Latest news with #JamesBeardFoundation
Forbes
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
2025 James Beard Award Winners: Best Chefs, Restaurants & Bars
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JUNE 14: A view of the James Beard award on display during the 2025 James Beard ... More Media Awards on June 14, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo byfor James Beard Foundation) Getty Images for James Beard Foundation Last month, the James Beard Foundation held its annual Restaurant and Chef Awards at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, marking 35 years of what many consider the highest honor in American dining. While the night crowned standout chefs and restaurants across the country, what stayed with many wasn't just who won—it was what they chose to say once they got on stage. While the spotlight was on national and regional winners across categories like Outstanding Chef, Best New Restaurant, and Best Bar, the evening also made space for something more grounded: the America's Classics—a set of honors given to longtime, locally loved, independently owned restaurants that reflect the culinary identity of their communities. You can read more about this year's America's Classics honorees here. But for now, here's a look at this year's standout wins across the national Restaurant and Chef categories. CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JUNE 16: Jungsik Yim winner of the Outstanding Chef award speaks on stage during ... More the 2025 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards on June 16, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo byfor James Beard Foundation) Getty Images for James Beard Foundation Jungsik Yim, the celebrated chef behind his eponymous fine-dining Korean restaurant in Manhattan's Tribeca neighborhood, took home the Outstanding Chef award. Known for blending modernist techniques with deep-rooted Korean flavors, Yim has helped expand the definition of what luxury dining can look and taste like in the U.S. CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JUNE 16: Bobby Stuckey winner of Outstanding Restaurant award speaks on stage ... More during the 2025 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards on June 16, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo byfor James Beard Foundation) Getty Images for James Beard Foundation Located in Boulder, Colorado, Frasca Food and Wine has earned national acclaim for its Northern Italian–inspired cuisine and exacting hospitality. The restaurant, co-founded by master sommelier Bobby Stuckey and chef Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson, has become a benchmark for service-driven excellence outside the expected coastal cities. CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JUNE 16: Jeanie Janas Ritter winner of the Best New Restaurant award speaks on ... More stage during the 2025 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards on June 16, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo byfor James Beard Foundation) Getty Images for James Beard Foundation Minneapolis's Bûcheron was named Best New Restaurant of 2025. Helmed by chef Christopher Nye, the French-inspired spot stands out for its intimate, ingredient-driven menu and quiet confidence. In a year where many new restaurants leaned into maximalism, Bûcheron's restraint and sense of place set it apart. Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker: Cat Cox (Country Bird Bakery, Tulsa, OK) CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JUNE 16: Cat Cox winner of the Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker award speaks on ... More stage during the 2025 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards on June 16, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo byfor James Beard Foundation) Getty Images for James Beard Foundation Cat Cox of Country Bird Bakery in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was recognized for her work as a baker and pastry chef, one of the few honorees this year to work outside a traditional restaurant setting. Her naturally leavened breads and seasonal pastries have drawn national attention to Tulsa's growing food scene. Outstanding Bakery: JinJu Patisserie (Portland, OR) CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JUNE 16: (L-R) Jin Caldwell and Kyurim Lee winners of the Outstanding Bakery ... More award speak on stage during the 2025 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards on June 16, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo byfor James Beard Foundation) Getty Images for James Beard Foundation This year's Outstanding Bakery award went to JinJu Patisserie, a jewel-box bakery in Portland known for its meticulous viennoiserie, elegant pastries, and refined, architectural approach to dessert. Founded by pastry chef Jin Caldwell and her partner, Kyurim 'Q' Lee, the bakery has earned a national reputation for its attention to detail and artistic presentation. While Portland has long been recognized as a haven for independent bakeries, JinJu's win underscores the growing national attention toward pastry-forward shops operating outside of major coastal cities. Outstanding Bar: Kumiko (Chicago, IL) CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JUNE 16: Julia Momosé winner of the Outstanding Bar award speaks on stage during ... More the 2025 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards on June 16, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo byfor James Beard Foundation) Getty Images for James Beard Foundation Chicago's Kumiko was named Outstanding Bar this year, a win that recognized not just its cocktail program but the intention behind it. Led by bartender and owner Julia Momosé, Kumiko is known for drinks that are precise, expressive, and deeply personal, rooted in Japanese tradition but built for the moment. It's the kind of place that reminds you a bar can be more than just a backdrop. This year also marked the debut of three new beverage categories: Best New Bar, Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service, and Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service—a sign that the Beard Foundation is starting to take bars, and the people who run them, more seriously. The Theme That Kept Surfacing CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JUNE 16: Jon Yao winner of the Best Chef: California award speaks on stage ... More during the 2025 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards on June 16, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo byfor James Beard Foundation) Getty Images for James Beard Foundation One of the most consistent themes of the night was the immigrant story. Across three hours of speeches and introductions, the word immigrant surfaced 27 times—roughly once every seven minutes. And of the 15 moments where it appeared, 12 came directly from award recipients themselves. Some honorees spoke plainly about their own beginnings. 