Chicago’s 2026 James Beard Award Semifinalists | WTTW Chicago https://share.google/rdKy4x89QO1Hds6HF
Category: James Beard Awards
James Beard Semifinalist Unveils Fusion of Southern Soul and British Pub Culture in Louisville’s Highlands
Louisville’s iconic Highlands neighborhood starts a new culinary chapter inspired by award-winning Chef Lawrence Weeks. Weeks, a James Beard semifinalist and rising Southern culinary talent proudly announces the grand opening of Murray’s Creole Pub, a restaurant rooted in family legacy, bursting with passion, and built to honor the culinary dreams of those who came before him.
Weeks is well known for the acclaimed restaurant North of Bourbon, which earned a coveted spot on The New York Times’ 50 Best Restaurants in America list while under his direction in 2024.
Named in tribute to his great-grandfather Lawrence Ignatius “Buzz” Murray and grandfather Lawrence Xavier Murray, Murray’s carries the dreams of two men who always aspired to run their own kitchen.
“This is more than food,” says Weeks. “It’s a tribute to the men who inspired my fire for cooking. They never got their shot to be head chefs – so I’m giving them the stage they always deserved.”
At Murray’s Creole Pub, the convivial spirit of British pub culture finds unexpected harmony with the bold, soulful cadence of Creole cuisine. Here, the comforting ritual of gathering over a pint meets the vibrant storytelling of the Southern table. With its warm and welcoming ambiance, the downstairs pub is the place to try such classic menu items as their burgers, fish & chips and tikka masala curry.
Upstairs, the mood shifts. The dining room evokes a more refined rhythm – intimate lighting, thoughtful plating, and a menu that leans into fine dining without losing its soulful roots. Oysters and caviar service lead the way for an experiential pub style menu – reimagined to take you on a culinary journey like never before. It’s a dual experience under one roof and an ode to the art of Southern hospitality, plated with intention and poured with grace.
Murray’s Creole Pub is open to the public on Dec. 12th at 1576 Bardstown Rd., Louisville, KY. Lunch service begins at 12 p.m with dinner service from 5:00 p.m to 10:00 p.m. Happy hour from 3:30 p.m – 5 p.m. Reservations are available now on Resy and walk-ins are welcome.
For more on what to do in Louisville, visit Go to Louisville.
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JAMES BEARD FOUNDATION® ANNOUNCES 2025 MEDIA AWARD WINNERS
The James Beard Foundation® is proud to announce the winners of the 2025 James Beard Media Awards, presented by Capital One, honoring the nation’s top food authors, broadcast producers, hosts, journalists, podcasters, and social media content creators. The full list of winners, which includes Book, Broadcast Media, and Journalism, can be found below and on the James Beard Foundation website.
James Beard Award winner®, Emmy-nominated producer, TV host, and New York Times best-selling author Padma Lakshmi hosted the 2025 Media Awards ceremony on Saturday, June 14, 2025 at Columbia College Chicago. Presenters also included luminary food media personalities such as Nyesha Arrington, Molly Baz, Rose Levy Beranbaum, Dr. Jessica B. Harris, Francis Lam, Adam Richman, Alexander Smalls, Andrew Zimmern, and others.
“Congratulations to the 2025 Media Award winners, whose compelling narratives shape our food culture and set the standard of excellence in culinary storytelling and reporting,” said Clare Reichenbach, CEO, James Beard Foundation. “We’re honored to celebrate phenomenal work that will surely impact how people cook, think about food, and engage with our shared culinary landscape for years to come.”
2025 marks a notable milestone: the 35th anniversary of the James Beard Awards. This year’s ceremonies commemorate the transformative role the Awards have played in recognizing excellence and shaping the evolution of American food culture, while reaffirming the Foundation’s commitment to leading and supporting the industry for years to come.
“The Media Awards celebrate all those who expand our understanding of food through exceptional storytelling that educates, entertains, and inspires,” said Dawn Padmore, VP of Awards, James Beard Foundation. “A heartfelt thanks to our subcommittee members and judges for their dedication and the thoughtful consideration they put into these awards. Their time and expertise are deeply appreciated.”
BOOK AWARDS
The James Beard Foundation began honoring excellence in food media more than 30 years ago, with the first Book Awards presented in 1990. This year’s Book Awards recognize cookbooks and other nonfiction food- or beverage-related books that were published in the U.S. in 2024. Books from foreign publishers must bear a 2024 U.S. copyright date and/or must have been distributed in the U.S. during 2024.
“Congratulations to this year’s winners, who have taken us on journeys through kitchens and communities worldwide,” said Genevieve Villamora, chair of the James Beard Foundation’s Book Awards program. “From technical mastery to cultural storytelling and preservation—these books represent the very best in culinary publishing, proving that great food writing comes in many forms.”
