The Resy Guide to the 2026 James Beard Awards® Finalists

2026 James Beard Foundation Awards Finalists

Published: March 31, 2026

The finalists for the 2026 James Beard Foundation Awards have officially been revealed, with many of the country’s top restaurant industry professionals getting lots of love.

This year’s list includes rising talent like E.J. Lagasse of Emeril’s in New Orleans and Rasheeda Purdie of New York’s Ramen By Ra, both up for Emerging Chef, and Best New Restaurant nominees Maison in Washington, D.C. and Merci in Charleston.

Other national awards include nods to Borgo’s Lee Campbell for Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service and Philadelphia’s Kalaya, up for Outstanding Restaurant. And in the Outstanding Restaurateur category, Donald Link and Stephen Stryjewski of Link Restaurant Group are nominated for their restaurants Pêche, Herbsaint Bar & Restaurant, Cochon, Gianna, and others.

The full list is below, with both Resy and Tock restaurants available to book right now highlighted. Keep an eye out for the winners, which will be revealed at the summer awards ceremony.

Photo courtesy of Herbsaint Bar & Restaurant

Outstanding Restaurateur

• Srijith Gopinathan and Ayesha Thapar, Ettan, Copra, and Eylan, Palo Alto, San Francisco, Los Altos, CA
• Meherwan Irani and Molly Irani, Chai Pani Restaurant Group (Chai Pani and Botiwalla), Asheville, NC
• Donald Link and Stephen Stryjewski, Link Restaurant Group ( Pêche, Herbsaint Bar & Restaurant, Cochon, Gianna, and others), New Orleans, LA
• Hugo Ortega and Tracy Vaught, H-Town Restaurant Group (Hugo’s, Xochi, Urbe, and others), Houston, TX
• Dana Street, Fore Street, Scales, Standard Baking Co., and others, Portland, ME

Outstanding Chef

• Gilberto Cetina, Holbox, Los Angeles, CA
• Niki Nakayama, n/naka, Los Angeles, CA
• Josh Niernberg, Bin 707 Foodbar, Grand Junction, CO
• David Standridge, The Shipwright’s Daughter, Mystic, CT
• Michael Tusk, Quince, San Francisco, CA

Outstanding Restaurant

• The Catbird Seat, Nashville, TN
• The Four Horsemen, Brooklyn, NY
• Kalaya, Philadelphia, PA
• Mixtli, San Antonio, TX
• Vicia, St. Louis, MO

Emerging Chef

• Fátima Juárez, Komal, Los Angeles, CA
• E.J. Lagasse, Emeril’s, New Orleans, LA
• Rasheeda Purdie, Ramen By Ra, New York, NY
• Bailey Sullivan, Monteverde Restaurant & Pastificio, Chicago, IL
• Adrian Torres, Maximo, West University Place, TX

Best New Restaurant

• 1033 Omakase, Milwaukee, WI
• Agnes and Sherman, Houston, TX
• Anjin, Kansas City, MO
• Emmett, Philadelphia, PA
• Ki, Los Angeles, CA
• Lei, New York, NY
• Maison, Washington, D.C.
• Merci, Charleston, SC
• Robin Restaurant, St. Louis, MO
• Tamba, Las Vegas, NV

Outstanding Bakery

• Cultured, Sister Bay, WI
• Fire Island Rustic Bakeshop, Anchorage, AK
• Super Secret Ice Cream, Bethlehem, NH
• Weltons Tiny Bakeshop, Charleston, SC
• Wild Crumb, Bozeman, MT

Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker

• Neale Asato, Asato Family Shop, Honolulu, HI
• Susan Bae, Moon Rabbit, Washington, D.C.
• Tavel Bristol-Joseph, Nicosi, San Antonio, TX
• Maggie Huff, Lucia, Dallas, TX
• Justine MacNeil, Fiore, Philadelphia, PA

Outstanding Hospitality

• Ansots Basque Chorizos & Catering, Boise, ID
• Aria, Atlanta, GA
• Bottega, Birmingham, AL
• Louie, Clayton, MO
• Providence, Los Angeles, CA

Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program

• Chambers, New York, NY
• Field & Main, Marshall, VA
• Kato, Los Angeles, CA
• The Port of Call, Mystic, CT
• Sway Brewing & Blending, Baileys Harbor, WI

Outstanding Bar

• Bow & Arrow Brewing Co., Albuquerque, NM
• Lovers Bar at Friday Saturday Sunday, Philadelphia, PA
• Onyx Coffee Lab, Rogers, AR
• Scotch Lodge, Portland, OR
• Smuggler’s Cove, San Francisco, CA

