Beyond NY and LA: The Unexpected Cities Dominating the 2026 James Beard Awards.

Forget the usual suspects. This year's James Beard nominations prove that the most exciting flavors in America are quietly being forged in the heartland, the mountains, and independent kitchens far from the traditional food capitals.

The culinary world's most prestigious recognition just dropped its 2026 nominees — and this year's list is a vivid declaration that exceptional food is thriving well beyond the usual coastal power centers . Think Boise, Idaho. Think Mystic, Connecticut. Think Milwaukee. These aren't just nominations; they're signals of where the future of American dining is being built.

What Are the James Beard Awards?

First presented in 1991 in New York City, the James Beard Awards are widely considered the Oscars of the American food world. Named after culinary icon James Beard, they honor outstanding achievement in restaurants, chefs, baking, beverages, and the broader food ecosystem. Over the nearly four decades since their founding, the awards have evolved to reflect not just culinary brilliance but also equity, sustainability, and the economic health of the independent restaurant industry . Winners are announced at a ceremony at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and this year that moment lands on Monday, June 15, 2026 .

What makes these awards a genuine benchmark isn't just the prestige — it's that they've had to earn their credibility back. In the years before the pandemic, the awards came under heavy fire for lacking diversity and repeatedly cycling through the same chefs in the same major cities. The foundation shook up its judges, retooled its criteria, and now requires nominees to explain how their work aligns with values of equity, sustainability, and healthy work culture. Starting in 2024, candidates even had to submit a supporting video or essay. Love it or critique it — that evolution is real, and the 2026 list reflects it.

Restaurant & Chef Award Nominees

Outstanding Restaurateur

• Srijith Gopinathan and Ayesha Thapar — Cal-India Collective (Ettan, Copra, Eylan, and Little Blue Door), Palo Alto / San Francisco / Menlo Park / 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 Seafood Grill, Herbsaint, Cochon, 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 (opened October 1, 2024 – September 30, 2025)

• 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 Bar à Vins, Washington, D.C.
• Merci, Charleston, SC
• Robin, 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 Restaurant, 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
• The Lovers Bar at Friday Saturday Sunday, Philadelphia, PA
• Onyx Coffee Lab, Rogers, AR
• Scotch Lodge, Portland, OR
• Smuggler's Cove, San Francisco, CA

Best New Bar

• Bar Chenin, Detroit, MI
• Bar, Please!, Boise, ID
• Clemente Bar, New York, NY
• Later Bye, Oklahoma City, OK
• Loma, Providence, RI

Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service

• Jack Benchakul — endorffeine coffee bar, Los Angeles, CA
• Lee Campbell — Borgo, New York, NY
• Ryan Fletter — Barolo Grill, Denver, CO
• Brent Kroll — Maxwell Park, Washington, D.C.
• June Rodil — March, Houston, TX

Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service

• Hastings Cameron — Imaginary Factory, Madison, WI
• Kevin Diedrich — Pacific Cocktail Haven, San Francisco, CA
• Nicky Fas — Pantera, Caguas, PR
• McLain Hedges and Mary Allison Wright — Yacht Club, Denver, CO
• Ivy Mix — Whoopsie Daisy, Brooklyn, NY

Best Chefs

Best Chef: California

• Dave Beran — Seline, Santa Monica, CA
• Harrison Cheney — Sons & Daughters, San Francisco, CA
• Sarah Cooper and Alan Hsu — Sun Moon Studio, Oakland, CA
• Kwang Uh — Baroo, Los Angeles, CA
• Daisy Ryan — Bell's, Los Alamos, CA

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

• Vinnie Cimino — Cordelia, Cleveland, OH
• Sarah Dworak — Sudova, Cincinnati, OH
• Norman Fenton — Cariño, Chicago, IL
• Jeffery 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 & Izakaya, 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
• Shigeyuki Furukawa — Kado No Mise, Minneapolis, MN
• Loryn Nalic — Balkan Treat Box, Webster Groves, MO
• Nick Bognar — Sado, Pavilion, St. Louis, 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 & 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 and 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)

• Ana Castro — Acamaya, New Orleans, LA
• Bryce Bonsack — Rocca, Tampa, FL
• Maria La Mota and Chason Spencer — Chancho King, Jacksonville, FL
• Serigne Mbaye — Dakar NOLA, New Orleans, LA
• Jason Paul — Heirloom at The 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
• Finn Walter — The Nicolett, Lubbock, TX

Achievement Awards & Special Honorees

These aren't just culinary accolades — they're recognition that food sits at the intersection of justice, community, and culture .

Impact Award Honorees

Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) — A 40-year-old Los Angeles organization serving over 450,000 immigrants annually through community education, workers' rights, legal services, and direct crisis response. During the 2025 ICE raids in L.A., CHIRLA led the Raids Rapid Response Network to defend impacted families .

Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation — Founded in 2006, the foundation has supported nearly 1,000 units of affordable housing across 12 states and has served over 234,000 healthy three-course meals through its four New Jersey JBJ Soul Kitchen locations, which also provide job training, mental health access, and housing resources .

Senator Ben Ray Luján — As Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Nutrition, Senator Luján has fought to protect SNAP, advocated for farmworkers and food system workers at every level, and championed the preservation of acequia water systems and traditional native lands in New Mexico .

ReFED — This nonprofit field catalyst uses data-driven solutions to combat food waste,helping keep 20 million tons of food out of landfills each year. Additionally, the organization has catalyzed over $35 million in financial support for food-waste initiatives, largely driven by its Catalytic Grant Fund.

Southern Smoke Foundation — Founded in 2017 by chef Chris Shepherd, this Houston-based organization has granted more than $16 million to food and beverage workers nationwide and provided access to over 10,000 no-cost mental health counseling sessions across 12 states and D.C.

Humanitarian of the Year

No Us Without You / Othón Nolasko and Damián Diaz — Co-founded in Los Angeles in 2020 to feed undocumented back-of-house hospitality workers left out of pandemic relief programs, the organization currently supports upwards of 500 families every quarter, distributing roughly 10,000 pounds of essential groceries and fresh food in that same timeframe. When ICE raids swept through L.A. in spring 2025, Nolasko and Diaz pivoted to bringing meals directly to families' homes . The foundation is also granting $20,000 to this year's Humanitarian of the Year honoree, made possible through a fund established by trustee Michael Phillips of Jamestown Properties.

Lifetime Achievement Award

Nancy Silverton — With over four decades as a chef, baker, restaurateur, and author, Silverton helped ignite the modern artisanal bread movement when she founded La Brea Bakery in Los Angeles in 1989 and won the first-ever James Beard Award for Pastry Chef of the Year in 1991 . She co-founded the iconic Campanile and later built the globally recognized Osteria Mozza. She won the James Beard Outstanding Chef award in 2014 and has mentored a generation of chefs who have gone on to define their own culinary legacies .

The complete list of nominees and honorees can be verified at the official James Beard Foundation website.