The 2025 James Beard Book Award winners are:
Baking and Desserts: Books with recipes focused on the art and craft of baking, pastries, and desserts, both sweet and savory items, including ingredients, techniques, equipment, and traditions
Sift: The Elements of Great Baking by Nicola Lamb (Clarkson Potter)
Beverage with Recipes: Books with recipes focused on beverages, such as cocktails, beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, or juices.
The Bartender’s Pantry: A Beverage Handbook for the Universal Bar by Emma Janzen, Jim Meehan, and Bart Sasso (Ten Speed Press)
Beverage without Recipes: Books without recipes that focus on beverages, such as cocktails, beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, or juices; or books that cover these subject areas where recipes are not the focus of cooking, not just a single topic, technique, or region.
Sake: The Art and Craft of Japan’s National Drink by Yoshiko Ueno-Müller (Prestel)
Bread: Books with recipes focused on the art and craft of making bread, including ingredients, techniques, equipment, and traditions.
Richard Hart Bread: Intuitive Sourdough Baking by Richard Hart, Henrietta Lovell, and Laurie Woolever (Clarkson Potter)
Food Issues and Advocacy: Books that focus on investigative journalism, food policy, food advocacy, deep dives, and critical analysis of the changing social landscape around food.
Ruin Their Crops on the Ground: The Politics of Food in the United States, from the Trail of Tears to School Lunch by Andrea Freeman (Metropolitan Books)
General: Books with recipes that address a broad scope of cooking, not just a single topic, technique, or region, and are accessible to a general audience.
Pass the Plate: 100 Delicious, Highly Shareable, Everyday Recipes: A Cookbook, Carolina Gelen, (Clarkson Potter)
International: Books with recipes focused on presenting cuisines of the world in their cultural context: their history, distinctive characteristics, and techniques.
The Balkan Kitchen: Recipes and Stories from the Heart of the Balkans, Irina Janakievska (Quadrille)
Literary Writing: Narrative nonfiction books, including memoirs, culinary travel, culinary tourism, biography, reflections on food in a cultural context, and personal essays.
Frostbite: How Refrigeration Changed Our Food, Our Planet, and Ourselves by Nicola Twilley (Penguin Press)
Professional and Restaurant: Books written by a culinary professional or restaurant chef with recipes that may include advanced cooking techniques, the use of specialty ingredients and professional equipment, including culinary arts textbooks.
Convivir: Modern Mexican Cuisine in California’s Wine Country by Rogelio Garcia and Andréa Lawson Gray (Abrams)
Reference, History, and Scholarship: Includes manuals, guides, encyclopedias, and books that present research related to food or foodways.
McAtlas: A Global Guide to the Golden Arches by Gary He (Self-published)
Single Subject: Books with recipes focused on a single ingredient, dish, or method of cooking
Jang: The Soul of Korean Cooking (More than 60 Recipes Featuring Gochujang, Doenjang, and Ganjang) by Nadia Cho, Mingoo Kang, and Joshua David Stein (Artisan)
U.S. Foodways: Books with recipes focused on the cooking or foodways of regions or communities located within the United States.
Our South: Black Food Through My Lens by Ashleigh Shanti (Union Square & Co.)
Vegetable-Focused Cooking: Books on vegetable cookery with recipes that are meatless, vegetarian, or vegan.
Mastering the Art of Plant-Based Cooking: Vegan Recipes, Tips, and Techniques by Joe Yonan (Ten Speed Press)
Visuals: Books on food or beverage with exceptional graphic design, art, or photography.
McAtlas: A Global Guide to the Golden Arches by Gary He (Self-published)
More information about the Book Awards eligibility and criteria can be viewed here.
BROADCAST MEDIA AWARDS
The Broadcast Media Awards were established in 1993 to recognize nonfiction works in English that exemplify excellence and keep with the mission and values of the James Beard Foundation. This year’s winners spotlight food and beverage topics appearing widely for the first time in the U.S. in 2024 across digital and terrestrial media—including radio, television broadcasts, podcasts, documentaries, online sites, and social media.
“We’re honored to recognize those whose thoughtful production and authentic storytelling bring our dynamic food culture to life,” said Cynthia Graubart, chair of the James Beard Foundation’s Broadcast Media Awards program. “Congratulations to the 2025 winners for offering a unique lens into the people, trends, and traditions that shape how we experience food and dining.”
The 2025 James Beard Broadcast Media Award winners are:
Audio Programming: This award recognizes excellence in a food- or beverage-related radio or podcast program.
Loading Dock Talks with Chef Preeti Mistry
“Cream Pie with Telly Justice” Airs on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other podcast platforms
Audio Reporting: This award recognizes excellence in reporting and narratives about food and/or food issues in radio or podcasts. This work is issue or deadline-driven, investigative, topical, or timely in nature.