Best Chef: California

• Dave Beran, Seline, Santa Monica, CA
• Harrison Cheney, Sons & Daughters, San Francisco, CA
• Daisy Ryan, Bell’s, Los Alamos, CA
• Kwang Uh, Baroo, Los Angeles, CA

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

• Vinnie Cimino, Cordelia, Cleveland, OH
• Sarah Dworak, Sudova, Cincinnati, OH
• Norman Fenton, Cariño, Chicago, IL
• Jeffrey Harris, Nolia Kitchen, Cincinnati, OH
• Jacob Potashnick, Feld, Chicago, IL

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

• Nathan Flaim, LUCA, Lancaster, PA
• Jesse Ito, Royal Sushi Omakase, Philadelphia, PA
• Amanda Shulman, Her Place Supper Club, Philadelphia, PA
• Suresh Sundas, Tapori, Washington, D.C.
• Omar Tate and Cybille St. Aude-Tate, Honeysuckle, Philadelphia, PA

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

• Zak Baker, Ca’Lucchenzo, Wauwatosa, WI
• Nick Bognar, Sado, Pavilion, St. Louis, MO
• Shigeyuki Furukawa, Kado No Mise, Minneapolis, MN
• Loryn Nalic, Balkan Treat Box, Webster Groves, MO
• David Utterback, Yoshitomo, Ota, Omaha, NE

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

• Johnny Curiel, Alma Fonda Fina, Denver, CO
• Travis Herbert, Felt Bar & Eatery, Salt Lake City, UT
• Earl James Reynolds, Herb and Omni, Whitefish, MT
• Penelope Wong, Yuan Wonton, Denver, CO
• Nick Zocco, Urban Hill, Salt Lake City, UT

Best Chef: New York State

• Fidel Caballero, Corima, New York, NY
• Giovanni Cervantes, Carnitas Ramirez, New York, NY
• Hooni Kim, Meju, Queens, NY
• Ayesha Nurdjaja, Shukette, New York, NY
• Joshua Pinsky, Claud, New York, NY

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

• David DiStasi, Materia Ristorante, Bantam, CT
• Evan Hennessey, Stages, Dover, NH
• Thomas Takashi Cooke, Izakaya Minato, Portland, ME
• Paul Trombly, Fancy’s, Burlington, VT
• Derek Wagner, Nicks on Broadway, Providence, RI

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

• Nathan Bentley, Altura Bistro, Anchorage, AK
• Johnny Courtney, Atoma, Seattle, WA
• Thomas Pisha-Duffly, Gado Gado, Portland, OR
• Ryan Roadhouse, Nodoguro, Portland, OR
• Aaron Tekulve, Surrell, Seattle, WA

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

• Bryce Bonsack, Rocca, Tampa, FL
• Ana Castro, Acamaya, New Orleans, LA
• Maria La Mota and Chason Spencer, Chancho King, Jacksonville, FL
• Serigne Mbaye, Dakar NOLA, New Orleans, LA
• Jason Paul, Heirloom at 1907, Rogers, AR

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

• Joe Cash, Scoundrel, Greenville, SC
• Mary Ellen Diaz, Alma Bea, Shepherdstown, WV
• J. Trent Harris, Mujō, Atlanta, GA
• Taylor Montgomery, Montgomery Sky Farm, Leicester, NC
• David Willocks, The Baker’s Table, Newport, KY

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

• Jeff Chanchaleune, Bar Sen, Oklahoma City, OK
• Brian Howard, Sparrow + Wolf, Las Vegas, NV
• Steve Riley, Mesa Provisions, Albuquerque, NM
• Sarah Thompson, Casa Playa, Las Vegas, NV
• Zack Walters, Sedalia’s, Oklahoma City, OK

Best Chef: Texas

• Ope Amosu, ChòpnBlọk, Houston, TX
• Evelyn Garcia and Henry Lu, JŪN, Houston, TX
• Scott Girling, Osteria Il Muro, Denton, TX
• Gabe Padilla and Melissa Padilla, Café Piro, Socorro, TX
• Finney Walter, The Nicolett, Lubbock, TX

Achievement Awards

Impact Award Honorees

• Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA)
• Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation
• Senator Ben Ray Luján
• ReFED
• Southern Smoke Foundation

Humanitarian of the Year

• No Us Without You/Othón Nolasko and Damián Diaz

Lifetime Achievement

• Nancy Silverton ( Osteria Mozza, Osteria Mozza – DC, Pizzeria Mozza, chi SPACCA)

James Beard America’s Classics®

• The Serving Spoon, Inglewood, CA
• Oyster House, Philadelphia, PA
• Johnny’s Cafe, Omaha, NE
• Eng’s, Kingston, NY
• Figaretti’s Italian Restaurant, Wheeling, WV
• Bob Taylor’s Ranch House, Las Vegas, NV