Film has the Academy Awards, music has the Grammys and food has the James Beard Awards.
Over the weekend, the food industry’s prestigious awards returned after a two-year hiatus. On Saturday and Sunday, media and leadership awards were handed out to authors, journalists and changemakers. The flagship ceremony honoring the Restaurant and Chef Award winners was held Monday at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Mashama Bailey of the Grey in Savannah, Georgia was named Outstanding Chef and Chris Bianco of Tratto, Pane Bianco and Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix was named Outstanding Restaurateur. Chai Pani in Asheville, North Carolina was named Outstanding Restaurant.
Owamni by the Sioux Chef in Minneapolis, owned by the chef Sean Sherman and Dana Thompson, was named Best New Restaurant. Edgar Rico of Nixta Taqueria in Austin, Texas was won the Emerging Chef award.
Author and activist Grace Young has been recognized as Humanitarian of the Year for her work to save America’s Chinatowns and Martin Yan, the “Yan Can Cook” TV chef and cookbook author, received the Lifetime Achievement award.
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Kwame Onwuachi, who was named 2019 Rising Star Chef, hosted this year’s ceremony. Presenters included Dominique Crenn, Marcus Samuelsson, Andrew Zimmern and many other industry stars.
“As we know, a James Beard Award can be transformative to a career or business, and as we move forward from the pandemic, this weekend was an important opportunity to lift up the independent restaurant community as a whole, doing amazing work across the country,” Onwuachi said.
The first James Beard Foundation’s Restaurant and Chef Awards were given in 1991.
2022 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Award winners:
- Outstanding Restaurateur: Chris Bianco, Tratto, Pane Bianco, and Pizzeria Bianco, Phoenix
- Outstanding Chef: Mashama Bailey, The Grey, Savannah, Georgia
- Outstanding Restaurant: Chai Pani, Asheville, North Carolona
- Emerging Chef: Edgar Rico, Nixta Taqueria, Austin, Texas
- Best New Restaurant: Owamni, Minneapolis
- Outstanding Pastry Chef: Warda Bouguettaya, Warda Pâtisserie, Detroit
- Outstanding Baker: Don Guerra, Barrio Bread, Tucson, Arizona
- Outstanding Hospitality: Cúrate, Asheville, North Carolina
- Outstanding Wine Program: The Four Horsemen, New York
- Outstanding Bar Program: Julep, Houston
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Best Chefs, by region
- Best Chef California: Brandon Jew, Mister Jiu’s, San Francisco
- Best Chef Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH): Erick Williams, Virtue Restaurant & Bar, Chicago
- Best Chef Mid-Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA): Cristina Martinez, South Philly Barbacoa, Philadelphia
- Best Chef Midwest (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI): Dane Baldwin, The Diplomat, Milwaukee
- Best Chef Mountain (CO, ID, MT, UT, WY): Caroline Glover, Annette, Aurora, Colorado
- Best Chef New York State: Chintan Pandya, Dhamaka, New York
- Best Chef Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT): Nisachon Morgan, Saap, Randolph, Vermont
- Best Chef Northwest and Pacific (AK, HI, OR, WA): Robynne Maii, Fête, Honolulu
- Best Chef Southeast (GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV): Ricky Moore, SALTBOX Seafood Joint, Durham, North Carolona
- Best Chef South (AL, AR, FL, LA, MS, PR): Adam Evans, Automatic Seafood and Oysters, Birmingham, Alabama
- Best Chef Southwest (AZ, NM, NV, OK): Fernando Olea, Sazón, Santa Fe, New Mexico
- Best Chef Texas: Iliana de la Vega, El Naranjo, Austin, Texas
America’s Classics
This committee-chosen award is given to establishments in six of the 12 Restaurant and Chef Award regions with timeless appeal:
- The Busy Bee Café in Atlanta. Owner: Tracy Gates
- Casa Vega in Sherman Oaks, California. Owner: Christy Vega
- Corinne’s Place in Camden, New Jersey. Owner: Corinne Bradley-Powers
- Florence’s Restaurant in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Owner: Florence Kemp
- Solly’s Grille in Milwaukee. Owner: Glenn Fieber
- Wo Hop in New York. Owners: Huang Family
