The James Beard Foundation celebrated culinary excellence on Monday night with its 2025 James Beard Awards ceremony at the Lyric Opera in Chicago.
The awards, considered the highest honors in the American food industry, recognized top chefs, restaurateurs, and hospitality professionals across the country.
Last night’s event was a good night for New York City restaurants, which bounced back from zero awards in 2024. Last night, Jungsik Yim of Jungsik in New York City was awarded Outstanding Chef, while the team behind Atomix won Outstanding Hospitality.
Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr, owners of Frenchette, Le Veau d’Or, and Le Rock, took home the Outstanding Restaurateur award. Meanwhile, Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder, CO, was named Outstanding Restaurant, and Bûcheron in Minneapolis earned Best New Restaurant honors.
Nashville’s Jake Howell, head chef at hot spot Peninsula, was named the award recipient of the Southeast region.
Founded in 1990, with its inaugural awards given in 1991, the James Beard Awards have become the gold standard for culinary achievement in the United States. Winners receive a certificate and a medallion engraved with the James Beard Awards insignia. The ceremony honors outstanding contributions in categories including Restaurant and Chef awards, Media and Journalism, and special Achievement awards such as Lifetime Achievement and Humanitarian of the Year.
Full list of winners below
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2025 James Beard Awards: Restaurant and Chef Award Winners
Outstanding Restaurateur:Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr, Frenchette, Le Veau d’ Or, and Le Rock, New York, NY
Outstanding Chef: Jungsik Yim, Jungsik, New York, NY
Outstanding Restaurant: Frasca Food and Wine, Boulder, CO
Emerging Chef: Phila Lorn, Mawn, Philadelphia, PA
Best New Restaurant: Bûcheron, Minneapolis, MN
Outstanding Bakery: JinJu Patisserie, Portland, OR
Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker: Cat Cox, Country Bird Bakery, Tulsa, OK
Outstanding Hospitality: Atomix, New York, NY
Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program: Charleston, Baltimore, MD
Best New Bar: Identidad Cocktail Bar, San Juan, PR
Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service: Arjav Ezekiel, Birdie’s, Austin, TX
Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service: Ignacio Jimenez, Superbueno, New York, NY
Outstanding Bar: Kumiko, Chicago, IL
Best Chef—California: Jon Yao, Kato, Los Angeles, CA
Best Chef—Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH): Noah Sandoval, Oriole, Chicago, IL
Best Chef—Mid-Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA): Carlos Delgado, Causa and Amazonia, Washington, D.C.
Best Chef—Midwest (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI): Karyn Tomlinson, Myriel, St. Paul, MN
Best Chef—Mountain (CO, ID, MT, UT, WY): Salvador Alamilla, Amano, Caldwell, ID
Best Chef—New York State: Vijay Kumar, Semma, New York, NY
Best Chef—Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT): Sky Haneul Kim, Gift Horse, Providence, RI
Best Chef—Northwest & Pacific (AK, HI, OR, WA): Timothy Wastell, Antica Terra, Amity, OR
Best Chef—South (AL, AR, FL, LA, MS, PR): Nando Chang, Itamae AO, Miami, FL
Best Chef—Southeast (GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV): Jake Howell, Peninsula, Nashville, TN
Best Chef—Southwest (AZ, NM, NV, OK): Yotaka Martin, Lom Wong, Phoenix, AZ
Best Chef—Texas: Thomas Bille, Belly of the Beast, Spring, TX