The Tampa Bay area has a finalist for the James Beard Foundation’s prestigious culinary awards for the first time in more than a decade. The organization on Tuesday revealed the chefs, restaurants, bars and hospitality professionals who moved on to the next round.
Bryce Bonsack of Tampa’s Rocca scored finalist status in the Best Chef: South category.
The last time the region landed a Restaurant and Chef Awards finalist was 2015, when Bern’s Steak House in Tampa made the finalist cut for Outstanding Wine Program.
With a Michelin star and more Tampa restaurants in development from his Tastes Pretty Good group, Bonsack will compete against Maria La Mota and Chason Spencer of Jacksonville’s Chancho King, an Ecuadorian-inspired diner, and chefs from New Orleans and Rogers, Arkansas.
When we spoke to Bonsack in January after he received his semifinalist nomination, he was excited about the honor and credited his crew.
“It’s a testament to my team and what we’re doing here in Tampa,” he said.
Meanwhile, Born & Bread Bakehouse, Jenn Smurr’s beloved Lakeland bakery specializing in breads and pastries that received a semifinalist nod for Outstanding Bakery, was overlooked as a finalist in favor of bakeshops in Wisconsin, Alaska, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Montana.
The Rocca and Chancho King chefs are Florida’s sole finalists, with food cities like Miami and Orlando, which have taken Beard accolades over Tampa Bay in years past, being shut out.
Last year, Tampa Bay had no nominations from the awards, often referred to as the Academy Awards of food. Webb’s City Cellar, Green Bench Brewing Co.’s second tasting room in St. Petersburg, broke the region’s multiyear streak of snubs in 2024, nabbing a semifinalist nomination in the Outstanding Bar category, but it wasn’t named a finalist.
This year marks the Beards’ first recognition of the Tampa Bay dining scene since 2019, when chefs Jeannie Pierola and Rachel Bennett snagged semifinalist nods. The awards were canceled in 2020 and 2021, as the Beard Foundation sought to overhaul some of its practices.
Bern’s Steak House is the area’s only restaurant to ever receive a Beard Award. The Tampa icon won in 1992 for Outstanding Wine Service and again in 2016 for Outstanding Wine Program.
The 2026 winners will be announced June 15 at the Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony held at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
For a complete list of finalists, go here.
• • •
Meet the Food Hub, a team of Times journalists dedicated to covering Tampa Bay’s dining scene. You can support our work through our journalism fund.
Want food news weekly in your inbox? Sign up for our newsletter.
Top 50 Restaurants: Check out our food critic’s list of the area’s best spots.
Follow our updates on the local restaurant landscape on Instagram at @tampabaytimesfood.