'Los Angeles is a city built by the toils of immigrant communities… now being ripped apart,' warned John Yao, accepting Best Chef: California for his work at Kato. Some honorees turned their gratitude outward. 'I want to thank every immigrant that works for us,' said Chef Cindy Wolf of Charleston in Baltimore, accepting the award for Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program. 'We all know that in our business we are nothing without immigrants… We are better for immigrants, and we support you so much. I love every Latino that works for me from the bottom of my heart.' And then there were those who widened the lens. Arjav Ezekiel, winner of Outstanding Beverage Service for Birdie's in Austin, named his life 'the story of undocumented immigration and its many subplots.' After describing years of fear, hiddenness, and labor done in the shadows, he closed with a line that brought the room to stillness: 'My undocumented journey ends here—but the fight doesn't.' These weren't side comments. They were the pulse of the evening—woven into speeches, made visible on the stage. And the numbers back it up–according to a recent report from the National Restaurant Association, 46% of chefs and 31% of cooks are foreign-born, compared to 18% of waitstaff. Even among restaurant managers, nearly one in four were born outside the U.S. Kitchens are also the most linguistically diverse workplaces in the industry, with half of chefs speaking a language other than English at home. The medallions handed out that night may honor excellence, but the labor they represent has long been global and often invisible. That gap between recognition and reality was the story the night kept circling back to, whether through a speech, a name, or the quiet refrain that ran beneath it all. About the James Beard Foundation The James Beard Foundation's Restaurant and Chef Awards recognize excellence across the hospitality industry, with a mission rooted in 'Good Food for Good®.' In addition to celebrating culinary innovation and leadership, the Foundation expanded its recognition this year to include new beverage categories, while continuing its long-standing commitment to uplifting community-rooted restaurants through the America's Classics honors. You can view the full list of 2025 James Beard Award winners on the official James Beard Foundation website.
Bloomberg
15-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Chef Erickson & JBF's McBride on Resilient Restaurants
Renee Erickson, Chef, Restaurateur, Artist & Author and Anne E. McBride, Vice President, Impact, James Beard Foundation discuss how to mitigate climate change within the restaurant industry with Bloomberg's Kate Krader at Bloomberg Green Seattle 2025. (Source: Bloomberg)
Eater
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
Yotaka Martin of Phoenix Restaurant Lom Wong Wins James Beard Award
is a cities manager at Eater overseeing editorial operations for city sites in the Southern California/Southwest and Texas regions. She earned a master's degree in multidisciplinary writing at the University of Southern California. The James Beard Foundation Awards were held tonight, June 16, and Phoenix, Arizona walked away with one winner. In April, the James Beard Foundation revealed Arizona's two finalists, whittled down from a semifinalists list that spanned 12 categories: Crystal Kass, of Valentine in Phoenix, received an Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker nomination for her genre-bending desserts — think an apricot tostada with burnt honey cremeux and sweet salsa macha — that speak to the soul of the Southwest. Cat Cox of Country Bird Bakery in Tulsa, Oklahoma, took home that award. The James Beard Awards, often considered 'the Oscars of food,' are among the most prestigious awards in the food and hospitality industry. Each year, the James Beard Foundation restaurants, bars, and hospitality professionals in categories like Outstanding Restaurant, Best Chef, and Best New Chef. This year's awards added three brand-new categories: Best New Bar, Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service, and Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service. The first James Beard Awards ceremony was held in 1991, when chefs like Rick Bayless, Nancy Silverton, and Wolfgang Puck walked away as winners. In recent years, the foundation has been under increased scrutiny after canceling its programming in 2020 and 2021 due to misbehavior and abuse allegations against nominated chefs, and a lack of nominated and winning Black chefs among the categories. In response, the James Beard Foundation conducted an internal audit to make its voting processes more inclusive and equitable before returning in 2022. The awards have also shifted the Best Chef category to a regional model to better recognize the diversity and depth of talent. Get the full list of James Beard Award winners from across the country on Eater. Chef Yotaka Martin, of Lom Wong in Phoenix, holds up a freshly caught fish by the tail. Lom Wong Disclosure: Some Vox Media staff members are part of the voting body for the James Beard Awards. Eater is partnering with the James Beard Foundation to livestream the awards in 2025. All editorial content is produced independently of the James Beard Foundation.
