The James Beard Foundation named the winners of its 2024 Restaurant and Chef awards, which “celebrate excellence across a range of experiences, from fine-dining establishments to casual gems, and emerging talents to established luminaries, while supporting and encouraging a more sustainable industry.”
Following is an overview of the winners:
- Outstanding Chef: Michael Rafidi, Albi, Washington, D.C
- Outstanding Restaurateur: Erika Whitaker and Kelly Whitaker, ID EST (The Wolf's Tailor, BRUTØ, Basta, and others), Boulder, Colo.
- Outstanding Restaurant: Langbaan, Portland, Ore.
- Emerging Chef: Masako Morishita, Perry's, Washington, D.C.
- Best New Restaurant: Dakar NOLA, New Orleans
- Outstanding Bakery: ZU Bakery, Portland, Maine
- Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker: Atsuko Fujimoto, Norimoto Bakery, Portland, Maine
- Outstanding Hospitality: Lula Cafe, Chicago
- Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program: Lula Drake Wine Parlour, Columbia, S.C.
- Outstanding Bar: Jewel of the South, New Orleans
- Best Chef: California: Lord Maynard Llera, Kuya Lord, Los Angeles
- Best Chef: Great Lakes (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio): Hajime Sato, Sozai, Clawson, Mich,
- Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (Washington, D.C.; l Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia: Harley Peet, Bas Rouge, Easton, Md.
- Best Chef: Midwest (Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin): Christina Nguyen, Hai Hai, Minneapolis
- Best Chef: Mountain (Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah and Wyoming): Matt Vawter, Rootstalk, Breckenridge, Colo.
- Best Chef: New York State: Charlie Mitchell, Clover Hill, Brooklyn, N.Y.
- Best Chef: Northeast (Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont): David Standridge, The Shipwright's Daughter, Mystic, Conn.
- Best Chef: Northwest & Pacific (Alaska, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington): Gregory Gourdet, kann, Portland, Ore.
- Best Chef: South (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Puerto Rico): Valerie Chang, Maty's, Miami, Fla.
- Best Chef: Southeast (Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virigina): Paul Smith, 1010 Bridge, Charleston, W.V.
- Best Chef: Southwest (Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada and Oklahoma): Rene Andrade, Bacanora, Phoenix
- Best Chef: Texas: Ana Liz Pulido, Ana Liz Taqueria, Mission, Texas
The full list of winners, including those previously announced, can be found below and on the James Beard Foundation website. The voting process for all Restaurant and Chef Awards can be found here, and the criteria and eligibility for each category can be found on the Awards’ policies and procedures page, as well as here.