Post Reports
“Bacon: The Best-Kept Secret in Washington” Airs on: Post Reports
Commercial Media: This award recognizes excellence in food- or beverage-related media including video production, audio programming, or other media that is clearly developed and marketed with prominent visual branding, is sponsored or commercially funded, and/or contains paid advertising. It may be broadcast, streamed, accessed online, or through an app.
La Mera Mera Tamalera, Airs on: YouTube
Documentary Visual Media: This award recognizes excellence in a food- or beverage-related documentary that is at least 15 minutes long.
MARCELLA, Airs on: PBS American Masters
Docuseries Visual Media: This award recognizes excellence in a food- or beverage-related docuseries.
World Eats Bread, Airs on: National Geographic Channel
Instructional Visual Media: This award recognizes excellence in a food- or beverage-related video production with instruction and/or education as its primary intent, whether broadcast, streamed, accessed online, or through an app.
G.O.A.T., Airs on: MasterClass
Lifestyle Visual Media: New in 2025, this category honors excellence in food-centric talk shows and lifestyle programs that explore food or beverage alongside broader societal and cultural themes. Entries can range from interview-based shows featuring chefs and food personalities to those that delve into food history, science, and culture. This year, submissions to the Competition Visual Media category were included for consideration within the Lifestyle Visual Media category.
Relish, Airs on: PBS, Passport, TPT, TPT-2 and YouTube
Social Media Account: This award recognizes excellence in a food- or beverage-related social media account or platform.
Little Fat Boy, Airs on: Instagram, TikTok, Substack and YouTube
Travel Visual Media: New in 2025, this category celebrates excellence in food- or beverage-focused travel shows. Entries should showcase the unique culinary culture and traditions of a specific region or country, highlighting the connection between people, food, regions, and communities.
Drink: A Look Inside the Glass, Airs on: Apple TV, Prime Video, Tubi, and Roku
More information about Broadcast Media Awards eligibility and criteria can be viewed here.
JOURNALISM AWARDS
The Journalism Awards were established by the James Beard Foundation in 1992. This year’s Journalism Awards recognize works in English and cover food- or drink-related content which were published—or self-published—in 2024 in any medium.
“The reporting by the 2025 Journalism Award winners shows so poignantly how food plays an integral role in every aspect of our lives,” said Rochelle Oliver, chair of the James Beard Foundation’s Journalism Awards program. “Thank you to these journalists for their dedication to deepening the conversation around culture, history, community, and sense of identity from a culinary lens.”
The 2025 James Beard Journalism Award winners are:
Beverage: This award recognizes distinctive style, thorough knowledge, plainspoken prose, and innovative approach in a single article on alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages.
“Want to Make Spirits in Thailand? Good Luck.” by Craig Sauers, Punch
Columns and Newsletters: This award recognizes the work of an individual or team/group that demonstrates thought-provoking opinion and a compelling style on food- or drink-related topics.
“The farm bill hall of shame”; “The essential workers missing from the farm bill”; “Tribal nations want more control over their food supply” by Teresa Cotsirilos, Bridget Huber, and Claire Kelloway, Food & Environment Reporting Network and Mother Jones
Craig Claiborne Distinguished Criticism Award: This award recognizes discerning criticism or commentary that contributes to the larger discourse on food, drink, and related topics. An entry consists of three pieces that can include restaurant reviews, cultural critiques, or analyses that demonstrate thought-provoking opinion and compelling style.
“New tasting menu dinners at Honeysuckle Provisions are provocative and delicious”; “The enduring, confusing, and always delicious Octopus Cart is still puffing along after 34 years”; “Loch Bar, a new high-end seafood spot on Broad, swings big and misses” by Craig LaBan, Philadelphia Inquirer
Dining and Travel: This award recognizes exemplary and comprehensive service journalism that relies on both critical voice and thorough research to bring a variety of dining options into perspective, whether in a single city, a region, or a country.
“Gastro Obscura’s Feast” by Anne Ewbank, Diana Hubbell, and Sam O’Brien, Gastro Obscura
Feature Reporting: This award recognizes excellence for engaging writing and in-depth reporting in food and/or drink features.
“We Need to Talk About Trader Joe’s” by Adam Reiner
TASTE
Food Coverage in a General Interest Publication: This award recognizes excellence in food and/or drink writing, reporting, and presentation in a general interest site or print publication. Judges evaluate each entry for overall breadth and depth of coverage.
The Bitter Southerner
Foodways: This award recognizes the importance of culture and history in food journalism. Entries in this category explore the connection between what we eat and who we are, with an emphasis on reporting.
