Congratulations to the James Beard 2024 Winners
The class of 2024 was announced last evening in Chicago
Last evening, the James Beard Foundation held its annual awards ceremony in Chicago.
Considered the Academy Awards for chefs, the evening saw the country’s culinary elite gather at the Lyric Theater for the black-tie affair that would name this year’s best and brightest. The Restaurant and Chef Awards were co-hosted by chefs Nyesha Arrington, Richard Blais, Amanda Freitag, and Marcus Samuelsson, with winners offering impassioned acceptance speeches.
This year a Miami chef broke the city’s decade-long Beard dry spell with Valerie Chang taking home the Best Chef: South award for her Midtown Miami restaurant, Maty’s.
If you love your carbs, Portland, Maine seems to be the nation’s capital for baked goods with Atsuko Fujimoto of Norimoto Bakery winning the Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker award and ZU Bakery in the same city receiving this year’s Outstanding Bakery award.
Following, find the complete list of 2024 James Beard Restaurant and Chef winners:
Outstanding Chef
Michael Rafidi, Albi, Washington, D.C.
Outstanding Restaurant
Langbaan, Portland, OR
Best New Restaurant
Dakar NOLA, New Orleans, LA
Outstanding Restaurateur
Erika Whitaker and Kelly Whitaker, ID EST (The Wolf's Tailor, BRUTØ, Basta, and others), Boulder, CO
Emerging Chef
Masako Morishita, Perry's, Washington, D.C.
Outstanding Bakery
ZU Bakery, Portland, ME
Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker
Atsuko Fujimoto, Norimoto Bakery, Portland, ME
Outstanding Hospitality
Lula Cafe, Chicago, IL
Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
Lula Drake Wine Parlour, Columbia, SC
Outstanding Bar
Jewel of the South, New Orleans, LA
Best Chef: California
Lord Maynard Llera, Kuya Lord, Los Angeles, CA
Best Chef: Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH)
Hajime Sato, Sozai, Clawson, MI
Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)
Harley Peet, Bas Rouge, Easton, MD
Best Chef: Midwest (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI)
Christina Nguyen, Hai Hai, Minneapolis, MN
Best Chef: Mountain (CO, ID, MT, UT, WY)
Matt Vawter, Rootstalk, Breckenridge, CO
Best Chef: New York State
Charlie Mitchell, Clover Hill, Brooklyn, NY
Best Chef: Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT)
David Standridge, The Shipwright's Daughter, Mystic, CT
Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific (AK, HI, OR, WA)
Gregory Gourdet, kann, Portland, OR
Best Chef: South (AL, AR, FL, LA, MS, PR)
Valerie Chang, Maty's, Miami, FL
Best Chef: Southeast (GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV)
Paul Smith, 1010 Bridge, Charleston, WV
Best Chef: Southwest (AZ, NM, NV, OK)
Rene Andrade, Bacanora, Phoenix, AZ
Best Chef: Texas
Ana Liz Pulido, Ana Liz Taqueria, Mission, TX