2026 James Beard Awards: Iowa Shut Out, Politics Take Stage
The 2026 James Beard Awards were announced Monday in Chicago, honoring chefs and restaurants across 13 categories. No Iowa establishments took home a medal this year. Meanwhile, the ceremony took a political turn when an Emerging Chef winner declared his status as a DACA recipient and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker used his speaking slot to criticize President Donald Trump's immigration policies.
Who won the top 2026 James Beard Awards?
Michael Tusk of Quince in San Francisco was named Outstanding Chef at the Chicago ceremony, held at the historic Lyric Opera before roughly 2,000 culinary industry professionals. Lei, a 28-seat wine bar in New York City's Chinatown, won Best New Restaurant. Dana Street of Portland, Maine, won Outstanding Restaurateur, and Kalaya, a southern Thai restaurant in Philadelphia, took home Outstanding Restaurant.
Adrian Torres of Maximo in West University Place, Texas, won the Emerging Chef award. Torres, whose parents immigrated from Mexico, used his acceptance speech to highlight his background as a DACA recipient.