The present invention provides improved methods and apparatus for producing syngas from any carbon-containing feed material. In one aspect, a multi-zone reformer system is provided. A first reaction zone can reduce the presence of refractory tars, while a second reaction zone in communication with the first reaction zone can steam-reform methane and other components from the first reaction zone, to generate high-quality syngas suitable for conversion to liquid fuels, such as ethanol. Other embodiments employ a plurality of reaction zones for added system functionality.