The James Beard Basis introduced the finalists for this yr’s Restaurant and Chef awards throughout a stay ceremony in Washington, DC, on April 3. Nominations went to the Senegalese tasting menu spot Dakar NOLA for Finest New Restaurant together with Gregory Gourdet of Portland Haitian restaurant Kann for Finest Chef: Northwest and Pacific—each appeared on Bon Appétit’s checklist of the Finest New Eating places of 2023.
This checklist was whittled down from the inspiration’s semifinalists, introduced on January 24. Although the inspiration has confronted its fair proportion of controversy and criticism over the previous a number of years, its awards are nonetheless thought-about one of many prime honors within the meals world. Successful a James Beard Award can remodel a chef’s profession.
Nominations additionally went to Sujan Sarkar of Chicago’s Indienne for Finest Chef: Nice Lakes and Dean Neff of Seabird in Seattle for Excellent Chef. Each Indienne and Seabird additionally appeared on Bon Appétit’s checklist of the Finest New Eating places of 2023. Bon Appétit favorites Jeremy Salamon of the buzzy Japanese European restaurant Agi’s Counter in Brooklyn, and Jake Stevens of Maine pasta favourite Leeward, acquired nominations for Finest Chef in New York State and the Northeast, respectively. Gusto Bread, in Lengthy Seashore, California, one of the thrilling bakeries within the nation, additionally acquired a nomination for Excellent Bakery.
This yr, the James Beard Basis launched new classes for its “Management” awards—geared toward honoring folks advancing points central to the basis’s coverage agenda; fairness, sustainability, and trade tradition and practices. In contrast to the Restaurant and Chef awards, the honorees for the Management awards had been introduced as we speak. Among the many awardees was the California farmer Mai Nguyen, acknowledged for his or her work making farming extra numerous and sustainable. This yr’s Lifetime Achievement award acknowledged the prolific writer, journal editor, and former restaurant critic Ruth Reichl.
Learn the complete checklist of finalists, and verify again on June tenth for the checklist of winners.
Finest New Restaurant
- Bar Bacetto, Waitsburg, WA
- Barbs-B-Q, Lockhart, TX
- Chez Noir, Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
- Consolation Kitchen, Dorchester, MA
- Dakar NOLA, New Orleans, LA
- Hayward, McMinnville, OR
- Kaya, Orlando, FL
- Kisser, Nashville, TN
- Oro by Nixta, Minneapolis, MN
- Shan, Bozeman, MT
Rising Chef
- Fariyal Abdullahi, Hav & Mar, New York, NY
- Janet Becerra, Pancita, Seattle, WA
- Nikko Cagalanan, Kultura, Charleston, SC
- Ryan Fernandez, Southern Junction, Buffalo, NY
- Masako Morishita, Perry’s, Washington, D.C.
Excellent Hospitality
- Crawford and Son, Raleigh, NC
- Gemma, Dallas, TX
- Lula Cafe, Chicago, IL
- Melba’s, New York, NY
- Woodford Meals & Beverage, Portland, ME
Excellent Wine and Beverage Program
- Lula Drake Wine Parlour, Columbia, SC
- The Morris, San Francisco, CA
- Sturdy Water Anaheim, Anaheim, CA
- Tail Up Goat, Washington, D.C.
- Waxlight Bar à Vin, Buffalo, NY
Excellent Bar
- Barr Hill Cocktail Bar, Montpelier, VT
- Clavel Mezcaleria, Baltimore, MD
- Jewel of the South, New Orleans, LA
- Las Ramblas, Brownsville, TX
- Pacific Cocktail Haven, San Francisco, CA
Excellent Pastry Chef or Baker
- Susan Bae, Moon Rabbit, Washington, D.C.
- Jesus Brazon and Manuel Brazon, Caracas Bakery, Doral and Miami, FL
- Atsuko Fujimoto, Norimoto Bakery, Portland, ME
- Crystal Kass, Valentine, Phoenix, AZ
- Anna Posey, Elske, Chicago, IL
Excellent Bakery
- The Burque Bakehouse, Albuquerque, NM
- Gusto Bread, Lengthy Seashore, CA
- JinJu Patisserie, Portland, OR
- Mel the Bakery, Hudson, NY
- ZU Bakery, Portland, ME
Excellent Restaurateur
- Mamba Hamissi and Nadia Nijimbere, Baobab Fare, Detroit, MI
- Quynh-Vy and Yenvy Pham, Phở Bắc Súp Store, Phởcific Commonplace Time, and The Boat, Seattle, WA
- Chris Viaud, Greenleaf, Ansanm, and Pavilion, Milford and Wolfeboro, NH
- Hollis Wells Silverman, Japanese Level Collective (The Duck & The Peach, La Collina, The Wells, and others), Washington, D.C.
