These Are the James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Award Finalists, 2024

The James Beard Foundation announced the finalists for this year’s Restaurant and Chef awards during a live ceremony in Washington, DC, on April 3. Nominations went to the Senegalese tasting menu spot Dakar NOLA for Best New Restaurant along with Gregory Gourdet of Portland Haitian restaurant Kann for Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific—both appeared on Bon Appétit’s list of the Best New Restaurants of 2023.

This list was whittled down from the foundation’s semifinalists, announced on January 24. Though the foundation has faced its fair share of controversy and criticism over the past several years, its awards are still considered one of the top honors in the food world. Winning a James Beard Award can transform a chef’s career.

Chef Sujan Sarkar of Chicago’s Indienne was nominated for Best Chef: Great Lakes. Indienne also appeared on Bon Appétit’s list of the Best New Restaurants of 2023. Bon Appétit favorites Jeremy Salamon of the buzzy Eastern European restaurant Agi’s Counter in Brooklyn, and Jake Stevens of Maine pasta favorite Leeward, received nominations for Best Chef in New York State and the Northeast, respectively. Gusto Bread, in Long Beach, California, one of the most exciting bakeries in the country, also received a nomination for Outstanding Bakery.

This year, the James Beard Foundation introduced new categories for its “Leadership” awards—aimed at honoring people advancing issues central to the foundation’s policy agenda; equity, sustainability, and industry culture and practices. Unlike the Restaurant and Chef awards, the honorees for the Leadership awards were announced today. Among the awardees was the California farmer Mai Nguyen, recognized for their work making farming more diverse and sustainable. This year’s Lifetime Achievement award recognized the prolific author, magazine editor, and former restaurant critic Ruth Reichl.

Read the full list of finalists, and check back on June 10th for the list of winners.

