef Michael Mina in Honolulu in 2018 (now closed).
In 2002, Ortega and Vaught opened Hugo's restaurant in the Montrose area of Houston, serving Authentic Regional Mexican Cuisine.[17] In 2013, Ortega and Vaught opened Caracol, a Coastal Mexican Kitchen, in the Galleria area of Houston.[18] In January 2017, H Town Restaurant Group opened Xochi[19] in the Marriott Marquis Houston Downtown.[8] The restaurant opened two weeks before Houston hosted Super Bowl LI,[20] hosting celebrities, celebrity chefs and visitors during the game festivities.
In 2019, Vaught established the Hugo Ortega Endowment Houston Community College's Culinary Arts Program[21] to support current and future HCC culinary students. The lobby of the new building is named in Hugo's honor and features a namesake wall.[22]
Ortega and wife Tracy Vaught opened URBE Street Food of Mexico in 2021,[23] which has recipes from Ortega's first cookbook Hugo Ortega's Street Food of Mexico.
Ortega has made two guest chef appearances at the James Beard House in New York City[24] (1997 & 1999). He has also hosted three James Beard Foundation events in Houston.[25]
Ortega was featured on the program CBS Sunday Morning: the “Sunday Profile” on the annual “The Food Issue” show (November 19, 2017), spotlighting Ortega's American Dream journey.[26]
In 2018, Ortega's namesake restaurant was featured on “The Zimmern List” hosted by American chef, restaurateur, television and radio personality and food critic Andrew Zimmern for having one of the best brunches in the county.[27]
Ortega appeared as a guest judge in Top Chef, judging elimination challenges in episode 1 of Season 19, which was filmed in Houston.[27]
In October 2023, Ortega was highlighted on Qué Delicia: El Sabor de América on ViX.[28]