- Erika Whitaker and Kelly Whitaker, ID EST (The Wolf’s Tailor, BRUTØ, Basta, and others), Boulder, CO
Finest Chef: Nice Lakes
- Vinnie Cimino, Cordelia, Cleveland, OH
- Jose Salazar, Mita’s, Cincinnati, OH
- Sujan Sarkar, Indienne, Chicago, IL
- Hajime Sato, Sozai, Clawson, MI
- Jenner Tomaska, Esmé, Chicago, IL
Finest Chef: Mid-Atlantic
- Tony Conte, Inferno Pizzeria Napoletana, Darnestown, MD
- Jesse Ito, Royal Sushi & Izakaya, Philadelphia, PA
- Matt Kern, One Coastal, Fenwick Island, DE
- Harley Peet, Bas Rouge, Easton, MD
- Kevin Tien, Moon Rabbit, Washington, D.C.
Finest Chef: Midwest
- Ann Ahmed, Khâluna, Minneapolis, MN
- Rob Connoley, Bulrush, St. Louis, MO
- Dan Jacobs and Dan Van Ceremony, EsterEv, Milwaukee, WI
- Christina Nguyen, Hai Hai, Minneapolis, MN
- Tim Nicholson, The Boiler Room, Omaha, NE
Finest Chef: Mountains
- Brandon Cunningham, Social Haus, Greenough, MT
- Ali Sabbah, Mazza Cafe, Salt Lake Metropolis, UT
- Matt Vawter, Rootstalk, Breckenridge, CO
- Penelope Wong, Yuan Wonton, Denver, CO
- Nick Zocco, City Hill, Salt Lake Metropolis, UT
Finest Chef: New York State
- Nasim Alikhani, Sofreh, Brooklyn, NY
- Atsushi Kono, Kono, New York, NY
- Chris Mauricio, Harana Market, Accord, NY
- Charlie Mitchell, Clover Hill, Brooklyn, NY
- Jeremy Salamon, Agi’s Counter, Brooklyn, NY
Finest Chef: Northeast
- Conor Dennehy, Talulla, Cambridge, MA
- Maria Meza, Dolores, Windfall, RI
- David Standridge, The Shipwright’s Daughter, Mystic, CT
- Jake Stevens, Leeward, Portland, ME
- Cara Tobin, Honey Highway, Burlington, VT
Finest Chef: Northwest & Pacific
- Avery Adams, Matia Kitchen, Orcas Island, WA
- Kristi Brown, Communion, Seattle, WA
- Josh Dorcak, MÄS, Ashland, OR
- Gregory Gourdet, Kann, Portland, OR
- Melissa Miranda, Musang, Seattle, WA
Finest Chef: Southeast
- Jamie Davis, The Hackney, Washington, NC
- Rod Lassiter and Parnass Savang, Talat Market, Atlanta, GA
- James London, Chubby Fish, Charleston, SC
- Robbie Robinson, Metropolis Limits Barbeque, West Columbia, SC
- Paul Smith, 1010 Bridge, Charleston, WV
Finest Chef: South
- Valerie Chang, Maty’s, Miami, FL
- Hunter Evans, Elvie’s, Jackson, MS
- Gabriel Hernandez, Verde Mesa, San Juan, PR
- Carlos Portela, Orujo, San Juan, PR
- Arvinder Vilkhu, Saffron, New Orleans, LA
Finest Chef: Southwest
- Rene Andrade, Bacanora, Phoenix, AZ
- Jeff Chanchaleune, Ma Der Lao Kitchen, Oklahoma Metropolis, OK
- Steve Kestler, Aroma Latin American Cocina, Henderson, NV
- Steve Riley, Mesa Provisions, Albuquerque, NM
- Eduardo Rodriguez, Zacatlán, Santa Fe, NM
Finest Chef: Texas
- Emmanuel Chavez, Tatemó, Houston, TX
- Christopher Cullum, Cullum’s Attaboy, San Antonio, TX
- Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel, Birdie’s, Austin, TX
- Misti Norris, Petra & the Beast, Dallas, TX
- Ana Liz Pulido, Ana Liz Taqueria, Mission, TX
Finest Chef: California
- Geoff Davis, Burdell, Oakland, CA
- Rogelio Garcia, Auro, Calistoga, CA
- Lord Maynard Llera, Kuya Lord, Los Angeles, CA
- Tara Monsod, Animae, San Diego, CA
- Buu “Billy” Ngo, Kru, Sacramento, CA
Excellent Restaurant
- The Compound, Santa Fe, NM
- Comfort West, Marfa, TX
- Langbaan, Portland, OR
- Mixtli, San Antonio, TX
- Vestige, Ocean Springs, MS
Excellent Chef
- Sarah Minnick, Beautiful’s Fifty Fifty, Portland, OR
- Dean Neff, Seabird, Wilmington, NC
- Michael Rafidi, Albi, Washington, D.C.
- Renee Touponce, The Port of Name, Mystic, CT
- David Uygur, Lucia, Dallas, TX
Management Awards
- Mai Nguyen (Sustainability)
- Niaz Dorry (Coverage Advocacy)
- Muhammad Abdul-Hadi (Business Tradition and Practices)
- Helga Garcia-Garza (Meals Safety and Entry)
- Christa Barfield (Rising Management)
- Ruth Reichl (Lifetime Achievement Award)
- The LEE Initiative (Humanitarian of the 12 months)
