James Beard Awards 2026 Restaurant and Chef Winners Announced
8 reported
On Monday, June 15, the James Beard Foundation revealed the remaining winners of the 2026 James Beard Awards at its annual ceremony in Chicago, according to a report from Eater. The awards recognize excellence across categories including Outstanding Restaurant, Best New Restaurant, Outstanding Chef, and regional Best Chef awards. This year’s host was cookbook author and Top Chef host Gail Simmons, and the event took place at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. The restaurant and chef finalists were announced on March 31. The foundation had already recognized several 2026 honorees outside of the competitive categories, including the Humanitarian of the Year Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award. The article lists winners in several categories, including Emerging Chef, Outstanding Bakery, Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker, Best New Bar, and Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service. The article notes that some Vox Media staff members are part of the voting body for the James Beard Awards.
What’s reported
The James Beard Foundation revealed the remaining 2026 winners on Monday, June 15, in Chicago.
The host was Gail Simmons, and the event was at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Finalists were announced on March 31.
Winners include: Emerging Chef Adrian Torres (Maximo, West University Place, TX); Outstanding Bakery Wild Crumb (Bozeman, MT); Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker Susan Bae (Moon Rabbit, Washington, D.C.); Best New Bar Loma (Providence, RI); Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service Kevin Diedrich (Pacific Cocktail Haven, San Francisco, CA).
Humanitarian of the Year: No Us Without You LA (Damián Diaz and Othon Nolasco).
Lifetime Achievement: Nancy Silverton.
Impact Award honorees: Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), Jon Bon Jovi Soul Kitchen, Senator Ben Ray Luján, ReFED, Southern Smoke Foundation.
Some Vox Media staff members are part of the voting body.
Key figures
Gail Simmons, cookbook author and Top Chef host
Adrian Torres, Emerging Chef winner
Susan Bae, Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker winner
Kevin Diedrich, Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service winner
Damián Diaz and Othon Nolasco, Humanitarian of the Year recipients
Nancy Silverton, Lifetime Achievement recipient
Senator Ben Ray Luján, Impact Award honoree
Sources: eater.com
