The James Beard Foundation announced its 2022 Restaurant and Chef Award winners Monday during the live James Beard Awards Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony presented by Capital One. The winners were honored at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
The Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony, which was broadcast via the James Beard Foundation’s Twitter feed, was hosted by Kwame Onwuachi, actor, chef, author, and executive producer at Food & Wine Magazine. About 1,800 guests were in attendance.
Presenters included Maneet Chauhan, chef, television personality, and judge on the Food Network’s Chopped; Ashley Christensen, chef, restaurateur, and author; Christian Clemenson, actor in HBO’s hit series Julia, Apollo 13, and The Big Lebowski; Dominique Crenn, three-time James Beard Award-winning chef and owner of Atelier Crenn; Claudia Fleming, executive pastry chef and former judge on Beat Bobbly Flay, Chopped, and Top Chef: Desserts; Tahiirah Habibi, sommelier, founder of The Hue Society, and James Beard Awards Committee member; Ingrid Hoffmann, TV personality, restaurateur, and host of the Food Network’s Simply Delicioso; Tanya Holland, Chef, Trustee, and Awards Committee Chair; Lori Lightfoot, 65th mayor of Chicago; Marcus Samuelsson, seven-time James Beard Awarding-winning chef, author, and restaurateur; Monti Carlo, TV personality, food writer, and host of the Food Network’s Help My Yelp; Paola Velez, James Beard Award-nominated pastry chef and activist; Jeremy Allen White, actor, author, and star of the new FX show, The Bear; Andrew Zimmern, Emmy-winning and four-time James Beard Award-winning TV personality, chef, writer, and teacher; among others.
“We are delighted to finally be back in Chicago celebrating the 2022 Restaurant and Chef Awards and bringing attention to our industry, that still needs support,” says Clare Reichenbach, CEO of the James Beard Foundation. “Tonight, as we recognize outstanding food and beverage professionals, we also honor our entire industry—and the incredible resilience, fortitude, talent, and leadership so many have shown over the past two years.”
“Congratulations to our 2022 winners, nominees, and semifinalists—a well-deserved recognition from industry peers and the public for the culinary excellence and dedication you have put into your craft,” says Dawn Padmore, VP of Awards, James Beard Foundation and Tanya Holland, chef, trustee, and Awards committee Chair, James Beard Foundation. “This beautiful evening will be featured in a national broadcast TV spot later this summer on August 13 on CBS.”
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“I am honored to celebrate the return of the Restaurant and Chef Awards after a two-year hiatus,” says Kwame Onwuachi, James Beard Award-winner and host of the 2022 Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony. “As we know, a James Beard Award can be transformative to a career or business, and as we move forward from the pandemic, this weekend was an important opportunity to lift up the independent restaurant community as a whole, doing amazing work across the country.”
“We are thrilled to see the winners’ list after a year of new processes,” adds Allecia Vermillion, executive editor of Seattle Met and vice chair, and Adrian Miller, James Beard Award-winner, James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef subcommittee and chair, and The Soul Food Scholar. “It is an honor to see the work come to fruition with our new Awards mission and showcase the outstanding culinary and cultural diversity across our industry.”
The James Beard Awards, considered to be among the nation’s most prestigious honors, recognize exceptional talent in the culinary and food media industries, as well as a demonstrated commitment to racial and gender equity, community, sustainability, and a culture where all can thrive.
Restaurant and Chef Award Winners
The James Beard Foundation’s Restaurant and Chef Awards were established in 1990 with the first awards given in 1991 and is one of five recognition programs of the Awards.
