James Beard Award Archives : TRAVEL/FOOD

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!

Christina Nguyen, Hai Hai, Minneapolis, MN. Galdones-Photography.

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

Photo courtesy of Identidad Cocktail 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

Toni Tipton-Martin photo courtesy of “When Southern Women Cook”

The 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award honoree is esteemed author, culinary journalist, and activist Toni Tipton-Martin.

NYTimes: The 25 Most Influential Cookbooks From the Last 100 Years

Asian cooking, Books, Chefs, Desserts, Farm-to-Table, Gastronomy, Gourmet, Healthy eating, Historic foodways, Indian Food, Italian Cuisine, Mediterranean, Michelin, Michelin Star, Persian food, Pizza, Regional & Ethnic, Restaurants, Southern cuisine, Thai, Vegetarian

The 25 Most Influential Cookbooks From the Last 100 Years https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/15/t-magazine/most-influential-cookbooks.html?smid=nytcore-android-share

Eater: James Beard Awards 2023: America’s Classics Winners

Gastronomy, Gourmet, Historic foodways, Historic Restaurants, James Beard Awards, Las Vegas, Restaurants

https://www.eater.com/24084686/james-beard-americas-classics-award-winners-2024

Chicago’s Exciting Food Scene & the Upcoming James Beard Awards

Chicago restaurants, James Beard Awards

Chicago, an international food destination, is once again hosting the prestigious James Beard Awards on June 3-5. To buy tickets, see below. Chicago also recently was recognized by Food & Wine’s new Global Tastemakers Awards in the following categories:

○ 10 Best Cities for Neighborhood Restaurants in the U.S. (#4)
○ The Best Cities for Food in the U.S. (#6)
○ The 10 Best Bars in the U.S. (The Violet Hour, #10)
○ The 5 Most Creative Bars in the U.S. (The Violet Hour, #1, The Aviary, #2)

James Beard Awards 2023: full list of Chicago nominees

Big Jones Restaurant chef and owner, Paul Fehribach was recognized as a nominee for Best Chef in the Midwest, 2023 by the James Beard Foundation. When he is not in the kitchen, Fehribach has been writing his multi-year cookbook project Midwestern Food: A Chef’s Guide to the Surprising History of a Great American Cuisine available for purchase in mid-October 2023 from local booksellers online and at Big Jones.

The prestigious James Beard Awards will be returning to Chicago to honor the best restaurants and chefs in America on June 5, 2023. The list of Chicago semifinalist contenders include:

Smyth: Outstanding Restaurant

One of the James Beard Awards’ highest honors, Outstanding Restaurant recognizes establishments that “demonstrate consistent excellence in food, atmosphere, and hospitality.” Helmed by husband-and-wife duo John Shields and Karen Urie Shields, this tasting menu spot is grounded in pristine products and produce grown in close collaboration with small farms. The menu, which evolves constantly, is served in a welcoming atmosphere with an open kitchen, so guests can watch the chef’s creativity in action.

Damarr Brown, Virtue: Emerging Chef

Last year, executive chef Erick Williams of Virtue took from the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Great Lakes. This year, his chef de cuisine Damarr Brown is being recognized for displaying “exceptional talent, character, and leadership ability”. Brown, a fan favorite on Top Chef, has been demonstrating his culinary expertise in Virtue’s kitchen in the Hyde Park neighborhood, composing elegant versions of classic Southern American dishes.

Khmai Cambodian Fine Dining: Best New Restaurant

A hidden gem no more, Khmai has received local and national acclaim for its authentic Cambodian cuisine. Executive chef Mona Sang draws on her Cambodian heritage to compose the restaurant’s weekly menus, which are all served family style for the entire table to enjoy. Khmai is located in the Rogers Park neighborhood — be sure to make a reservation before you go.

Obélix: Best New Restaurant

Chicago is home to a plethora of excellent French restaurants, but Obélix has still managed to stand out from the pack. The intimate space in River North serves up elevated takes on modern French fare. Diners will find favorites like French onion soup, escargots, and steak frites, alongside creative dishes like foie gras macarons, lobster crepes, and confit squab.

Sepia: Outstanding Hospitality

A longtime favorite in the West Loop neighborhood, this venerable institution has earned this nomination for “fostering a sense of hospitality among its customers and staff that serves as a beacon for the community”. The menu melds rustic and refined elements in a way that’s both classic and approachable. The four-course tasting menu offers various options, including sourdough cavatelli, truffle fried chicken, dry-aged beef striploin, and more.

All Together Now: Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program

This funky space in the West Town neighborhood is a jack of all trades — wine shop, cheese counter, intimate restaurant, and community gathering space. You can grab some small plates at happy hour, enjoy a weekend brunch, load up on ingredients for the perfect charcuterie board, or just kick back with a glass of wine and enjoy the laidback vibes.

These regional accolades recognize chefs who set high standards in their culinary skills and leadership abilities, while contributing positively to their broader community. The following Chicago chefs have been nominated for Best Chef: Great Lakes in 2023:

Diana Dávila Boldin, Mi Tocaya Antojería
Thai Dang, HaiSous Vietnamese Kitchen
Paul Fehribach, Big Jones
Tim Flores and Genie Kwon, Kasama
Zubair Mohajir, Wazwan

● North America’s 50 Best Bars named Kumiko and Milk Room to their 2023 list.

James Beard Events

2023 James Beard Awards

June 3-5, 2023

Contact Host

Chicago, IL, USA

2023 James Beard Awards

For more than 30 years, the James Beard Awards, among the nation’s most prestigious honors, have recognized leaders in the culinary and food media industries. This summer, nominees and Award winners will be honored through a weekend of events sure to be the industry’s and food lovers’ highlight of the year, gathering nearly 1,500 of the country’s top chefs, restaurateurs, food media, and culinary enthusiasts in Chicago with millions more tuning in live and on TV. More than 70 Awards will recognize excellence in the categories of restaurants and chefs, books, broadcast media, journalism, leadership, and lifetime achievements.

Join us as we celebrate excellence and community while recognizing our rich and diverse culinary heritage and those who tell its story.

James Beard Media Awards
Saturday, June 3 at 5:00 P.M. CT, Columbia College Chicago

A theater-style seated awards ceremony honoring broadcast media, cookbook, and journalism nominees from around the country. A reception will immediately follow the ceremony, highlighting chefs and other luminaries, including those from the Chicago culinary scene. 400 guests are expected.

James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards
Monday, June 5 at 6:00 P.M. CT, Lyric Opera of Chicago

This Academy Awards-style event will feature red carpet arrivals and an awards ceremony honoring the best of the best in the restaurant and chef industry. This premier event will be broadcast live. 1,650 guests are expected.

James Beard Post-Awards Celebration
Monday, June 5 at 9:00 P.M. CT, Chicago Union Station

A walk-around tasting reception held at Union Station will immediately follow the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards. Attended by over 1,600 chefs, restaurateurs, food media, and culinary enthusiasts, the event will feature food and beverage stations highlighting chefs from around the country.

Reservation Policy: All reservations are non-refundable.

Please reach out to boxoffice@jamesbeard.org with any questions. To order tickets, click here.

About the James Beard Foundation

The James Beard Foundation is a nonprofit organization with a mission to celebrate, support, and elevate the people behind America’s food culture and champion a standard of good food anchored in talent, equity, and sustainability.