It’s that time of year when foodies celebrate and scan the news: the James Beard finalists have been announced. The winners will be announced on June 10, but until then, we can all visit the restaurants and follow the chefs who have been nominated.
The categories are dizzying and exciting: the best chefs, for instance, are shortlisted by 12 different regions (California, New York and Texas each count as a region due to their size and culinary strength, while the rest of the states are batched by area). There are categories for emerging chefs and outstanding chefs, new restaurants, and best bakeries, bars, wine programs, and more. The fantastic food writer Ruth Reichl very fittingly receives a lifetime achievement award this year. You can view the full list of nominees here:
Outstanding Restaurateur
- Mamba Hamissi and Nadia Nijimbere, Baobab Fare, Detroit, MI
- Quynh-Vy and Yenvy Pham, Phở Bắc Súp Shop, Phởcific Standard Time, and The Boat, Seattle, WA
- Chris Viaud, Greenleaf, Ansanm, and Pavilion, Milford and Wolfeboro, NH
- Hollis Wells Silverman, Eastern Point Collective (The Duck & The Peach, La Collina, The Wells, and others), Washington, D.C.
- Erika Whitaker and Kelly Whitaker, ID EST (The Wolf's Tailor, BRUTØ, Basta, and others), Boulder, CO
Outstanding Chef presented by Hilton
- Sarah Minnick, Lovely’s Fifty Fifty, Portland, OR
- Dean Neff, Seabird, Wilmington, NC
- Michael Rafidi, Albi, Washington, D.C.
- Renee Touponce, The Port of Call, Mystic, CT
- David Uygur, Lucia, Dallas, TX
Outstanding Restaurant presented by Acqua Panna® Natural Spring Water
- The Compound, Santa Fe, NM
- Convenience West, Marfa, TX
- Langbaan, Portland, OR
- Mixtli, San Antonio, TX
- Vestige, Ocean Springs, MS
Emerging Chef presented by S.Pellegrino® Sparkling Natural Mineral Water
- Fariyal Abdullahi, Hav & Mar, New York, NY
- Janet Becerra, Pancita, Seattle, WA
- Nikko Cagalanan, Kultura, Charleston, SC
- Ryan Fernandez, Southern Junction, Buffalo, NY
- Masako Morishita, Perry's, Washington, D.C.
Best New Restaurant
- Bar Bacetto, Waitsburg, WA
- Barbs-B-Q, Lockhart, TX
- Chez Noir, Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
- Comfort Kitchen, Dorchester, MA
- Dakar NOLA, New Orleans, LA
- Hayward, McMinnville, OR
- Kaya, Orlando, FL
- Kisser, Nashville, TN
- Oro by Nixta, Minneapolis, MN
- Shan, Bozeman, MT
Outstanding Bakery
- The Burque Bakehouse, Albuquerque, NM
- Gusto Bread, Long Beach, CA
- JinJu Patisserie, Portland, OR
- Mel the Bakery, Hudson, NY
- ZU Bakery, Portland, ME
Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker
- Susan Bae, Moon Rabbit, Washington, D.C.
- Jesus Brazon and Manuel Brazon, Caracas Bakery, Doral and Miami, FL
- Atsuko Fujimoto, Norimoto Bakery, Portland, ME
- Crystal Kass, Valentine, Phoenix, AZ
- Anna Posey, Elske, Chicago, IL
Outstanding Hospitality presented by American Airlines
- Crawford and Son, Raleigh, NC
- Gemma, Dallas, TX
- Lula Cafe, Chicago, IL
- Melba’s, New York, NY
- Woodford Food & Beverage, Portland, ME
Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
- Lula Drake Wine Parlour, Columbia, SC
- The Morris, San Francisco, CA
- Strong Water Anaheim, Anaheim, CA
- Tail Up Goat, Washington, D.C.
