When will Dallas Italian restaurant Lucia get the James Beard win it deserves? For the eighth time in just over a decade, the coveted culinary award went to another nominee. The James Beard awards honored some of the nation’s best restaurants and chefs at a ceremony on June 15, 2026 in Chicago.
Lucia’s Maggie Huff was up for Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker. The win went to Washington, D.C. pastry chef Susan Bae, of Moon Rabbit.
It’s an honor to be nominated, it’s true. “You all deserve to savor the sweetness of being nominated for a 2026 James Beard Award,” emcee and Top Chef judge Gail Simmons told the audience at the beginning of the evening. But hopeful foodies wondered if 2026 would finally be Lucia’s time to shine, as Dallas has not seen a big food win in the James Beard awards in decades and the Oak Cliff restaurant is as beloved as they come.
Lucia co-owner David Uygur was in the running for a James Beard five times between 2014 and 2019 for Best Chef: Southwest. The restaurant was then nominated in 2023 for Outstanding Restaurant. Uygur followed in 2024 as a nominee for Outstanding Chef.
Huff is responsible for all of Lucia’s bread, pastries and desserts. She’s part of a nimble team whose dishes fluctuate based on the whims of its chefs and the changing seasons.
Competition was stiff. Beyond Huff and winning chef Bae, nominees up for the Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker award were Neale Asato of Asato Family Shop in Honolulu, Tavel Bristol-Joseph of Michelin-starred Nicōsi in San Antonio and Justine MacNeil of Fiore in Philadelphia.
A James Beard nomination for its quietly brilliant pastry chef should help.
Lucia is at 287 N. Bishop Ave., Dallas. Open evenings only, Tuesdays through Saturday.