James Beard Awards 2023: Restaurant and Chef Finalists

Today, the James Beard Foundation announced its slate of finalists for its 2023 restaurant and chef awards. In addition to revealing who has advanced from the semifinalist pool revealed last month, the Foundation has also announced six recipients of the organization’s Leadership Award; that Olivia Watkins and Karen Washington, co-founders of the Black Farmer Fund, would received the Humanitarian Award; and that cookbook author Madhur Jaffrey would be honored with this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award. They join the America’s Classics winners for 2023, which were announced in February.

This is the second awards season to reflect changes made in the wake of an extensive 2021 audit to address the longstanding biases baked into the awards process. New awards categories include an emerging chef award without an age cutoff, as well as regional best chef categories that now include separate awards for California, Texas, and New York in hopes of recognizing a broader geographic range of winners. Voting is also different than it was before the 2020 hiatus, with prior winners (a group that skews white, and male) no longer being automatically included in the voting body that determined who moved from the semifinalist to the finalist list below (and from there, who wins). The voting body has also expanded beyond traditional food media. The stated goal in the 2021 audit was also to have at least 50 percent of committee members and judges be people of color for the 2023 awards.

Media nominees — including everything from cookbooks to podcasts to TV shows — will be revealed on April 26 (Eater will update the list below accordingly). The awards ceremony will take place in Chicago on June 5.

Outstanding Restaurant

• Copine, Seattle, WA
• Coracora, West Hartford, CT
• Friday Saturday Sunday, Philadelphia, PA
• Lucia, Dallas, TX
• Mita’s, Cincinnati, OH

Outstanding Restaurateur

• Brandon Chrostowski, EDWINS Leadership and Restaurant Institute (EDWINS Leadership and Restaurant Institute, edwins too, EDWINS Bakery, and others), Cleveland, OH
• Greg Dulan, Dulan’s Soul Food Kitchen, Dulan’s on Crenshaw, and Dulanville, Los Angeles, CC
• Aaron Hoskins, Sarah Simmons, and Elie Yigo, City Grit Hospitality Group (SmallSUGAR, CITY GRIT, and Il Focolare Pizzeria), Columbia, SC
• Yenvy and Quynh Pham, Phở Bắc Sup Shop, Phởcific Standard Time, and the Boat, Seattle, WA
• Ellen Yin, High Street Hospitality Group (Fork, a.kitchen + bar, High Street Philly, and others), Philadelphia, PA

Outstanding Chef

• Rachel Miller, Nightshade Noodle Bar, Lynn, MA
• Niki Nakayama, n/naka, Los Angeles, CA
• Erik Ramirez, Llama Inn, Brooklyn, NY
• Rob Rubba, Oyster Oyster, Washington, D.C.
• Hajime Sato, Sozai, Clawson, MI

Emerging Chef

• Damarr Brown, Virtue, Chicago, IL
• Rashida Holmes, Bridgetown Roti, Los Angeles, CA
• Serigne Mbaye, Dakar NOLA, New Orleans, LA
• Charlie Mitchell, Clover Hill, New York, NY
• Amanda Shulman, Her Place Supper Club, Philadelphia, PA

Best New Restaurant

• Causa, Washington, D.C.
• Dept of Culture, New York, NY
• Don Artemio, Fort Worth, TX
• Kann, Portland, OR
• Khmai Cambodian Fine Dining, Chicago, IL
• Lupi & Iris, Milwaukee, WI
• Neng Jr.’s, Asheville, NC
• Obélix, Chicago, IL
• Restaurant Beatrice, Dallas, TX
• Tatemó, Houston, TX

Outstanding Hospitality

• The Black Cypress, Pullman, WA
• Bottega, Birmingham, AL
• Lula Drake, Columbia, SC
• The Quarry, Monson, ME
• Sepia, Chicago, IL

Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program

• Cote, New York, NY
• Lazy Bear, San Francisco, CA
• Nancy’s Hustle, Houston, TX
• Ototo, Los Angeles, CA
• Spencer, Ann Arbor, MI

Outstanding Bar

• Bar Leather Apron, Honolulu, HI
• Drastic Measures, Shawnee, KS
• Garagiste, Las Vegas, NV
• Las Ramblas, Brownsville, TX
• Rob Roy, Seattle, WA

Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker

• Veronika Baukema, Veronika’s Pastry Shop, Billings, MT
• Elaine Uykimpang Bentz, Café Mochiko, Cincinnati, OH
• Vince Bugtong, Viridian, Oakland, CA
• Margarita Manzke, République, Los Angeles, CA
• Shawn McKenzie, Café Cerés, Minneapolis, MN

Outstanding Bakery

• Angelo Brocato, New Orleans, LA
• La Casita Bakeshop, Richardson, TX
• Kuluntu Bakery, Dallas, TX
• Yoli Tortilleria, Kansas City, MO
• Zak the Baker, Miami, FL

