On Tuesday, March 31, the James Beard Foundation announced its list of finalists for its annual restaurant and chef awards for 2026. The foundation trimmed down its long list of semifinalists released in January, which initially saw 24 local chefs, bar professionals, restaurants, and bars representing across 13 categories.

With this recent announcement, the Bay Area saw eight nominees move on to finalist status for this year’s awards ceremony. Nominees were announced via Instagram stories on the James Beard Foundation account, starting at 7:30 a.m. PT.

For the Best Chef: California category, the Bay Area list of semifinalists was whittled down to three local nominees: Harrison Cheney of San Francisco’s two-Michelin-starred Sons & Daughters, along with Sarah Cooper and Alan Hsu of one-Michelin-starred Sun Moon Studio in Oakland. Sun Moon Studio received plenty of praise since its opening in the summer of 2024, earning its first Michelin star by June 2025 ahead of this Beard nomination in 2026. It was a monumental year for Cheney, too: He moved the ambitious Sons & Daughters to a new, larger location in the Mission in November 2025, publicly aiming for its third star this year. They join Southern California chefs Dave Beran of Seline in Santa Monica, Kwang Uh of Baroo in Los Angeles, and Daisy Ryan at Bell’s in Los Alamos as finalists. Chef Michael Tusk of three-Michelin-starred Quince moved on as a finalist in the Outstanding Chef category.

Meanwhile, Srijith Gopinathan and partner Ayesha Thapar moved on to become finalists in the Outstanding Restaurateur category for their restaurants Ettan, Copra, Eylan, and Little Blue Door.

Kevin Diedrich of San Francisco’s award-winning Pacific Cocktail Haven moved on as a finalist in the Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service category, while tiki bar favorite Smuggler’s Cove is a finalist for the Outstanding Bar category.

The winners will be announced at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards Ceremony, held on Monday, June 15, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Here is the full list of Bay Area finalists for the 2026 James Beard Awards:

The 2026 James Beard Foundation Awards Restaurant and Chef Bay Area Finalists

Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service

Disclosure: Some Vox Media staff members are part of the voting body for the James Beard Awards.