James Beard Award winners: The best chefs and restaurants in 2026

by MWN News

June 21, 2026

in Food

Reading Time: 26 mins read

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The winners of the James Beard Awards — often called “the Oscars of the food world” — were announced Monday, with the award for Best New Restaurant going to Lei, a winebar in New York’s Chinatown.

Michael Tusk of Quince in San Francisco was named Outstanding Chef at the award ceremony, which took place at the historic Lyric Opera in Chicago before an audience of about 2,000 chefs, restaurant owners and culinary figures.

The Outstanding Restaurateur award was won by Dana Street, who owns Fore Street, Scales and other restaurants in Portland, Maine, while the southern Thai eatery Kalaya, in Philadelphia, was named the Outstanding Restaurant.

Kalaya, a Thai restaurant in Philadelphia, won the award for Outstanding Restaurant.

Adrian Torres of Maximo in West University Place, Texas, won the Emerging Chef award.

Torres, whose parents immigrated from Mexico, took the opportunity to highlight his immigrant roots, saying that for so long “fear was our story.”

“I’m proud to be the son of immigrants. I’m proud to be a DACA recipient,” he said, referring to so-called undocumented “Dreamers” who were brought to the US as children.

He wasn’t the only person honoring immigrants. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, a frequent critic of President Trump and a speaker at the event, pointed to the many immigrants who work in the restaurant industry, and said they and others have been “under siege by the President of the United States.”

Awards are given in 13 categories with nominees from across the country, and geographical winners are also chosen from among 12 areas of the country.

There are other awards given to restaurants and the hospitality industry but the James Beard Foundation, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary, puts a premium on discovery and on American cuisine.

“We are singularly American … and we celebrate American food culture,” Clare Reichenbach, chief executive officer of the James Beard Foundation, said in remarks before the event.

The awards are considered both recognition and prediction of future success, with past winners citing a “Beard bump” following the announcements. Some chefs who were honored in past years with Outstanding, Emerging or regional Best Chef awards have gone on to become household names, including Alice Waters, Wolfgang Puck, Emeril Lagasse and Bobby Flay.

The James Beard Foundation was founded in 1986 and is named for the legendary cookbook author who has been called America’s first foodie.

The foundation has been awarding the prizes since 1991.

Restaurant and Chef Awards (2026 finalists and winners)

Outstanding Restaurateur

Srijith Gopinathan and Ayesha Thapar, Cal-India Collective (Ettan, Copra, Eylan and Little Blue Door), Palo Alto, San Francisco, Menlo Park, Los Altos, CA
Meherwan Irani and Molly Irani, Chai Pani Restaurant Group (Chai Pani and Botiwalla), Asheville, NC
Donald Link and Stephen Stryjewski, Link Restaurant Group (Pêche Seafood Grill, Herbsaint, Cochon, and others), New Orleans, LA
Hugo Ortega and Tracy Vaught, H Town Restaurant Group (Hugo’s, Xochi, Urbe, and others), Houston, TX
WINNER: Dana Street, Fore Street, Scales, Standard Baking Co., and others, Portland, ME