“As Detroit sees a future in urban agriculture, some pushback harkens to a dark past” by Lyndsay C. Green, Detroit Free Press
Health and Wellness: This award recognizes excellence in food- and/or drink-related health and wellness coverage. Entries explore a variety of topics that may include (but are not limited to) addiction, aging, chronic disease, diet, mental health, mind-body connection, nutrition, and reproductive health.
“Florida Banned Farmworker Heat Protections. A Groundbreaking Partnership Offers a Solution.” Grey Moran. Civil Eats
Home Cooking: This award recognizes excellence in service journalism with a practical focus for the home cook. The award honors imaginative and substantive entries that use fresh, innovative approaches—both written and visual—to illuminate cooking methods, ingredients, and recipes.
“The Art and Science of Kimchi” by Andrea Geary, Cook’s Illustrated
Investigative Reporting: This award recognizes excellence in investigative reporting on environmental, political, business, or policy issues regarding food and/or drink.
“The North Koreans behind global seafood”; “The Whistleblower” by Ian Urbina and the Staff of The Outlaw Ocean Project, The Outlaw Ocean Project and The New Yorker
Jonathan Gold Local Voice Award: This award recognizes the work of an individual who engages readers through enterprising food and dining coverage in a specific region, which also displays versatility in form, including reviews, profiles, cooking, quick hits, and hard news reporting.
“Etta’s Five Bankruptcies Have Left a Collective Mess”; “White Sox Fans Came for the Losses, Stayed for the Milkshakes”; “Namasteak, USA” by Ashok Selvam, Eater Chicago
MFK Fisher Distinguished Writing Award: This award recognizes a single article of exceptional literary merit on the subject of food and/or drink published in any medium.
“The City that Rice Built” by Jeff Gordinier and George McCalman, Food & Wine
Narrative Photography: New in 2025, this award recognizes exemplary storytelling through the use of photography within food culture. An entry is composed of images from one published piece that captures a visual narrative with skill, perspective, and style.
“The Only Constant is Chuck’s” by Rory Doyle (Self-published)
Announcing this year’s James Beard Award Nominees and Honorees
Announcing the 2025 Restaurant and Chef Award nominees, as well as the Impact, Lifetime Achievement, and Humanitarian of the Year Award honorees, for the James Beard Awards® presented by Capital One. Winners will be revealed at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony on Monday, June 16 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, the James Beard Awards® is upholding its role as the nation’s foremost culinary honors by evolving its awards structure. The 2025 Restaurant and Chef Awards is introducing three new categories: Best New Bar, Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service, and Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service. As an extension of the James Beard Foundation’s impact work and advocacy policy priorities, we are also proud to inaugurate the Impact Awards, which recognize individuals and/or organizations advancing standards for a more equitable, sustainable, and economically viable restaurant industry and food system. Impact Award honorees will be acknowledged at a ceremony in Chicago on Sunday, June 15, as well as on stage at the Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony on Monday, June 16, along with the Lifetime Achievement and Humanitarian of the Year Award honorees.
Tickets for the 35th anniversary of the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards in Chicago can be purchased here beginning at 3 P.M. ET on Wednesday, April 2. The Awards will be broadcast live on Eater. We encourage you to learn more about the James Beard Awards® categories, policies, and procedures here.
Check out the nominees and honorees below!
Restaurant and Chef Award Nominees
Outstanding Restaurateur
- Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski, Atomic Workshop (The Anchovy Bar, State Bird Provisions, and The Progress), San Francisco, CA
- Sue Chin and Jason Chin, Good Salt Restaurant Group (Seito Sushi, Reyes Mezcaleria, The Osprey, and others), Orlando, FL
- Scott Drewno and Danny Lee, The Fried Rice Collective (Anju, Chiko, and I Egg You), Washington, D.C.
- Allison Gibson and Cara Tobin, Honey Road and Gray Jay, Burlington, VT
- Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr, Frenchette, Le Veau d’Or, and Le Rock, New York, NY
Outstanding Chef presented by Hilton
- Lisa Becklund, FarmBar, Tulsa, OK
- Gabriel Kreuther, Gabriel Kreuther, New York, NY
- Josh Niernberg, Bin 707, Grand Junction, CO
- Cassie Piuma, Sarma, Somerville, MA
- Jungsik Yim, Jungsik, New York, NY
Outstanding Restaurant presented by Acqua Panna® Natural Spring Water
- Coquine, Portland, OR
- Frasca Food and Wine, Boulder, CO
- Galit, Chicago, IL
- Nonesuch, Oklahoma City, OK
- Oberlin, Providence, RI
Emerging Chef presented by S.Pellegrino® Sparkling Natural Mineral Water
- Kaitlin Guerin, Lagniappe Bakehouse, New Orleans, LA
- Phila Lorn, Mawn, Philadelphia, PA
- Nikhil Naiker, NIMKI, Providence, RI
- Jane Sacro Chatham, Vicia, St. Louis, MO
- RJ Yoakum, Georgie, Dallas, TX
Best New Restaurant
- Alma Fonda Fina, Denver, CO
- Atoma, Seattle, WA
- Bûcheron, Minneapolis, MN
- Ema, Houston, TX
- Fet-Fisk, Pittsburgh, PA
- Mābo, Dallas, TX
- Mita, Washington, D.C.