Best New RestaurantBar Bacetto, Waitsburg, WABarbs-B-Q, Lockhart, TXChez Noir, Carmel-by-the-Sea, CAComfort Kitchen, Dorchester, MADakar NOLA, New Orleans, LAHayward, McMinnville, ORKaya, Orlando, FLKisser, Nashville, TNOro by Nixta, Minneapolis, MNShan, Bozeman, MTEmerging ChefFariyal Abdullahi, Hav & Mar, New York, NYJanet Becerra, Pancita, Seattle, WANikko Cagalanan, Kultura, Charleston, SCRyan Fernandez, Southern Junction, Buffalo, NYMasako Morishita, Perry’s, Washington, DCOutstanding HospitalityCrawford and Son, Raleigh, NCGemma, Dallas, TXLula Cafe, Chicago, ILMelba’s, New York, NYWoodford Food & Beverage, Portland, MEOutstanding Wine and Beverage ProgramLula Drake Wine Parlour, Columbia, SCThe Morris, San Francisco, CAStrong Water Anaheim, Anaheim, CATail Up Goat, Washington, DCWaxlight Bar à Vin, Buffalo, NYOutstanding BarBarr Hill Cocktail Bar, Montpelier, VTClavel Mezcaleria, Baltimore, MDJewel of the South, New Orleans, LALas Ramblas, Brownsville, TXPacific Cocktail Haven, San Francisco, CAOutstanding Pastry Chef or BakerSusan Bae, Moon Rabbit, Washington, DCJesus Brazon and Manuel Brazon, Caracas Bakery, Doral and Miami, FLAtsuko Fujimoto, Norimoto Bakery, Portland, MECrystal Kass, Valentine, Phoenix, AZAnna Posey, Elske, Chicago, ILOutstanding BakeryThe Burque Bakehouse, Albuquerque, NMGusto Bread, Long Beach, CAJinJu Patisserie, Portland, ORMel the Bakery, Hudson, NYZU Bakery, Portland, MEOutstanding RestaurateurMamba Hamissi and Nadia Nijimbere, Baobab Fare, Detroit, MIQuynh-Vy and Yenvy Pham, Phở Bắc Súp Shop, Phởcific Standard Time, and The Boat, Seattle, WAChris Viaud, Greenleaf, Ansanm, and Pavilion, Milford and Wolfeboro, NHHollis Wells Silverman, Eastern Point Collective (The Duck & The Peach, La Collina, The Wells, and others), Washington, DCErika Whitaker and Kelly Whitaker, ID EST (The Wolf’s Tailor, BRUTØ, Basta, and others), Boulder, COBest Chef: Great LakesVinnie Cimino, Cordelia, Cleveland, OHJose Salazar, Mita’s, Cincinnati, OHSujan Sarkar, Indienne, Chicago, ILHajime Sato, Sozai, Clawson, MIJenner Tomaska, Esmé, Chicago, ILBest Chef: Mid-AtlanticTony Conte, Inferno Pizzeria Napoletana, Darnestown, MDJesse Ito, Royal Sushi & Izakaya, Philadelphia, PAMatt Kern, One Coastal, Fenwick Island, DEHarley Peet, Bas Rouge, Easton, MDKevin Tien, Moon Rabbit, Washington, DCBest Chef: MidwestAnn Ahmed, Khâluna, Minneapolis, MNRob Connoley, Bulrush, St. Louis, MODan Jacobs and Dan Van Rite, EsterEv, Milwaukee, WIChristina Nguyen, Hai Hai, Minneapolis, MNTim Nicholson, The Boiler Room, Omaha, NEBest Chef: MountainsBrandon Cunningham, Social Haus, Greenough, MTAli Sabbah, Mazza Cafe, Salt Lake City, UTMatt Vawter, Rootstalk, Breckenridge, COPenelope Wong, Yuan Wonton, Denver, CONick Zocco, Urban Hill, Salt Lake City, UTBest Chef: New York StateNasim Alikhani, Sofreh, Brooklyn, NYAtsushi Kono, Kono, New York, NYChris Mauricio, Harana Market, Accord, NYCharlie Mitchell, Clover Hill, Brooklyn, NYJeremy Salamon, Agi’s Counter, Brooklyn, NYBest Chef: NortheastConor Dennehy, Talulla, Cambridge, MAMaria Meza, Dolores, Providence, RIDavid Standridge, The Shipwright’s Daughter, Mystic, CTJake Stevens, Leeward, Portland, MECara Tobin, Honey Road, Burlington, VTBest Chef: Northwest & PacificAvery Adams, Matia Kitchen, Orcas Island, WAKristi Brown, Communion, Seattle, WAJosh Dorcak, MÄS, Ashland, ORGregory Gourdet, Kann, Portland, ORMelissa Miranda, Musang, Seattle, WABest Chef: SoutheastJamie Davis, The Hackney, Washington, NCRod Lassiter and Parnass Savang, Talat Market, Atlanta, GAJames London, Chubby Fish, Charleston, SCRobbie Robinson, City Limits Barbeque, West Columbia, SCPaul Smith, 1010 Bridge, Charleston, WVBest Chef: SouthValerie Chang, Maty’s, Miami, FLHunter Evans, Elvie’s, Jackson, MSGabriel Hernandez, Verde Mesa, San Juan, PRCarlos Portela, Orujo, San Juan, PRArvinder Vilkhu, Saffron, New Orleans, LABest Chef: SouthwestRene Andrade, Bacanora, Phoenix, AZJeff Chanchaleune, Ma Der Lao Kitchen, Oklahoma City, OKSteve Kestler, Aroma Latin American Cocina, Henderson, NVSteve Riley, Mesa Provisions, Albuquerque, NMEduardo Rodriguez, Zacatlán, Santa Fe, NMBest Chef: TexasEmmanuel Chavez, Tatemó, Houston, TXChristopher Cullum, Cullum’s Attaboy, San Antonio, TXTracy Malechek-Ezekiel, Birdie’s, Austin, TXMisti Norris, Petra & the Beast, Dallas, TXAna Liz Pulido, Ana Liz Taqueria, Mission, TXBest Chef: CaliforniaGeoff Davis, Burdell, Oakland, CARogelio Garcia, Auro, Calistoga, CALord Maynard Llera, Kuya Lord, Los Angeles, CATara Monsod, Animae, San Diego, CABuu “Billy” Ngo, Kru, Sacramento, CAOutstanding RestaurantThe Compound, Santa Fe, NMConvenience West, Marfa, TXLangbaan, Portland, ORMixtli, San Antonio, TXVestige, Ocean Springs, MSOutstanding ChefSarah Minnick, Lovely’s Fifty Fifty, Portland, ORDean Neff, Seabird, Wilmington, NCMichael Rafidi, Albi, Washington, DCRenee Touponce, The Port of Call, Mystic, CTDavid Uygur, Lucia, Dallas, TXLeadership AwardsMai Nguyen (Sustainability)Niaz Dorry (Policy Advocacy)Muhammad Abdul-Hadi (Industry Culture and Practices)Helga Garcia-Garza (Food Security and Access)Christa Barfield (Emerging Leadership)Ruth Reichl (Lifetime Achievement Award)The LEE Initiative (Humanitarian of the Year)Correction, 4/3/2024: A previous version of this story misidentified Seabird in Wilmington, NC.