The winners of the 2023 James Beard Awards have been announced with restaurants and chefs from fine dining through to community gems showcased for their work.
The winner of this year's Outstanding Chef award was Rob Rubba of Oyster Oyster in Washington - an award that identifies a chef who sets high culinary standards and has served as a positive example for other food professionals, while contributing positively to their broader community. Whilst the Outstanding Restaurant Award went to Friday Saturday Sunday in Philadelphia - an intimate dining room where Chef Chad Williams presents an indulgent eight course tasting menu based on New American cuisine.
Best New Restaurant went to Kann, Portland, where chef Gregory Gourdet has developed a menu that sees Haitian cuisine meet Pacific Northwest bounty.
"Congratulations to the exceptional winners of this year's Restaurant and Chef Awards - whose incredible achievements and dedication to culinary excellence have left an indelible mark on our industry," said Clare Reichenbach, CEO of the James Beard Foundation. "As we celebrate, it's important to acknowledge the significant work that these accomplished restaurants and chefs have done to push American food culture forward - using their immense creativity, passion, and talent to create extraordinary experiences on behalf of others. Thanks to them, our food future is bright, indeed."
The list of award winners included:
Outstanding Restauranteur - • Ellen Yin, High Street Hospitality Group
Emerging Chef - Damarr Brown, Virtue, Chicago
Outstanding Bakery - Yoli Tortilleria, Kansas City
Outstanding Pastry Chef of Baker - Margarita Manzke, République, Los Angeles
Outstanding Hospitality - The Quarry, Monson
Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program - OTOTO, Los Angeles
Outstanding Bar - Bar Leather Apron, Honolulu
Best Chef: California - Justin Pichetrungsi, Anajak Thai, Sherman Oaks, CA
Best Chef: Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH) - Tim Flores and Genie Kwon, Kasama, Chicago
Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA) - Chutatip "Nok" Suntaranon, Kalaya, Philadelphia
Best Chef: Midwest (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI) - Itaru Nagano and Andrew Kroeger, Fairchild, Madison
Best Chef: Mountain (CO, ID, MT, UT, WY) - Kris Komori, KIN, Boise
Best Chef: New York State - Junghyun Park, Atomix, New York
Best Chef: Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT) - Sherry Pocknett, Sly Fox Den Too, Charlestown
Best Chef: Northwest & Pacific (AK, HI, OR, WA) - Vince Nguyen, Berlu, Portland
Best Chef: South (AL, AR, FL, LA, MS, PR) - Natalia Vallejo, Cocina al Fondo, San Juan
Best Chef: Southeast (GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV) - Terry Koval, The Deer and the Dove, Decatur
Best Chef: Southwest (AZ, NM, NV, OK) - Andrew Black, Grey Sweater, Oklahoma City
Best Chef: Texas - Benchawan Jabthong Painter, Street to Kitchen, Houston
The James Beard Awards represent an annual celebration of leaders in the hospitality field in America, from The James Beard Foundation - a nonprofit organisation with a mission to celebrate, support, and elevate the people behind America's food culture and champion a standard of good food anchored in talent, equity, and sustainability. Find out more about the James Beard Awards here.