- Ômo by Jônt, Winter Park, FL
- Penny, New York, NY
- The Union, Helena, MT
Outstanding Bakery
- Atelier Ortega, Jackson Hole, WY
- Gusto Bread, Long Beach, CA
- JinJu Patisserie, Portland, OR
- Starship Bagel, Dallas and Lewisville, TX
- Super Secret Ice Cream, Bethlehem, NH
Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker
- Susan Bae, Moon Rabbit, Washington, D.C.
- Cat Cox, Country Bird Bakery, Tulsa, OK
- April Franqueza, The Dining Room at High Hampton, Cashiers, NC
- Crystal Kass, Valentine, Phoenix, AZ
- Carolyn Nugent and Alen Ramos, Poulette Bakeshop, Parker, CO
Outstanding Hospitality presented by American Airlines
- Archipelago, Seattle, WA
- Aria, Atlanta, GA
- Atomix, New York, NY
- Harbor House Inn, Elk, CA
- Mixtli, San Antonio, TX
Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
- Bar Brava, Minneapolis, MN
- Campo at Los Poblanos, Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, NM
- Charleston, Baltimore, MD
- MARCH, Houston, TX
- Strong Water, Anaheim, CA
Outstanding Bar
- Kumiko, Chicago, IL
- Scotch Lodge, Portland, OR
- The Lovers Bar at Friday Saturday Sunday, Philadelphia, PA
- Water Witch, Salt Lake City, UT
- Wolf Tree, White River Junction, VT
Best New Bar
- Agency, Milwaukee, WI
- Bar Colette, Dallas, TX
- Identidad Cocktail Bar, San Juan, PR
- Merai, Brookline, MA
- ViceVersa, Miami, FL
Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service
- Jacob Brown, Lazy Bear, San Francisco, CA
- Jose Medina Camacho, Adiõs, Birmingham, AL
- Arjav Ezekiel, Birdie’s, Austin, TX
- Cassandra Felix, Daniel, New York, NY
- Cristie Norman, Delilah, Las Vegas, NV
Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service
- McLain Hedges and Mary Allison Wright, Yacht Club, Denver, CO
- Ignacio “Nacho” Jimenez, Superbueno, New York, NY
- Dave Newman, Pint + Jigger, Honolulu, HI
- Tobin Shea, Redbird, Los Angeles, CA
- Mike Stankovich, Longfellow, Cincinnati, OH
Best Chefs presented by Capital One (by region)
Best Chef: California
- Daniel Castillo, Heritage Barbecue, San Juan Capistrano, CA
- Richard Lee, Saison, San Francisco, CA
- Tara Monsod, ANIMAE, San Diego, CA
- Kosuke Tada, Mijoté, San Francisco, CA
- Jon Yao, Kato, Los Angeles, CA
Best Chef: Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH)
- Jennifer Blakeslee and Eric Patterson, The Cooks’ House, Traverse City, MI
- Thai Dang, HaiSous, Chicago, IL
- David Jackman, Wildweed, Cincinnati, OH
- Chris Jung and Erling Wu-Bower, Maxwells Trading, Chicago, IL
- Noah Sandoval, Oriole, Chicago, IL
Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)
- Henji Cheung, Queen’s English, Washington, D.C.
- Carlos Delgado, Causa and Amazonia, Washington, D.C.
