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These are the winners of this year's James Beard Awards, the biggest night in food

Rob Rubba, winner of the Outstanding Chef award at the 2023 James Beard Restaurant And Chef Awards.
Jeff Schear
/
Getty Images for The James Beard Foundation
Rob Rubba, winner of the Outstanding Chef award at the 2023 James Beard Restaurant And Chef Awards.

Updated June 6, 2023 at 5:39 PM ET

The 2023 James Beard Awards took place Monday night in Chicago, and gave high regards to chefs and restaurants around the country.

The organization said about 1,500 people attended the ceremony, hosted by chefs Eric Adjepong, Esther Choi, Andrew Zimmern and Top Chef judge Gail Simmons.

Sponsor Message

The James Beard Foundation has recently outlined a new ethics code for nominees. The organization said nominees must not engage in "inhumane, exploitative, or unlawful" workplace practices; violent or abusive behavior; sexism, racism and other discrimination."

These are the winners:


Outstanding Chef

Rob Rubba, Oyster Oyster - Washington, D.C.

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Shaw's Oyster Oyster puts 'micro-seasonal and hyper-local' vegetables front and center [via DCist]

Outstanding Restaurant

Friday Saturday Sunday - Philadelphia

Best New Restaurant

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Kann - Portland, Ore.

Outstanding Restaurateur

Ellen Yin, High Street Hospitality Group (Fork, a.kitchen + bar, High Street, and others) - Philadelphia

Emerging Chef

Damarr Brown, Virtue - Chicago

Beyond a landmark: WBEZ's guide to Promontory Point and Hyde Park [via WBEZ]

Outstanding Bakery

Yoli Tortilleria - Kansas City, Mo.

Yoli, the first tortilla bakery nominated for any James Beard Award, just won 'Outstanding Bakery' [via KCUR Kansas City]

Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker

Margarita Manzke, République - Los Angeles

Republique, The French Restaurant That Was Saved By Its Pastries [via LAist]

Outstanding Hospitality

The Quarry - Monson, Maine

Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program

OTOTO - Los Angeles

Outstanding Bar

Bar Leather Apron - Honolulu


Best regional chefs

Best Chef: California

Justin Pichetrungsi, Anajak Thai - Sherman Oaks, Calif.

Best Chef: Great Lakes (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio)

Tim Flores and Genie Kwon, Kasama - Chicago

Filipino American chefs come into their own with multiple James Beard award nods [via WBEZ]

Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (Washington, D.C., Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia)

Chutatip "Nok" Suntaranon, Kalaya - Philadelphia

Best Chef: Midwest (Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin)

Itaru Nagano and Andrew Kroeger, Fairchild - Madison, Wis.

Best Chef: Mountain (Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Wyoming)

Kris Komori, KIN - Boise, Idaho

Boise chef Kris Komori's win is a first for Idaho [via Boise State Public Radio]

Best Chef: New York State

Junghyun Park, Atomix - New York, N.Y.

Best Chef: Northeast (Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont)

Sherry Pocknett, Sly Fox Den Too - Charlestown, R.I.

Best Chef: Northwest & Pacific (Alaska, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington)

Vince Nguyen, Berlu - Portland, Ore.

Best Chef: South (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Puerto Rico)

Natalia Vallejo, Cocina al Fondo - San Juan, Puerto Rico

Best Chef: Southeast (Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia)

Terry Koval, The Deer and the Dove - Decatur, Ga.

Best Chef: Southwest (Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma)

Andrew Black, Grey Sweater - Oklahoma City

Best Chef: Texas

Benchawan Jabthong Painter, Street to Kitchen - Houston

Painter, named as the Best Chef in Texas, was one of three James Beard Award finalists from Houston this year, along with Nancy's Hustle and Tatemo [via Houston Public Media]


Humanitarian of the Year was presented to Olivia Watkins and Karen Washington, the co-founders of the Black Farmer Fund, which was founded in 2017 to invest in Black farmers, land stewards and business owners in the Northeast. They will receive a $20,000 grant.

The Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Madhur Jaffrey, an actress, cookbook author and chef. She was inducted into the James Beard Foundation's Cookbook Hall of Fame in 2006.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Corrected: June 5, 2023 at 9:00 PM PDT
A previous version of this story incorrectly listed Alaska, instead of Alabama, in the South region. It also incorrectly listed Montana and New England, instead of Missouri and Nebraska, in the Midwest region.
NPR
Ayana Archie
[Copyright 2024 NPR]