Congratulations to the 2025 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Award Winners

The awards were held last evening at Chicago's Lyric Theater

Last evening, the James Beard Foundation announced the winners of the 2025 James Beard Awards at Chicago’s Lyric Opera, hosted by Nyesha Harrington and Andrew Zimmern.

Considered in the hospitality community the Academy Awards for chefs and restaurateurs, the awards are the pinnacle of a culinary professional’s career. Winning a Beard often leads to advancement, media accolades, and the ability to secure financial backers for future projects.

The big winners of the evening were Jungsik Yim for his eponymous, three-Michelin-starred Jungsik in New York City (2025 Outstanding Chef Award) and Boulder’s Frasca Food and Wine (2025 Outstanding Restaurant Award).

Miami’s Chang family is quickly securing their place as a culinary powerhouse. Last year, Valerie Chang received a James Beard Award in the Best Chef: South category for her Midtown Miami restaurant, Maty’s. This year, her brother Nando Chang received the same award for his restaurant, Itamae AO. The restaurant, which features a $165 omakase tasting menu, received a Michelin star this year.

The 2025 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Award winners are:

Outstanding Restaurateur

Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr, Frenchette, Le Veau d’ Or, and Le Rock, New York, NY

Outstanding Chef

Jungsik Yim, Jungsik, New York, NY

Outstanding Restaurant

Frasca Food and Wine, Boulder, CO

Best New Restaurant

Bûcheron, Minneapolis, MN

Emerging Chef

Phila Lorn, Mawn, Philadelphia, PA

Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker

Cat Cox, Country Bird Bakery, Tulsa, OK

Outstanding Bakery

JinJu Patisserie, Portland, OR

Best New Bar

Identidad Cocktail Bar, San Juan, PR

Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service

Ignacio Jimenez, Superbueno, New York, NY

Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program

Charleston, Baltimore, MD

Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service

Arjav Ezekiel, Birdie’s, Austin, TX

Outstanding Bar

Kumiko, Chicago, IL

Best Chef: California

Jon Yao, Kato, Los Angeles, CA

Best Chef: New York State

Vijay Kumar, Semma, New York, NY

Best Chef: Texas

Thomas Bille, Belly of the Beast, Spring, TX

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

Noah Sandoval, Oriole, Chicago, IL

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

Carlos Delgado, Causa and Amazonia, Washington, D.C.

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

Salvador Alamilla, Amano, Caldwell, ID

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

Nando Chang, Itamae AO, Miami, FL

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

Yotaka Martin, Lom Wong, Phoenix, AZ

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

Sky Haneul Kim, Gift Horse, Providence, RI

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

Timothy Wastell, Antica Terra, Amity, OR

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

Karyn Tomlinson, Myriel, St. Paul, MN

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

Jake Howell, Peninsula, Nashville, TN

Lifetime Achievement Award

Toni Tipton-Martin

Outstanding Hospitality

Atomix, New York, NY

2025 James Beard America’s Classics

• Lem’s Bar-B-Q, Chicago

• The Pioneer Saloon, Ketchum, ID

• Sullivan’s Castle Island, Boston

• Lucky Wishbone, Anchorage, AK

• Dooky Chase, New Orleans, LA

• Gaido’s, Galveston, TX