Eater
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
Philly Chef Phila Lorn Wins a James Beard Award
is the deputy editor of Eater's Northeast region, covering Boston, Philly, D.C. and New York. Based in Boston, she has spent years covering the local restaurant industry. Chef Phila Lorn of Cambodian hot spot Mawn took home the James Beard Award for Emerging Chef on Monday, June 16, at the foundation's annual gala in Chicago. In his acceptance speech, Lorn dedicated the award to 'having confidence in owning what you do as a craft' and also the many assumptions that Mawn had to fight through in its opening days, including 'that the food wasn't gonna be good enough, or authentic enough, [or] I wasn't popular enough.' 'When I found out I was nominated for this award, the assumption was that I was gonna win it,' Lorn said to cheers from the crowd. The chef was up against four other nominees in the category, including Nikhil Naiker of Nimki in Providence, Rhode Island, and Jane Sacro Chatham of Vicia in St. Louis, Missouri. Mawn has quickly become one of Philly's hardest-to-snag reservations since it opened two years ago in Philly's Bella Vista neighborhood. The self-proclaimed 'noodle house with 'no rules'' serves dishes like a rich beef noodle katiew (a Cambodian noodle soup) with sliced wagyu and braised oxtail, and a crowd-favorite all star seafood rice packed with crab, bay scallops, shrimp, crab fat butter, and trout roe. There's also the 'Puck & See' family-style tasting menu, a fun option for groups where Lorn and his crew pick a variety of dishes to send out for $65 per person. Looking forward, the team is hardly slowing down: Phila and Rachel Lorn, his wife and business partner, are about to open a second restaurant, a Southeast Asian oyster bar called Sao, in East Passyunk. Disclosure: Some Vox Media staff members are part of the voting body for the James Beard Awards. Eater is partnering with the James Beard Foundation to livestream the awards in 2025. All editorial content is produced independently of the James Beard Foundation. Eater Philly All your essential food and restaurant intel delivered to you Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Chef Julia Sullivan Struggled to Breathe For 8 Years Due to Nasal Polyps: ‘Feels Like An Elephant On My Chest' (Exclusive)
Julia Sullivan was strolling through the garden of her Nashville home in August 2021 when she suddenly caught the strong scent of fresh basil in the breeze. 'I was astounded by how much I could smell it,' she says. 'It was like being able to see in color for the first time in years.' Incredibly, it had been nearly a decade since the award-winning chef and successful Nashville restaurant owner had been able to taste or smell much of anything. For the past eight years she'd been struggling to breathe daily until finally, in September 2020, she was diagnosed with severe nasal polyps—soft, teardrop-shaped clusters of tissue that grow in the nose and sinuses, causing congestion, headaches, a loss of taste or smell and difficulty breathing. 'Not being able to breathe normally makes your whole day feel like a struggle,' says Sullivan, 42, who's one of 13 million people in the U.S. who suffer from the incurable condition. 'It feels like there's an elephant sitting on your chest. Your nose is closed up, and it makes you feel like you're underwater. I was pretty miserable.' Sullivan tried multiple nasal rinses, inhalers, ibuprofen and antibiotics — before a CAT scan finally revealed her polyps. Her doctors initially suggested surgery, but she worried the procedure might permanently affect her career. 'I'm a chef, and I'm not sure I want something scraped out of the inside of my nose,' she says. Fortunately, the James Beard Foundation finalist was able to find ongoing relief through medication — and with her health problems behind her, she's been thriving ever since. 'Now that I'm a few years out from it, I kind of forget how bad it was,' Sullivan says from the dining room of her oyster bar and restaurant Henrietta Red in Nashville. 'I remember going out for meals, spending all this money on food and wine — constantly blowing my nose at the table — and not being able to enjoy any of it. Now everything tastes better.' ! Sullivan was born and raised in Nashville, where she was the younger of two kids to Jimmy Sullivan, 78, an endocrinologist, and Stephanie Potts, 73, a nurse. 'It was such a great place to grow up. I always loved living on such a big rural piece of property. We had two donkeys, and I just loved to be outside, where we had a tree house,' says Sullivan, who grew up in a blended family with four siblings after her parents divorced in 1988 and both remarried. An avid track and cross-country runner throughout her teen years, she remembers struggling with periodic allergic reactions and wheezing as a kid — at times while she was on the track. 'As I got older, it kind of resolved itself. I've always carried an inhaler, but in my 20s I never really needed to use it.' After her junior year in high school she spent six weeks in France as part of an immersion program, where her host-mother introduced her to the culinary culture of Burgundy — igniting a passion for food and cooking. 