Leadership Awards

• Jim Embry, Sustainable Communities Network, Slow Food USA, and Ujamaa Cooperative Farming Alliance
• Valerie Horn, CANE Kitchen, Cowan Community Center, and City of Whitesburg Farmers Market
• Savonala “Savi” Horne, Land Loss Prevention Project
• Ira Wallace, Southern Exposure Seed Exchange
• Rowen White, Sierra Seeds
• Emerging Leadership: The Burgerville Workers Union

Best Chefs (by region)

Best Chef: California

• Gilberto Cetina Jr., Holbox, Los Angeles, CA
• Kyle and Katina Connaughton, SingleThread, Healdsburg, CA
• Brandon Hayato Go, Hayato, Los Angeles, CA
• Justin Pichetrungsi, Anajak Thai, Sherman Oaks, CA
• Carlos Salgado, Taco María, Costa Mesa, CA

Best Chef: Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH)

• Omar Anani, Saffron De Twah, Detroit, MI
• Diana Dávila Boldin, Mi Tocaya Antojería, Chicago, IL
• Tim Flores and Genie Kwon, Kasama, Chicago, IL
• Andy Hollyday, Selden Standard, Detroit, MI
• Sarah Welch, Marrow, Detroit, MI

Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)

• Jesse Ito, Royal Sushi, Philadelphia, PA
• Dionicio Jiménez, Cantina La Martina, Philadelphia, PA
• Kate Lasky and Tomasz Skowronski, Apteka, Pittsburgh, PA
• Michael Rafidi, Albi, Washington, D.C.
• Chutatip “Nok” Suntaranon, Kalaya, Philadelphia, PA

Best Chef: Midwest (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI)

• Sanaa Abourezk, Sanaa’s Gourmet Mediterranean, Sioux Falls, SD
• Gregory León, Amilinda, Milwaukee, WI
• Francesco Mangano, Osteria Papavero, Madison, WI
• Itaru Nagano and Andrew Kroeger, Fairchild, Madison, WI
• David Utterback, Yoshitomo, Omaha, NE

Best Chef: Mountain (CO, ID, MT, UT, WY)

• Salvador Alamilla, Amano, Caldwell, ID
• Michael Diaz de Leon, BRUTØ, Denver, CO
• Suchada Johnson, Teton Thai, Teton Village, WY
• Kris Komori, KIN, Boise, ID
• Ali Sabbah, Mazza, Salt Lake City, UT

Best Chef: New York State

• Nasim Alikhani, Sofreh, Brooklyn, NY
• Mary Attea, The Musket Room, New York, NY
• Amanda Cohen, Dirt Candy, New York, NY
• Shaina Loew-Banayan, Cafe Mutton, Hudson, NY
• Junghyun Park, Atomix, New York, NY

Best Chef: Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT)

• Valentine Howell, Krasi, Boston, MA
• Christian Hunter, Community Table, Washington, CT
• Sherry Pocknett, Sly Fox Den Too, Charlestown, RI
• Yisha Siu, Yunnan Kitchen, Boston, MA
• Renee Touponce, The Port of Call, Mystic, CT

Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific (AK, HI, OR, WA)

• Joshua Dorcak, MÄS, Ashland, OR
• Vince Nguyen, Berlu, Portland, OR
• Thomas Pisha-Duffly, Gado Gado, Portland, OR
• Beau Schooler, In Bocca Al Lupo, Juneau, AK
• Aaron Verzosa, Archipelago, Seattle, WA

Best Chef: Southeast (GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV)

• Sam Fore, Tuk Tuk Sri Lankan Bites, Lexington, KY
• Josh Habiger, Bastion, Nashville, TN
• Sam Hart, Counter-, Charlotte, NC
• Terry Koval, The Deer and the Dove, Decatur, GA
• Paul Smith, 1010 Bridge, Charleston, WV

Best Chef: South (AL, AR, FL, LA, MS, PR)

• Ana Castro, Lengua Madre, New Orleans, LA
• Timothy Hontzas, Johnny’s Restaurant, Homewood, AL
• Alex Perry and Kumi Omori, Vestige, Ocean Springs, MS
• Henry Moso, Kabooki Sushi, Orlando, FL
• Natalia Vallejo, Cocina al Fondo, San Juan, PR

Best Chef: Southwest (AZ, NM, NV, OK)

• Oscar Amador and Francesco Di Caudo, Anima by EDO, Las Vegas, NV
• Kaoru Azeuchi, KAISEKI YUZU, Las Vegas, NV
• Andrew Black, Grey Sweater, Oklahoma City, OK
• Jeff Chanchaleune, Ma Der Lao Kitchen, Oklahoma City, OK
• Justin Pioche, Pioche Food Group, Upper Fruitland (Doolkai), Navajo Nation, NM

Best Chef: Texas

• Reyna Duong, Sandwich Hag, Dallas, TX
• Benchawan Jabthong Painter, Street to Kitchen, Houston, TX
• Emiliano Marentes, ELEMI, El Paso, TX
• John Russ, Clementine, San Antonio, TX
• Ernest Servantes and David Kirkland, Burnt Bean Co., Seguin, TX

Disclosure: Some Vox Media staff members are part of the voting body for the James Beard Awards. Eater is partnering with the James Beard Foundation to livestream the awards in 2023.