Alba Huerta, Owner
Alba Huerta is an award-winning bartender, author, host, and bilingual cocktail educator. Born in Mexico and raised in Texas, Alba is a proud Mexican-American and entrepreneur who boasts a venerable bar pedigree that has taken her craft around the world. Alba’s flagship cocktail bar in Houston, Julep, received the James Beard Award for Outstanding Bar Program in 2022 and was ranked 46th in the 50 Best Bars North America Inaugural List the same year.
Julep has also been named one of the Top Five Bars in the U.S. by Bon Appetit and was recognized by Esquire as one of the Best Bars in America. It was also a finalist for Best American Cocktail Bar at Tales of the Cocktail’s Spirited Awards.
Thrillist selected Alba as one of the Best Bartenders in America. She was inducted to the Tales of the Cocktail Dame Hall of Fame, named Imbibe’s Bartender of the year, and was one of the Houston Chronicle’s 50 Most Fascinating People. Cherry Bombe included her in the Cherry Bombe 100, and Food & Wine selected her as a rising-star female mixologist.
Her debut cocktail book, Julep, received an International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) award in the Wine, Beer and Spirits Category in 2019.
In 2021, Alba joined the Williams Sonoma Chefs’ Collective and hosts the Williams Sonoma Virtual Beverage Academy, where customers from across the world gather to learn to maximize their at-home bartender skills.
Adriana Ceniceros, General Manager
Adriana Ceniceros, a Mexican American raised in El Paso, moved to Houston as a teenager. She started bartending at age 19 to pay for college and immediately felt at home behind the bar. She’s worked in corporate restaurants, dive bars, night clubs with bottle service, and private events to experience all different parts of the industry. She joined Julep as a server in 2021 and was promoted to bartender, lead bartender, and eventually general manager in 2023.
Calvin Miller, Chef
A native Houstonian, Calvin Miller grew up in Sugar Land where he developed a passion for cooking at a young age thanks to his mother’s influence and guidance in the kitchen. Calvin began his culinary career at the age of 18 working as a line cook at Barry’s Pizza before taking a break from the industry to study journalism at the University of Missouri, where he also played on the club tennis team. After graduating, Calvin worked in communications for a few years before returning to Houston and reigniting his love for working in restaurants. Over the past decade, Calvin has held various roles in kitchens all over Houston, such as line cook at Coltivare, kitchen manager at Petit Cafe, chef at Cru Food and Wine Bar, and kitchen manager at Edison and Patton. Calvin is still an avid tennis fan and loves the sport for helping him handle stress and pressure while maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