- Jesse Ito, Royal Sushi & Izakaya, Philadelphia, PA
- Dan Richer, Razza, Jersey City, NJ
- Amanda Shulman, Her Place Supper Club, Philadelphia, PA
Best Chef: Midwest (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI)
- Shigeyuki Furukawa, Kado no Mise, Minneapolis, MN
- Diane Moua, Diane’s Place, Minneapolis, MN
- Loryn Nalic, Balkan Treat Box, Webster Groves, MO
- Karyn Tomlinson, Myriel, St. Paul, MN
- David Utterback, Ota and Yoshitomo, Omaha, NE
Best Chef: Mountain (CO, ID, MT, UT, WY)
- Joshua Adams, Campione, Livingston, MT
- Salvador Alamilla, Amano, Caldwell, ID
- Brandon Cunningham, The Social Haus, Greenough, MT
- David Wells, The Tasting Room at Chico Hot Springs Resort & Day Spa, Pray, MT
- Penelope Wong, Yuan Wonton, Denver, CO
Best Chef: New York State
- Nasim Alikhani, Sofreh, Brooklyn, NY
- Ryan Fernandez, Southern Junction Barbecue, Buffalo, NY
- Eiji Ichimura, Sushi Ichimura, New York, NY
- Atsushi Kono, Kono, New York, NY
- Vijay Kumar, Semma, New York, NY
Best Chef: Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT)
- Avery Buck, May Day, Burlington, VT
- Sky Haneul Kim, Gift Horse, Providence, RI
- Brian Lewis, The Cottage, Westport, CT
- Erin Miller, Urban Hearth, Cambridge, MA
- Derek Wagner, Nicks on Broadway, Providence, RI
Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific (AK, HI, OR, WA)
- Jay Blackinton, Houlme, Orcas Island, WA
- Joshua Dorcak, MÄS, Ashland, OR
- Ryan Roadhouse, Nodoguro, Portland, OR
- Beau Schooler, In Bocca Al Lupo, Juneau, AK
- Timothy Wastell, Antica Terra, Amity, OR
Best Chef: South (AL, AR, FL, LA, MS, PR)
- Nando Chang, Itamae AO, Miami, FL
- Matthew Cooper, Conifer, Bentonville, AR
- Kevin Garcia, La Faena AgroCocina, Guaynabo, PR
- Angel David Moreno Zayas, El Gallo Pinto, Guayama, PR
- Rafael Rios, Yeyo’s El Alma de Mexico, Bentonville, AR
Best Chef: Southeast (GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV)
- Noam Bilitzer, MeeshMeesh Mediterranean, Louisville, KY
- Sara Bradley, freight house, Paducah, KY
- Jake Howell, Peninsula, Nashville, TN
- Silver Iocovozzi, Neng Jr.’s, Asheville, NC
- Robbie Robinson, City Limits Barbeque, West Columbia, SC
Best Chef: Southwest (AZ, NM, NV, OK)
- Olivier Bouzerand, Fait Maison, Edmond, OK
- Yotaka Martin, Lom Wong, Phoenix, AZ
- Sarah Thompson, Casa Playa, Las Vegas, NV
- Eleazar Villanueva, Restaurant de Joël Robuchon, Las Vegas, NV
- Zack Walters, Sedalia’s Oyster & Seafood, Oklahoma City, OK
Best Chef: Texas
- Thomas Bille, Belly of the Beast, Spring, TX
- Emmanuel Chavez, Tatemó, Houston, TX
- Emil Oliva, Leche de Tigre, San Antonio, TX
- Regino Rojas, Purépecha, Dallas, TX
- Michael Anthony Serva, Bordo, Marfa, TX
Achievement Awards
Impact Awards
The 2025 Impact Award honorees are:
- Angie Craig, U.S. Representative (MN-2); Minority Leader, House Committee on Agriculture
- Brandon Edwin Chrostowski, CEO, EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute
- Anthony Edwards Jr., CEO and Co-Founder, EatOkra
- Seanicaa Edwards Herron, Founder and Executive Director, Freedmen Heirs Foundation
- Dune Lankard, President and Founder, Native Conservancy
Humanitarian of the Year Award
The 2024 Humanitarian of the Year Award honoree is Chad Houser, founder and CEO of Café Momentum, a Dallas-based nonprofit restaurant with multiple locations nationwide dedicated to equipping justice-involved teens aged 15-19 with skills, education, and employment opportunities in the culinary industry.
Lifetime Achievement Award
The 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award honoree is esteemed author, culinary journalist, and activist Toni Tipton-Martin.
15 Arizona chefs, restaurants named 2025 James Beard Award semifinalists Source: Phoenix New Times
15 Arizona chefs, restaurants named 2025 James Beard Award semifinalists Source: Phoenix New Times https://share.newsbreak.com/b1o3l2o7
It’s a One Time Only Dining Experience: Chef Christian Hunter of the Michelin-starred Atelier joins Chef Sean Richardson at Rune Restaurant on December 22
What: A Collaborative Tasting Dinner featuring Chefs Sean Richardson of Rune Restaurant in Fort Wayne and Christian Hunter of Atelier in Chicago
Where: Rune Restaurant 2725 Broadway – Fort Wayne, Indiana
When: Sunday, December 22, 2024, with two seatings at 5 pm and 7:30 pm
How: Reservations are required by clicking here, or by calling (260) 278-0674
Tickets are $115 per person
What started years ago as a fun exchange about cheese at Zingerman’s in Ann Arbor, turned into a lasting friendship between Chefs Sean Richardson and Christian Hunter. Since those days, both were recognized in their own right by the James Beard Foundation. Later this month, they will reunite. Only this time, it’s on in the kitchen!
