Last night, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the James Beard Foundation named the best restaurants and chefs across the country. The awards, chosen by an independent volunteer committee that’s comprised mainly of food journalists, are distributed annually, and recognize the country’s new crop of culinary talent from different regions, and the country as a whole.
First place for Best New Restaurant went to Israeli restaurant Shaya in New Orleans, owned and operated by past James Beard Award-winner Alon Shaya (and an entry on our list of the country’s best new restaurants). Suzanne Goin of Lucques in Los Angeles won Outstanding Chef, while Dahlia Narvaez of Osteria Mozza and Daniela Soto-Innes of Cosme in New York City won Outstanding Pastry Chef and Rising Star Chef of the Year, respectively. According to The New York Times, it’s been 12 years since those three awards were all taken home by women in the same year. For the full list of winners, see below. Keep in mind, however: if you plan on visiting any of the awarded restaurants, reservations are strongly recommended. The word is out.
The Winners
From NYC to L.A.
Best Chef: Great Lakes
Curtis Duffy, Grace, Chicago