The 2022 Restaurant and Chef Award Winners are:
Outstanding Restaurateur
- Chris Bianco, Tratto, Pane Bianco, and Pizzeria Bianco, Phoenix
Outstanding Chef
- Mashama Bailey, The Grey, Savannah, Georgia
Outstanding Restaurant, Presented by Acqua Panna Natural Spring Water
- Chai Pani, Asheville, North Carolina
Emerging Chef, Presented by S. Pellegrino Sparkling Mineral Water
- Edgar Rico, Nixta Taqueria, Austin
Best New Restaurant, Presented by BentoBox
- Owamni, Minneapolis
Outstanding Pastry Chef
- Warda Bouguettaya, Warda Pâtisserie, Detroit
Outstanding Baker
- Don Guerra, Barrio Bread, Tucson, Arizona
Outstanding Hospitality, Presented by American Airlines
- Cúrate, Asheville, North Carolina
Outstanding Wine Program
- The Four Horsemen, New York City
Outstanding Bar Program
- Julep, Houston
Best Chefs, Presented by Capital One (by region)
Best Chef: California
- Brandon Jew, Mister Jiu’s, San Francisco
Best Chef: Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH)
- Erick Williams, Virtue Restaurant & Bar, Chicago
Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)
- Cristina Martinez, South Philly Barbacoa, Philadelphia
Best Chef: Midwest (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI)
- Dane Baldwin, The Diplomat, Milwaukee
Best Chef: Mountain (CO, ID, MT, UT, WY)
- Caroline Glover, Annette, Aurora, Colorado
Best Chef: New York State
- Chintan Pandya, Dhamaka, New York City
Best Chef: Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT)
- Nisachon Morgan, Saap, Randolph, Vermont
Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific (AK, HI, OR, WA)
- Robynne Maii, Fête, Honolulu
Best Chef: Southeast (GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV)
- Ricky Moore, SALTBOX Seafood Joint, Durham, North Carolina
Best Chef: South (AL, AR, FL, LA, MS, PR)
- Adam Evans, Automatic Seafood and Oysters, Birmingham, Alabama
Best Chef: Southwest (AZ, NM, NV, OK)
- Fernando Olea, Sazón, Santa Fe
Best Chef: Texas
- Iliana de la Vega, El Naranjo, Austin
Previously announced winners of the James Beard Achievement Awards as well as the Restaurant and Chef America’s Classics Awards were also celebrated on stage:
Humanitarian of the Year: Grace Young has been recognized as Humanitarian of the Year for her work to save America’s Chinatowns amid Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) hate during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Humanitarian of the Year recipient
Lifetime Achievement: Martin Yan is one of the most prolific chefs on TV with 3,500 episodes and 30 cookbooks. Yan has brought the joy of Chinese cooking to America with his motto, “If Yan Can Cook, So Can You!”
Restaurant and Chef America’s Classics Award Winners:
Each year, this committee-chosen Award recognizes establishments in six of the 12 Restaurant and Chef Award regions.
The Busy Bee Café, Atlanta, Georgia; Owner: Tracy Gates
Casa Vega, Sherman Oaks, California; Owner: Christy Vega
Corinne’s Place, Camden, New Jersey; Owner: Corinne Bradley-Powers
Florence’s Restaurant, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Owner: Florence Kemp
Solly’s Grille, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Owner: Glenn Fieber
Wo Hop, New York, New York; Owners: Huang Family
A post-Awards celebration immediately followed the ceremony at Chicago’s Union station, featuring tastings and beverages from chefs from around the country:
Gregory Collier, Leah & Louise, Charlotte, North Carolina
Alexandra Gates, COCHINEAL MARFA, Marfa, Texas
Mariana Gonzalez-Trasvina, Bar ‘Cino/La Vecina Taqueria, Newport, Rhode Island
Vaughn Good, Fox and Pearl, Kansas City, Missouri
Ron Hsu and Aaron Phillips, Lazy Betty, Atlanta
Gene Kato, Momotaro Restaurant, Chicago
Ji Hye Kim, Miss Kim, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Mei Lin, Daybird, Los Angeles
Lona Luo Powers, Lona’s Lil Eats, St. Louis
Cristina Martinez, Casa Mexico, Philadelphia
Johnny Ortiz-Concha, / shed, New Mexico
Margaret Pak, Thattu, Chicago
Natasha Pickowicz, Never Ending Taste, New York City
Ellie Tiglao, Tanám, Somerville, Massachusetts
Samuel Yoo, Golden Diner, New York City
The 2022 James Beard Awards are the first in two years, after a hiatus during which the Awards underwent a full audit of its policies and procedures, continuing the work to remove bias, increase transparency and accessibility, and make the program more aligned with the Foundation’s mission and values. James Beard Awards policies and procedures can be viewed at jamesbeard.org/awards/policies.
The 2022 James Beard Awards are presented by Capital One, the official credit card and banking partner of the James Beard Foundation. The James Beard Awards are proudly hosted by Choose Chicago and the Illinois Restaurant Association and presented in association with Chicago O’Hare and Midway International Airports, as well as with the following partners: Premier Sponsors: Acqua Panna Natural Spring Water, American Airlines, the official airline of the James Beard Foundation, BentoBox, S.Pellegrino Sparkling Natural Mineral Water; Supporting Sponsors: All-Clad Metalcrafters, Moët & Chandon, Skuna Bay Salmon, Valrhona; Reception Sponsors: Ecolab, Kendall College at National Louis University, Lavazza, Windstar Cruises, the official cruise line of the James Beard Foundation; Additional Support: Château d’Esclans, Cristaux International, HMSHost, National Restaurant Association, The Spire Collection, VerTerra Dinnerware. Intersport is the Official Broadcast Partner of the 2022 James Beard Awards.
