Chef Thomas Bille is the award-winning Chef and Co-Owner of Belly of the Beast in Spring, Texas, where he crafts deeply personal cuisine rooted in his Mexican American heritage and shaped by global technique. In 2025, Chef Bille was named Best Chef: Texas by the James Beard Foundation, becoming the only Houston-area chef to receive the honor that year.

A first-generation Mexican American raised in Los Angeles, Chef Bille grew up immersed in a rich cultural landscape. Influenced by the diverse culinary traditions of his childhood and his father’s work as a French-trained chef, Bille developed an early passion for cooking. He entered the professional culinary world at age 27, rapidly rising through the ranks in Los Angeles kitchens and eventually serving as Executive Sous Chef at the acclaimed restaurant Otium. His culinary training includes experience across fine dining, gastropubs, hotel kitchens, and stages in Michelin-starred restaurants.

In 2018, Chef Bille relocated to Texas with his wife and business partner, Elizabeth Bille, where they opened Belly of the Beast. The restaurant is a reflection of his personal journey—a refined, globally inspired kitchen with a foundation in Mexican flavors, French technique, and seasonal, soulful cooking. Signature dishes such as empandas de papa y queso, street-corn agnolotti, and nori-topped tuna tostadas reflect his innovative and boundary-pushing approach. Chef Bille continues to lead with humility and purpose, viewing food as a medium for storytelling, connection, and cultural preservation. Through Belly of the Beast, he and his team strive to create an intimate dining experience that honors tradition while pushing creative boundaries.