The Awards Season Continues

The culinary awards season continues with James Beard Nominations and a new Michelin Guide

Spring is in the air, and that means the culinary world is getting news of a new award almost daily.

Yesterday, the James Beard Foundation announced its nominees for the 2025 Restaurant and Chef awards. Nominees, in the Beard world, refer to finalists - the final step in the journey to the awards ceremony held on Monday, June 16 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. To celebrate the 35th annual Beard Awards, the Foundation introduced three new categories for this year: Best New Bar, Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service, and Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service. In addition, the Foundation introduced its Impact Awards, recognizing individuals and organizations “advancing standards for a more equitable, sustainable, and economically viable restaurant industry and food system.”

Here are the nominees:

Outstanding Restaurateur

• Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski, Atomic Workshop (The Anchovy Bar, State Bird Provisions, and The Progress), San Francisco, CA

• Sue Chin and Jason Chin, Good Salt Restaurant Group (Seito Sushi, Reyes Mezcaleria, The Osprey, and others), Orlando, FL

• Scott Drewno and Danny Lee, The Fried Rice Collective (Anju, Chiko, and I Egg You), Washington, D.C.

• Allison Gibson and Cara Tobin, Honey Road and Gray Jay, Burlington, VT

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

Outstanding Chef presented by Hilton

• Lisa Becklund, FarmBar, Tulsa, OK

• Gabriel Kreuther, Gabriel Kreuther, New York, NY

• Josh Niernberg, Bin 707, Grand Junction, CO

• Cassie Piuma, Sarma, Somerville, MA

• Jungsik Yim, Jungsik, New York, NY

Outstanding Restaurant

• Coquine, Portland, OR

• Frasca Food and Wine, Boulder, CO

• Galit, Chicago, IL

• Nonesuch, Oklahoma City, OK

• Oberlin, Providence, RI

Emerging Chef

• Kaitlin Guerin, Lagniappe Bakehouse, New Orleans, LA

• Phila Lorn, Mawn, Philadelphia, PA

• Nikhil Naiker, NIMKI, Providence, RI

• Jane Sacro Chatham, Vicia, St. Louis, MO

• RJ Yoakum, Georgie, Dallas, TX

Best New Restaurant

• Alma Fonda Fina, Denver, CO

• Atoma, Seattle, WA

• Bûcheron, Minneapolis, MN

• Ema, Houston, TX

• Fet-Fisk, Pittsburgh, PA

• Mābo, Dallas, TX

• Mita, Washington, D.C.

• Ômo by Jônt, Winter Park, FL

• Penny, New York, NY

• The Union, Helena, MT

Outstanding Bakery

• Atelier Ortega, Jackson Hole, WY

• Gusto Bread, Long Beach, CA

• JinJu Patisserie, Portland, OR

• Starship Bagel, Dallas and Lewisville, TX

• Super Secret Ice Cream, Bethlehem, NH

Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker

• Susan Bae, Moon Rabbit, Washington, D.C.

• Cat Cox, Country Bird Bakery, Tulsa, OK

• April Franqueza, The Dining Room at High Hampton, Cashiers, NC

• Crystal Kass, Valentine, Phoenix, AZ

• Carolyn Nugent and Alen Ramos, Poulette Bakeshop, Parker, CO

Outstanding Hospitality

• Archipelago, Seattle, WA

• Aria, Atlanta, GA

• Atomix, New York, NY

• Harbor House Inn, Elk, CA

• Mixtli, San Antonio, TX

Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program

• Bar Brava, Minneapolis, MN

• Campo at Los Poblanos, Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, NM

• Charleston, Baltimore, MD

• MARCH, Houston, TX

• Strong Water, Anaheim, CA

Outstanding Bar

• Kumiko, Chicago, IL

• Scotch Lodge, Portland, OR

• The Lovers Bar at Friday Saturday Sunday, Philadelphia, PA

• Water Witch, Salt Lake City, UT

• Wolf Tree, White River Junction, VT

Best New Bar

• Agency, Milwaukee, WI

• Bar Colette, Dallas, TX

• Identidad Cocktail Bar, San Juan, PR

• Merai, Brookline, MA

• ViceVersa, Miami, FL

Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service

• Jacob Brown, Lazy Bear, San Francisco, CA

• Jose Medina Camacho, Adiõs, Birmingham, AL

• Arjav Ezekiel, Birdie's, Austin, TX

• Cassandra Felix, Daniel, New York, NY

• Cristie Norman, Delilah, Las Vegas, NV

Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service

• McLain Hedges and Mary Allison Wright, Yacht Club, Denver, CO

• Ignacio "Nacho" Jimenez, Superbueno, New York, NY

• Dave Newman, Pint + Jigger, Honolulu, HI

• Tobin Shea, Redbird, Los Angeles, CA

• Mike Stankovich, Longfellow, Cincinnati, OH

Best Chefs (by region)

Best Chef: California

• Daniel Castillo, Heritage Barbecue, San Juan Capistrano, CA

• Richard Lee, Saison, San Francisco, CA

• Tara Monsod, ANIMAE, San Diego, CA

• Kosuke Tada, Mijoté, San Francisco, CA

• Jon Yao, Kato, Los Angeles, CA

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

• Jennifer Blakeslee and Eric Patterson, The Cooks' House, Traverse City, MI

• Thai Dang, HaiSous, Chicago, IL

• David Jackman, Wildweed, Cincinnati, OH

• Chris Jung and Erling Wu-Bower, Maxwells Trading, Chicago, IL

• Noah Sandoval, Oriole, Chicago, IL

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

• Henji Cheung, Queen's English, Washington, D.C.