Fort Wayne locals have quickly become Rune devotees since its opening in March of this year. Chef Richardson uses locally raised ingredients for his seasonal menus that introduce guests to an array of international flavors in approachable ways. Chef Christian Hunter has a similar approach at his Michelin-starred restaurant, Atelier, in Chicago. Hunter is now a partner in the restaurant featuring a nightly 12-14 course menu highlighting dishes ranging from home cooking to something more fancy which always “tries to be true to our roots,” said the Lexington, Kentucky native.
The two lauded chefs are joining forces for a one-night-only collaborative tasting dinner at Rune Restaurant on December 22, 2024.
Richardson says guests can expect five courses featuring the best of the region’s producers. He’s excited to share the kitchen with his friend and said, “Any opportunity to share a space with another chef, especially one as successful and down to earth as Christian, is always exciting. The fact that it is our space in my city is extremely exciting.”
“It’s going to be a dinner that honors the local producers. So, I’m here to cook Fort Wayne food, and to learn about Fort Wayne. So, to me, it’s a very cool kind of exchange that we’re about to do. That’s what I’m looking forward to,” said Hunter.
About Christian Hunter
Chef Christian Hunter is inspired by his upbringing, global flavors, sustainable food production, and nutritional anthropology.
He first encountered diverse cuisines in his hometown of Lexington, Kentucky. As soon as he was earning his own money, he’d spend it checking out the newest restaurants in town from Mexican and Thai to Indian. “It was like I was searching for something,” Hunter recalls. That early childhood exposure all comes to fruition on his plates.
His signature style focuses on infusing New American fare with unexpected global flavors. He adds zing to locally sourced products with chermoula, freekeh, berbere, house-made garam masala, salsa macha, locally made miso, and many more.
Hunter has a culinary degree from Paul Smith’s College in upstate New York and has cooked at Relais & Châteaux’s Lake Placid Lodge and The Weekapaug Inn in Rhode Island. He spent four years in Charleston cultivating relationships with local farmers and also his own culinary identity, emphasizing global flavors. He joined Community Table in Litchfield, Connecticut during the challenging year of 2020. Chef used the time to familiarize himself with area farms and shape the culinary direction of the restaurant.
The Chef also brings his Southern heritage to Atelier. Coming from a humble background, he strives to get the most out of everything he brings into the kitchen. Hunter also wants to illuminate the ability of African American chefs to cook amazing food of any cuisine or genre.
Chef Hunter’s notable recognitions thus far:
- 2024 Chicago Magazine 50 Best New Restaurant
- 2024 Jean Banchet Rising Star Chef Nominee
- 2024 James Beard Best New Restaurant Semi-Finalist (Atelier)
- 2023 Michelin Chicago Young Chef Award Winner
- 2023 Michelin 1* (Atelier)
- 2023 James Beard Best Chef Finalist Northeast (Community Table/ CT)
About Sean Richardson
An Indiana native, Chef Sean Richardson remembers cooking alongside his grandparents as a child. Making everything from handmade sausages to varenyky and kapusta, he says that they “taught me what cooking could be.” So, when he moved to Fort Wayne to pursue a degree in creative writing from Purdue University, he also explored what cooking really could be by embarking upon his culinary career starting at The Oyster Bar in 2008, before honing his craft in 2013 at the award-winning Joseph Decuis in Roanoke in Indiana.
In 2017, he joined forces with Chef Aaron Butts to open The Golden in Fort Wayne where he was nominated by the James Beard Foundation as Best Great Chef of Great Lakes. His collaborative efforts have also put him on the map of notable chefs working on projects with Chef Jonathan Brooks of Milktooth, Chef and educator Kate Hill of Camont in Gascony, France, and Chef Dan Barber of Blue Hill at Stone Barn.
Most recently he helmed the culinary program at another Fort Wayne original – Conjure. It was here that he began dreaming about his latest project – Rune Restaurant and Bar which opened its doors in March 2024 in the 07 (46807) neighborhood of Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Richardson says that he has worked over the past decade to perfect his voice, and feels he’s finally ready to express a voice that is “loud with big flavors, a bit chaotic, technical when it needs to be, but never fussy, and always delicious.” He and his wife, Natasha, live in the neighborhood and value family time with their two sons – Rune and Casper. He also explores his creative expression by writing songs with his band –Best Sleep which performs regularly at various listening rooms in Fort Wayne.
Every Seed Remembers: 2024 James Beard Leadership Award Winner Mai Nguyen
“I believe we can live in a peaceful world where everyone has what they need to thrive and we can all experience the beauty of our diverse planet,” writes Mai Nguyen, a farmer and social justice activist in Sonoma, California known as Farmer Mai who won the James Beard Leadership Award this year. “To make that world, we have problems to solve: climate change and social inequality.
“I farm to undo climate change and strengthen our food sovereignty. I facilitate democracy because we must include everyone in determining how we organize ourselves and resources. I mobilize communities and work in coalitions to create policies that advance racially equitable, ecological farming and to advance land justice such that we have the places to root down agroecological farming.”