'It was intoxicating. I really got into it,' says Sullivan. Her interest intensified during her undergrad years at Tulane University in New Orleans — where she was captivated by the city's rich culinary heritage and historic restaurant scene. 'It got me interested in the restaurant business,' says Sullivan, who worked doing food prep at a local restaurant during her junior year. She graduated in 2005 with a degree in finance and management and soon landed a job as a line cook at the Wild Iris restaurant in Brentwood, Tenn., under a female chef who prioritized seasonal cooking. 'It was my first real chef-driven restaurant experience.' In the fall of that same year, Sullivan enrolled at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. — which led to jobs at two Michelin-starred restaurants in and around New York City — Per Se and Blue Hill at Stone Barns — and, later, private-chef positions in Manhattan and the Hamptons. 'It was an incredible experience,' says Sullivan, who moved back to Nashville in late 2013 with dreams of opening up a restaurant. 'I always saw myself coming back and having a small business in some way, shape or form.' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Unfortunately, her return to the greener surroundings of Nashville also triggered a resurgence of her breathing problems. She initially took a job as a sous-chef in a new restaurant, where the long hours and stressful kitchen atmosphere wreaked havoc on her sinuses. 'My head would just close up, and my nose constantly ran, and I had a lot of coughing,' recalls Sullivan. 'I was always dealing with something.' In the years that followed, she endured a relentless roller-coaster ride of symptoms. 'I was always in this persistent cycle of wheezing, issues with asthma and allergic reactions of varying degrees of severity. You don't want to be blowing your nose in a restaurant,' she adds. 'I would have to lie down and then have pretty serious fatigue for 24 hours.' Her doctors prescribed regimens of steroids — which offered temporary relief at best. 'Everything worked somewhat but not fully,' she says. Meeting the demands of her burgeoning career while feeling constantly exhausted added to her challenges. 'When I was a sous-chef, I would often just try to work through it,' says Sullivan, who more often than not was fighting to breathe while standing on her feet all day. 'I remember having to go home several times and not really understanding what was going on.' By the time she opened Henrietta Red in 2017, she'd lost most of her senses of both taste and smell. 'I could probably taste salt, acid and spice more than anything, but I really did struggle in that regard,' recalls Sullivan, who was forced to rely on her sensory memories. 'Luckily, I had other chefs who could taste and help season things so I could work normally. But it took a lot of the fun out of cooking for a long time. It really burned me out.' In the meantime, Sullivan's doctor had encouraged her to keep exercising and to maintain her lifelong active lifestyle despite her breathing problems. 'I've always done marathons and triathlons and bike races; the health stuff was just kind of happening alongside of that,' says Sullivan, whose last half Ironman competition (which includes a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bike ride and a 13.1-mile run) was in 2019. 'Swimming underwater was one of the only things that would release the pressure in my sinuses,' she adds. Finally, in September 2020, her pulmonologist recommended a CAT scan — which confirmed her nasal polyps. 'My sinuses were completely blocked off,' she says. 'At that point no one had told me [that was a possible cause] even though I'd been struggling for years.' After ruling out surgery, a common treatment for nasal polyps, her doctor prescribed a bimonthly injection — and within two months she was breathing more freely. 'I haven't had any problems since,' she says. 'I can breathe normally.' is now available in the Apple App Store! Download it now for the most binge-worthy celeb content, exclusive video clips, astrology updates and more! Now, nearly four years later, Sullivan still marvels at how far she's come. 'Walking around not being able to breathe is exhausting. Before, I could be in bed for days,' she says. 'Now I've almost forgotten all that happened.' Last fall she opened a second restaurant, called Judith, in Sewanee, Tenn., in the southern Appalachian Mountains about 90 miles outside Nashville. 'I just love being able to take advantage of the peace and quiet and natural beauty out there,' says Sullivan, who enjoys gardening, tennis, hiking with her two mixed huskies, June and Mack — and hosting dinner parties for friends when she has the time. 'I went through a time when I was really miserable — and I'm so grateful not to be stuck in that place anymore. 'I love cooking,' she adds, 'and seeing ingredients being turned into something that everyone can enjoy. Ultimately it's about bringing people together — it's the enjoyment of it all that keeps me in it.' Read the original article on People
