The James Beard Award Winners Of 2023

For the second straight year since its relaunch following a two-year hiatus, the James Beard Awards, the culinary world’s Oscars, cast a bright spotlight on the chefs, bartenders, and restaurants that make the American dining scene so exceptional. The awards, first bestowed in 1991, seek to “champion a standard of good food anchored in talent, equity, and sustainability” that’s the anchor stone of the James Beard Foundation’s mission.

Named after the legendary chef, cookbook author, and television personality James Beard, the awards have become coveted accolades that can define an individual or restaurant’s legacy. In the last two years, the foundation has sought to ensure that the awards reward a more comprehensive array of individuals and become a leading voice in the fight for diversity, inclusion, inequality, and discrimination in the industry.

At this year’s awards ceremony held at Lyric Opera of Chicago, a wide swath of flavors and individuals heard their names called out from the stage by celebrity chefs and co-hosts Andrew Zimmerman, Gail Simmons, Esther Choi, and Eric Adjepong. A traditional southern-American themed restaurant from Chicago, a Haitian restaurant in the Pacific Northwest, and a Puerto Rican restaurant from the island all took home awards.

They made their way to the top after an exhaustive search process that saw 240 judges wade through all the nominees to lay out the finalists list. Of the thirty winners this year, over 80% of them are people of color touching every corner of the United States. If you are looking for a memorable meal, peruse the list below and make a reservation now, their wait lists will get even longer after their recent special night.

Outstanding Chef

· Rachel Miller, Nightshade Noodle Bar, Lynn, MA

· Niki Nakayama, n/naka, Los Angeles, CA

· Erik Ramirez, Llama Inn, Brooklyn, NY

· Rob Rubba, Oyster Oyster, Washington, D.C.- WINNER

· Hajime Sato, Sozai, Clawson, MI

Outstanding Restaurant

· Copine, Seattle, WA

· Coracora, West Hartford, CT

· Friday Saturday Sunday, Philadelphia, PA-WINNER

· Lucia, Dallas, TX

· Mita’s, Cincinnati, OH

Best New Restaurant

· Causa, Washington, D.C.

· Dept of Culture, New York, NY

· Don Artemio Mexican Heritage, Fort Worth, TX

· Kann, Portland, OR-WINNER

· Lupi & Iris, Milwaukee, WI

· Neng Jr.’s, Asheville, NC

· Nolia, Cincinnati, OH

· Obélix, Chicago, IL

· Restaurant Beatrice, Dallas, TX

· Tatemó, Houston, TX

Outstanding Restaurateur

· Brandon Chrostowski, EDWINS Leadership and Restaurant Institute (EDWINS Leadership and Restaurant Institute, edwins too, EDWINS Bakery, and others), Cleveland, OH

· Greg Dulan, Dulan’s Soul Food Kitchen, Dulan’s on Crenshaw, and Dulanville, Los Angeles, CA

· Aaron Hoskins, Sarah Simmons, and Elie Yigo, CITY GRIT Hospitality Group (smallSUGAR
AR
, CITY GRIT, Il Focolare Pizzeria), Columbia, SC
SC

· Yenvy and Quynh Pham, Phở Bắc Sup Shop, Phởcific Standard Time, The Boat, Seattle, WA

· Ellen Yin, High Street Hospitality Group (Fork, a.kitchen + bar, High Street, and others), Philadelphia, PA-WINNER

Emerging Chef

· Damarr Brown, Virtue, Chicago, IL-WINNER

· Rashida Holmes, Bridgetown Roti, Los Angeles, CA

· Serigne Mbaye, Dakar NOLA, New Orleans, LA

· Charlie Mitchell, Clover Hill, Brooklyn, NY

· Amanda Shulman, Her Place Supper Club, Philadelphia, PA

Outstanding Bakery

· Angelo Brocato Ice Cream & Confectionery, New Orleans, LA

· La Casita Bakeshop, Richardson, TX

· Kuluntu Bakery, Dallas, TX

· Yoli Tortilleria, Kansas City, MO-WINNER

· Zak the Baker, Miami, FL

Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker

· Veronika Gerasimova, Veronika’s Pastry Shop, Billings, MT

· Elaine Uykimpang Bentz, Café Mochiko, Cincinnati, OH

· Vince Bugtong, ABACA, San Francisco, CA

· Margarita Manzke, République, Los Angeles, CA-WINNER

· Shawn McKenzie, Café Cerés, Minneapolis, MN

Outstanding Hospitality

· The Black Cypress, Pullman, WA

· Bottega, Birmingham, AL

· Lula Drake, Columbia, SC

· The Quarry, Monson, ME-WINNER

· Sepia, Chicago, IL

Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program

· COTE, New York, NY

· Lazy Bear, San Francisco, CA

· Nancy’s Hustle, Houston, TX

· OTOTO, Los Angeles, CA-WINNER

· Spencer, Ann Arbor, MI

Outstanding Bar

· Bar Leather Apron, Honolulu, HI-WINNER

· Drastic Measures, Shawnee, KS

· Garagiste Wine Room | Merchant, Las Vegas, NV

· Las Ramblas, Brownsville, TX

· Rob Roy, Seattle, WA

Best Chefs by Region

Best Chef: California

· Gilberto Cetina Jr., Holbox, Los Angeles, CA

· Kyle and Katina Connaughton, SingleThread, Healdsburg, CA

· Brandon Hayato Go, Hayato, Los Angeles, CA

· Justin Pichetrungsi, Anajak Thai, Sherman Oaks, CA-WINNER

· Carlos Salgado, Taco María, Costa Mesa, CA

Best Chef: Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH)