Farmer Mai, a heirloom grain farmer using exclusively agroecological farming practices, award-winning intersectional activist, speaker and consultant, believes that every seed remembers
“Growing heirloom seeds saved from the same soil and climate, even as we face climate change’s extreme droughts and floods, means that the seeds remember how to adapt,” she writes. “Seeds also carry our stories–where we came from and what nourished our ancestors. The heirloom grains I grow come from many parts of the world by the hands of people immigrating or escaping. These seeds connect them to a place and people as they make a new home here. The diversity of seed reflects the diversity of our society.”
Her grains include Marquis, hard red winter wheat with the following profile:
“This wheat tastes like a classic hard red with strong nutty, toasty, and sweet aromas. This wheat was selected from over 30 results of crossing Red Fife and an early ripening Indian wheat known as Hard Red Calcutta. It became the primary wheat grown in Canada in the 1900s, yet grows surprisingly well in coastal California.”
Farmer Mai also grows Rouge de Bordeaux , another hard red winter wheat, comes from Southwestern France and was a popular bread flour among 19th century French bakers.
Originally from England, Chiddam Blanc de Mars, another heritage wheat received its greatest reception in France and was documented in 1864. Turn of the century Parisians preferred Chiddam Blanc de Mars for their baguettes.
“I grew this variety for my mom who loves French baguettes,” says Farmer Mai.
Among her ryes are Abruzzi Rye, named for the region of Italy from which it originated, Mai describes the aromas of this rye as unique for being deeper and richer than its spicier, more sour Northern relatives.
Farmer Mai offers subscriptions to purchase her flour and/or wheatberries.
Among Farmer Mai’s activism is the concept of breaking away from conventional farming.
“Breaking with convention allows us to grow food in ways that replenish the soil, water, and air while holistically supporting those who work and eat from the land. The people who work the land and eat the food are part of a cost-benefit calculation, and the land is forced into submission through tillage and toxic chemicals. The results have been widening social inequality and environmental destruction. Farmer Mai employs local, skilled farmers during the harvest season, and compensation is based on more than a minimum wage but the area’s living wage.
Announcing this year’s James Beard Foundation Book Award Winners
Entries for the 2024 James Beard Book Awards were accepted for all cookbooks and other nonfiction food and beverage books published in the U.S. in 2023. Books from foreign publishers were eligible if they bore a 2023 U.S. copyright date or were distributed in the U.S. during 2023.
This year’s winners, announced tonight at Columbia College, were:
Baking and Desserts
Dark Rye and Honey Cake: Festival Baking from Belgium, the Heart of the Low Countries
Regula Ysewijn
(Weldon Owen)
Beverage with Recipes
Slow Drinks: A Field Guide to Foraging and Fermenting Seasonal Sodas, Botanical Cocktails, Homemade Wines, and More Danny Childs
(Hardie Grant North America)
Beverage without Recipes
Agave Spirits: The Past, Present, and Future of Mezcals
Gary Paul Nabhan and David Suro Piñera
(W. W. Norton & Company)
Food Issues and Advocacy
Resilient Kitchens: American Immigrant Cooking in a Time of Crisis: Essays and Recipes
Philip Gleissner and Harry Eli Kashdan
(Rutgers University Press)
General
Start Here: Instructions for Becoming a Better Cook
Sohla El-Waylly
(Alfred A. Knopf)
International
The World Central Kitchen Cookbook
José Andrés and World Central Kitchen with Sam Chapple-Sokol
(Clarkson Potter)
Literary Writing
The Migrant Chef: The Life and Times of Lalo García
Laura Tillman
(W. W. Norton & Company)
Reference, History, and Scholarship
White Burgers, Black Cash: Fast Food from Black Exclusion to Exploitation
Naa Oyo A. Kwate
(University of Minnesota Press)
Restaurant and Professional
Fish Butchery: Mastering The Catch, Cut, And Craft
Josh Niland
(Hardie Grant Books)
Single Subject
Pasta Every Day: Make It, Shape It, Sauce It, Eat It
Meryl Feinstein
(Hachette Book Group)
U.S. Foodways
Love Japan: Recipes from Our Japanese American Kitchen
Aaron Israel and Sawako Okochi with Gabriella Gershenson
(Ten Speed Press)
Vegetable-Focused Cooking
Tenderheart: A Cookbook About Vegetables and Unbreakable Family Bonds
Hetty Lui McKinnon
(Alfred A. Knopf)
Visuals
The Book of Sichuan Chili Crisp
Yudi Echevarria
(Ten Speed Press)
Cookbook Hall of Fame
Pierre Thiam
Emerging Voice
Mayumu: Filipino American Desserts Remixed
Abi Balingit
(HarperCollins)