- Waxlight Bar à Vin, Buffalo, NY
Outstanding Bar
- Barr Hill Cocktail Bar, Montpelier, VT
- Clavel Mezcaleria, Baltimore, MD
- Jewel of the South, New Orleans, LA
- Las Ramblas, Brownsville, TX
- Pacific Cocktail Haven, San Francisco, CA
Best Chefs presented by Capital One (by region)
Best Chef: California
- Geoff Davis, Burdell, Oakland, CA
- Rogelio Garcia, Auro, Calistoga, CA
- Lord Maynard Llera, Kuya Lord, Los Angeles, CA
- Tara Monsod, Animae, San Diego, CA
- Buu "Billy" Ngo, Kru, Sacramento, CA
Best Chef: Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH)
- Vinnie Cimino, Cordelia, Cleveland, OH
- Jose Salazar, Mita's, Cincinnati, OH
- Sujan Sarkar, Indienne, Chicago, IL
- Hajime Sato, Sozai, Clawson, MI
- Jenner Tomaska, Esmé, Chicago, IL
Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)
- Tony Conte, Inferno Pizzeria Napoletana, Darnestown, MD
- Jesse Ito, Royal Sushi & Izakaya, Philadelphia, PA
- Matt Kern, One Coastal, Fenwick Island, DE
- Harley Peet, Bas Rouge, Easton, MD
- Kevin Tien, Moon Rabbit, Washington, D.C.
Best Chef: Midwest (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI)
- Ann Ahmed, Khâluna, Minneapolis, MN
- Rob Connoley, Bulrush, St. Louis, MO
- Dan Jacobs and Dan Van Rite, EsterEv, Milwaukee, WI
- Christina Nguyen, Hai Hai, Minneapolis, MN
- Tim Nicholson, The Boiler Room, Omaha, NE
Best Chef: Mountain (CO, ID, MT, UT, WY)
- Brandon Cunningham, Social Haus, Greenough, MT
- Ali Sabbah, Mazza Cafe, Salt Lake City, UT
- Matt Vawter, Rootstalk, Breckenridge, CO
- Penelope Wong, Yuan Wonton, Denver, CO
- Nick Zocco, Urban Hill, Salt Lake City, UT
Best Chef: New York State
- Nasim Alikhani, Sofreh, Brooklyn, NY
- Atsushi Kono, Kono, New York, NY
- Chris Mauricio, Harana Market, Accord, NY
- Charlie Mitchell, Clover Hill, Brooklyn, NY
- Jeremy Salamon, Agi's Counter, Brooklyn, NY
Best Chef: Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT)
- Conor Dennehy, Talulla, Cambridge, MA
- Maria Meza, Dolores, Providence, RI
- David Standridge, The Shipwright's Daughter, Mystic, CT
- Jake Stevens, Leeward, Portland, ME
- Cara Tobin, Honey Road, Burlington, VT
Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific (AK, HI, OR, WA)
- Avery Adams, Matia Kitchen, Orcas Island, WA
- Kristi Brown, Communion, Seattle, WA
- Josh Dorcak, MÄS, Ashland, OR
- Gregory Gourdet, kann, Portland, OR
- Melissa Miranda, Musang, Seattle, WA
Best Chef: Southeast (GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV)
- Jamie Davis, The Hackney, Washington, NC
- Rod Lassiter and Parnass Savang, Talat Market, Atlanta, GA
- James London, Chubby Fish, Charleston, SC
- Robbie Robinson, City Limits Barbeque, West Columbia, SC
- Paul Smith, 1010 Bridge, Charleston, WV
Best Chef: South (AL, AR, FL, LA, MS, PR)
- Valerie Chang, Maty's, Miami, FL
- Hunter Evans, Elvie's, Jackson, MS
- Gabriel Hernandez, Verde Mesa, San Juan, PR
- Carlos Portela, Orujo, San Juan, PR
- Arvinder Vilkhu, Saffron, New Orleans, LA
Best Chef: Southwest (AZ, NM, NV, OK)
- Rene Andrade, Bacanora, Phoenix, AZ
- Jeff Chanchaleune, Ma Der Lao Kitchen, Oklahoma City, OK
- Steve Kestler, Aroma Latin American Cocina, Henderson, NV
- Steve Riley, Mesa Provisions, Albuquerque, NM
- Eduardo Rodriguez, Zacatlán, Santa Fe, NM
Best Chef: Texas
- Emmanuel Chavez, Tatemó, Houston, TX
- Christopher Cullum, Cullum's Attaboy, San Antonio, TX
- Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel, Birdie's, Austin, TX
- Misti Norris, Petra & the Beast, Dallas, TX
- Ana Liz Pulido, Ana Liz Taqueria, Mission, TX
Achievement Awards
Leadership Awards
- Muhammad Abdul-Hadi, Founder/Owner, Down North Pizza and Down North Foundation
- Niaz Dorry, Coordinating Director, North American Marine Alliance (NAMA)
- Helga Garcia-Garza, Executive Director, Agri-Cultura Network
- Mai Nguyen, Farmer, Farmer Mai
Emerging Leadership: Christa Barfield, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, FarmerJawn