· Omar Anani, Saffron De Twah, Detroit, MI

· Diana Dávila, Mi Tocaya Antojería, Chicago, IL

· Tim Flores and Genie Kwon, Kasama, Chicago, IL-WINNER

· Andy Hollyday, Selden Standard, Detroit, MI

· Sarah Welch, Marrow, Detroit, MI

Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)

· Jesse Ito, Royal Sushi
SUSHI
, Philadelphia, PA

· Dionicio Jiménez, Cantina La Martina, Philadelphia, PA

· Kate Lasky and Tomasz Skowronski, Apteka, Pittsburgh, PA

· Michael Rafidi, Albi, Washington, D.C.

· Chutatip “Nok” Suntaranon, Kalaya, Philadelphia, PA-WINNER

Best Chef: Midwest (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI)

· Sanaa Abourezk, Sanaa’s Gourmet Mediterranean, Sioux Falls, SD

· Gregory León, Amilinda, Milwaukee, WI

· Francesco Mangano, Osteria Papavero, Madison, WI-WINNER

· Itaru Nagano and Andrew Kroeger, Fairchild, Madison, WI

· David Utterback, Yoshitomo, Omaha, NE

Best Chef: Mountain (CO, ID, MT, UT, WY)

· Salvador Alamilla, Amano, Caldwell, ID

· Michael Diaz de Leon, BRUTØ, Denver, CO

· Suchada Johnson, Teton Thai, Teton Village, WY

· Kris Komori, KIN, Boise, ID-WINNER

· Ali Sabbah, Mazza, Salt Lake City, UT

Best Chef: New York State

· Nasim Alikhani, Sofreh, Brooklyn, NY

· Mary Attea, The Musket Room, New York, NY

· Amanda Cohen, Dirt Candy, New York, NY

· Shaina Loew-Banayan, Cafe Mutton, Hudson, NY

· Junghyun Park, Atomix, New York, NY-WINNER

Best Chef: Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT

VT
)

· Valentine Howell, Krasi, Boston, MA

· Christian Hunter, Community Table, New Preston, CT

· Sherry Pocknett, Sly Fox Den Too, Charlestown, RI-WINNER

· Yisha Siu, Yunnan Kitchen, Boston, MA

· Renee Touponce, The Port of Call, Mystic, CT

Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific (AK, HI, OR, WA)

· Joshua Dorcak, MÄS, Ashland, OR

· Vince Nguyen, Berlu, Portland, OR-WINNER

· Thomas Pisha-Duffly, Gado Gado, Portland, OR

· Beau Schooler, In Bocca Al Lupo, Juneau, AK

· Aaron Verzosa, Archipelago, Seattle, WA

Best Chef: Southeast (GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV)

· Sam Fore, Tuk Tuk Sri Lankan Bites, Lexington, KY

· Josh Habiger, Bastion, Nashville, TN

· Sam Hart, Counter-, Charlotte, NC

· Terry Koval, The Deer and the Dove, Decatur, GA-WINNER

· Paul Smith, 1010 Bridge, Charleston, WV

Best Chef: South (AL, AR, FL, LA, MS, PR)

· Ana Castro, Lengua Madre, New Orleans, LA

· Timothy Hontzas, Johnny’s Restaurant, Homewood, AL

· Henry Moso, Kabooki Sushi, Orlando, FL

· Alex Perry and Kumi Omori, Vestige, Ocean Springs, MS

· Natalia Vallejo, Cocina al Fondo, San Juan, PR-WINNER

Best Chef: Southwest (AZ, NM, NV, OK)

· Oscar Amador, Anima by EDO, Las Vegas, NV

· Kaoru Azeuchi, KAISEKI YUZU, Las Vegas, NV

· Andrew Black, Grey Sweater, Oklahoma City, OK-WINNER

· Justin Pioche, Pioche Food Group, Upper Fruitland (Doolkai), Navajo Nation, NM

Best Chef: Texas

· Reyna Duong, Sandwich Hag, Dallas, TX

· Benchawan Jabthong Painter, Street to Kitchen, Houston, TX-WINNER

· Emiliano Marentes, ELEMI, El Paso, TX

· John Russ, Clementine, San Antonio, TX

· Ernest Servantes and David Kirkland, Burnt Bean Co., Seguin, TX

Leadership Awards· Jim Embry, Sustainable Communities Network, Slow Food USA, and Ujamaa Cooperative Farming Alliance

· Valerie Horn, CANE
CANE
Kitchen, Cowan Community Center, and City of Whitesburg Farmers Market

· Savonala “Savi” Horne, Land Loss Prevention Project

· Ira Wallace, Southern Exposure Seed Exchange

· Rowen White, Sierra Seeds

· Emerging Leadership: The Burgerville Workers Union

Humanitarian of the Year AwardThe 2023 Humanitarian of the Year Award honorees are the co-founders of the Black Farmer Fund: social entrepreneur and impact investor Olivia Watkins, and farmer and activist Karen Washington.

Lifetime Achievement AwardThe 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award honoree is legendary cookbook author, writer, teacher, and actress Madhur Jaffrey CBE.