As the James Beard Foundation slims its list of chefs eligible for a coveted culinary award in 2026, two Dallas-Fort Worth chefs remain as contenders.
Both Dallas-area chefs work at Italian restaurants.
Scott Girling, who runs the tiny Osteria il Muro restaurant in Denton, is up for Best Chef: Texas, one of the highest-profile awards. He’s joined by four other Texas chefs from Houston, Lubbock and the El Paso area.
These five chefs remain on the Best Chef: Texas list, down from 20 announced in January 2026.
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Maggie Huff, pastry chef at Dallas restaurant Lucia, is a nominee for Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker. Among the list of five bakers, one more is from Texas: Tavel Bristol-Joseph, who works at San Antonio one-Michelin-star restaurant Nicosi.
Pastry chef Maggie Huff, pictured in a 2019 DMN file photo, is eligible to win Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker from the James Beard Foundation in 2026.
Dallas-Fort Worth is home to two Michelin-starred restaurants, a Japanese omakase spot called Tatsu Dallas and French-Italian eatery Mamani. Neither restaurant, nor its chefs, were among the James Beard nominees in 2026, suggesting a disconnect between the global Michelin organization’s opinions of Dallas-Fort Worth’s best restaurants and those of the New York City-based James Beard Foundation.
Stakes are high: A Dallas chef or restaurant has not won a James Beard award in more than 25 years.
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Dallas diners should look at this news as one more step toward the final awards, announced June 15, 2026. Dallas diners should also consider making reservations at Osteria il Muro and Lucia, two restaurants that are already tough to get into, but now might be even more difficult, given the good news.
The James Beard Foundation rolls out its chef news over six months. The process begins in January each year, when it announces semifinalists. Eight Dallas-Fort Worth chefs and restaurants were on that initial list. Two remain, as of March 31, 2026.
Stay tuned in June 2026 for the big reveal.