The James Beard Awards, the restaurant industry’s annual honors, were bestowed on Monday night in Chicago. The awards have been given out since 1991, and this year’s ceremony was infused with plenty of politics and local pride.
Among the top honorees were Philadelphia hot spot Kalaya, which took the outstanding restaurant honor; the outstanding chef recipient Michael Tusk, the chef and co-owner, with his wife, Lindsay Tusk, of Quince and Cotogna in San Francisco; and Dana Street of the Portland, Maine, restaurant group that includes Fore Street and Scales, who won for outstanding restaurateur. Lei in Manhattan’s Chinatown won best new restaurant.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who is running for reelection to a third term, congratulated the nominees from the stage and gave a shoutout to Chicago restaurant Smyth, which was named best restaurant in North America by the World’s 50 Best organization last month.
He also mentioned the state’s many immigrant communities and his ancestors’ Ukrainian roots and recipes. “Many of these communities have been under siege by the president of the United States,” he said, a remark that received an ovation from the audience. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson also appeared and said the city would “never bend, never bow” to authoritarian power.
Adrian Torres, who was named best emerging chef for his exploratory Mexican American cuisine at Maximo in Houston, said: “I am proud to be the son of immigrants. I am proud to be a DACA recipient.” He delivered his thank-yous in Spanish.
At the James Beard Foundation Media Awards, held Saturday, young chef and influencer Hailee Catalano won the award for best general cookbook for her debut, “By Heart.” Helen Goh, a British psychotherapist, won best baking book for “Baking & the Meaning of Life,” and “Raoul’s: A New York Story,” about the long-standing SoHo restaurant, was named best documentary.
The foundation has weathered major scandals, including the 2005 conviction of its board president for embezzlement, the 2020 cancellation of the awards because of a lack of diversity among the winners, and its controversial 2023 investigation into candidates’ ethics and conduct. But the awards have remained popular and influential; this year, the group began a lucrative partnership with American Express and its reservation-platform subsidiary, Resy.
The foundation also introduced its own version of the red Michelin star: a medallion of James Beard’s face, mounted on a black plaque to be displayed at award-winning restaurants.
Taylor Montgomery of Montgomery Sky Farm in western North Carolina, who won best chef: Southeast, said in his speech that he had left mainstream restaurants in hopes of changing food systems from the ground up. He brought 15 people onstage to accept the award with him, all of them farm employees. “We’re losing flavor, chefs,” he warned the audience.
Los Angeles chef Nancy Silverton, the first winner of the best pastry chef award, in 1991, received the lifetime achievement award. Musician Jon Bon Jovi and his wife, Dorothea, walked the red carpet; they were among the recipients of the James Beard Impact Awards for making the restaurant industry more equitable and sustainable. (Their nonprofit JBJ Soul Kitchen restaurant has locations in New Jersey and provides job training.) Other winners were the Southern Smoke Foundation, run by chef Chris Shepherd; the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights; Sen. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico; and ReFed, a food-waste nonprofit.
Michael Tusk, Quince, San Francisco
Dana Street; Fore Street, Scales and Standard Baking Company, Portland, Maine
Adrian Torres, Maximo, Houston
Wild Crumb, Bozeman, Montana
Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker
Susan Bae, Moon Rabbit, Washington, D.C.
Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
Scotch Lodge, Portland, Oregon
Best New Bar (New Category)
Loma, Providence, Rhode Island
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Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service (New Category)
Lee Campbell, Borgo, New York City
Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service (New Category)
Kevin Diedrich, Pacific Cocktail Haven, San Francisco
Best Chef: New York State
Hooni Kim, Meju, New York City
Dave Beran, Seline, Santa Monica, California
Best Chef: Great Lakes (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio)
Jacob Potashnick, Feld, Chicago
Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (Washington, D.C.; Delaware; Maryland; New Jersey; Pennsylvania; Virginia)
Jesse Ito, Royal Sushi & Izakaya, Philadelphia
Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific (Alaska, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington)
Ryan Roadhouse, Nodoguro, Portland, Oregon
Best Chef: Midwest (Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin)
Loryn Nalic, Balkan Treat Box, St. Louis
Best Chef: Mountain (Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Wyoming)
Penelope Wong, Yuan Wonton, Denver, Colorado
Best Chef: Northeast (Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont)
Evan Hennessey, Stages, Dover, New Hampshire
Best Chef: Southeast (Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia)
Taylor Montgomery, Montgomery Sky Farm, Leicester, North Carolina
Best Chef: South (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Puerto Rico)
Serigne Mbaye, Dakar NOLA, New Orleans
Best Chef: Southwest (Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma)
Sarah Thompson, Casa Playa, Las Vegas
Evelyn García and Henry Lu, JŪN, Houston
Othón Nolasco and Damián Diaz, founders, No Us Without You LA
Lifetime Achievement Award