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

• Jesse Ito, Royal Sushi & Izakaya, Philadelphia, PA

• Dan Richer, Razza, Jersey City, NJ

• Amanda Shulman, Her Place Supper Club, Philadelphia, PA

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

• Shigeyuki Furukawa, Kado no Mise, Minneapolis, MN

• Diane Moua, Diane's Place, Minneapolis, MN

• Loryn Nalic, Balkan Treat Box, Webster Groves, MO

• Karyn Tomlinson, Myriel, St. Paul, MN

• David Utterback, Ota and Yoshitomo, Omaha, NE

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

• Joshua Adams, Campione, Livingston, MT

• Salvador Alamilla, Amano, Caldwell, ID

• Brandon Cunningham, The Social Haus, Greenough, MT

• David Wells, The Tasting Room at Chico Hot Springs Resort & Day Spa, Pray, MT

• Penelope Wong, Yuan Wonton, Denver, CO

Best Chef: New York State

• Nasim Alikhani, Sofreh, Brooklyn, NY

• Ryan Fernandez, Southern Junction Barbecue, Buffalo, NY

• Eiji Ichimura, Sushi Ichimura, New York, NY

• Atsushi Kono, Kono, New York, NY

• Vijay Kumar, Semma, New York, NY

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

• Avery Buck, May Day, Burlington, VT

• Sky Haneul Kim, Gift Horse, Providence, RI

• Brian Lewis, The Cottage, Westport, CT

• Erin Miller, Urban Hearth, Cambridge, MA

• Derek Wagner, Nicks on Broadway, Providence, RI

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

• Jay Blackinton, Houlme, Orcas Island, WA

• Joshua Dorcak, MÄS, Ashland, OR

• Ryan Roadhouse, Nodoguro, Portland, OR

• Beau Schooler, In Bocca Al Lupo, Juneau, AK

• Timothy Wastell, Antica Terra, Amity, OR

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

• Nando Chang, Itamae AO, Miami, FL

• Matthew Cooper, Conifer, Bentonville, AR

• Kevin Garcia, La Faena AgroCocina, Guaynabo, PR

• Angel David Moreno Zayas, El Gallo Pinto, Guayama, PR

• Rafael Rios, Yeyo's El Alma de Mexico, Bentonville, AR

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

• Noam Bilitzer, MeeshMeesh Mediterranean, Louisville, KY

• Sara Bradley, freight house, Paducah, KY

• Jake Howell, Peninsula, Nashville, TN

• Silver Iocovozzi, Neng Jr.'s, Asheville, NC

• Robbie Robinson, City Limits Barbeque, West Columbia, SC

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

• Olivier Bouzerand, Fait Maison, Edmond, OK

• Yotaka Martin, Lom Wong, Phoenix, AZ

• Sarah Thompson, Casa Playa, Las Vegas, NV

• Eleazar Villanueva, Restaurant de Joël Robuchon, Las Vegas, NV

• Zack Walters, Sedalia's Oyster & Seafood, Oklahoma City, OK

Best Chef: Texas

• Thomas Bille, Belly of the Beast, Spring, TX

• Emmanuel Chavez, Tatemó, Houston, TX

• Emil Oliva, Leche de Tigre, San Antonio, TX

• Regino Rojas, Purépecha, Dallas, TX

• Michael Anthony Serva, Bordo, Marfa, TX

Tickets for the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards in Chicago can be purchased here. The Awards will also be broadcast live on Eater.

Photo by Jametlene Reskp on Unsplash

In other awards news, Michelin has just announced that it will launch the Michelin Guide to the American South. The much-needed Guide will cover Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Georgia — essentially merging the current Michelin Guide to Atlanta.

Right now, Michelin has not announced a date for an awards ceremony and release, only that the 2025 Guide will arrive at a later date. This should prove to be quite the interesting guide, as the region is filled with amazing restaurants, from fine dining to small, cultural gems. The Michelin Green Star awards should prove especially ripe (pun intended), due to the region’s beautiful farms and the availability of fresh seafood in its coastal cities.

Upcoming Michelin ceremonies include the 2025 Buenos Aires and Mendoza Ceremony on Monday, April 7, and the Michelin Florida Ceremony on April 17.