The James Beard Foundation Awards announced the line-up of 2026 finalists for the restaurant and chef awards categories on Wednesday, January 21. The list of nominees was trimmed down from a long list of semi finalists, which was announced in January. Winners will be announced at the James Beard Award ceremony on June 15 in Chicago.
The James Beard Foundation Awards have long been considered one of the most prestigious awards in the food and hospitality industry. Each year, the James Beard Foundation nominates outstanding restaurants and chefs from across the country for awards, including Emerging Chef, Outstanding Restaurant, Outstanding Bakery, and Best New Restaurant. In recent years, the awards have been under increased scrutiny after canceling its programming in 2020 and 2021 due to allegations of misconduct and abuse against nominated chefs, as well as a lack of nominated and winning Black chefs in the categories. In response, the James Beard Foundation conducted an internal audit to form an ethics committee, diversify the judges, and make its voting processes more inclusive and equitable; the awards eventually returned in 2022.
In February, the James Beard Foundation named Inglewood’s Black-owned diner, the Serving Spoon, among the recipients of this year’s 2026 America’s Classics award. The award recognizes “locally owned restaurants with timeless appeal that serve quality food and are beloved by their communities,” according to the foundation.
Among the finalists from Los Angeles this year are Little Tokyo contemporary Korean tasting counter Ki for Best New Restaurant; Kwang Uh of fermentation restaurant Baroo for Best Chef California; and Fátima Juárez of Mercado La Paloma’s craft molino, Komal, for Emerging Chef.
Los Angeles’s only winner at the 2025 ceremony was Kato’s Jon Yao, who took home the award for Best Chef: California.
Dave Beran, Seline, Santa Monica, California
Daisy Ryan, Bell’s, Los Alamos, California
Kwang Uh, Baroo, Los Angeles, California
Gilberto Cetina, Holbox, Los Angeles, California
Niki Nakayama, n/naka, Los Angeles, California
Fátima Juárez, Komal, Los Angeles, California
Ki, Los Angeles, California
Providence, Los Angeles, California
Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
Kato, Los Angeles, California
Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service
Jack Benchakul, Endorffeine, Los Angeles, California
No Us Without You, Damian Diaz and Othón Nolasco
Lifetime Achievement Award
Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA)
Disclosure: Some Vox Media staff members are part of the voting body for the James Beard Foundation Awards.