Earlier this evening, the 2016 James Beard Foundation Awards were held at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, uniting award nominees from across the country in a who's-who celebration of the restaurant industry. LA wasn't expected to take home much of anything, considering the 2016 finalist list consisted of only six local chefs: Suzanne Goin (Lucques) for outstanding chef; Dahlia Narvaez (Osteria Mozza) for outstanding pastry chef; and Michael Cimarusti (Providence), Jeremy Fox (Rustic Canyon), Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo (Animal) for best chef (West). The number of awards we took home last year? Zero.
But this year, LA killed it. Narvaez, Shook and Dotolo all won in their respective categories. Homeboy Industries founder Father Gregory Boyle received a Humanitarian of the Year Award for his work with former gang members, telling the moved audience, "You can't scare people straight; you can care people straight." Perhaps the biggest win of the night, though, was Goin taking home the award for outstanding chef. Goin has been nominated for a James Beard Award no less than nine times, and it's about time she was able to go home with the medal hanging around her neck.
Check out our full coverage of the 2016 James Beard Foundation Awards, including all of this year's winners, here.