2025 James Beard Awards: Celebrating Culinary Excellence in Chicago

On June 17, 2025, the James Beard Foundation held its 35th annual Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony at the Lyric Opera in Chicago, recognizing outstanding chefs, restaurateurs, and culinary talent across the United States. This prestigious event is often regarded as the pinnacle of culinary achievement in America, with winners selected from a pool of finalists announced earlier in the year.

In the major categories, Jungsik Yim of Jungsik in New York City received the Outstanding Chef award, while Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder, Colorado, was honored as the Outstanding Restaurant. The Best New Restaurant award went to Bûcheron, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This year's awards marked a notable resurgence for New York City, which had been shut out of major categories the previous year, with Atomix winning the Outstanding Hospitality award and Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr of Frenchette, Le Veau d’ Or, and Le Rock claiming the Outstanding Restaurateur title.

The ceremony, hosted by Nyesha Harrington and Andrew Zimmern, celebrated not only culinary excellence but also highlighted the importance of social and political issues, with several award winners addressing current events in their acceptance speeches. Notably, three winners vocally expressed their discontent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during their remarks.

The awards also included recognitions for media contributions, with the Media Awards hosted by Padma Lakshmi occurring the previous weekend. The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to journalist and historian Toni Tipton-Martin, while Cafe Momentum founder Chad Houser received the Humanitarian of the Year Award. The Impact Award winners included notable figures such as U.S. Representative Angie Craig and Brandon Edwin Chrostowski, CEO of Edwins Leadership & Restaurant Institute.

The complete list of winners from the ceremony is as follows:

**Outstanding Restaurateur:** Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr, Frenchette, Le Veau d’ Or, and Le Rock, New York, NY **Outstanding Chef:** Jungsik Yim, Jungsik, New York, NY **Outstanding Restaurant:** Frasca Food and Wine, Boulder, CO **Emerging Chef:** Phila Lorn, Mawn, Philadelphia, PA **Best New Restaurant:** Bûcheron, Minneapolis, MN **Outstanding Bakery:** JinJu Patisserie, Portland, OR **Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker:** Cat Cox, Country Bird Bakery, Tulsa, OK **Outstanding Hospitality:** Atomix, New York, NY **Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program:** Charleston, Baltimore, MD **Best New Bar:** Identidad Cocktail Bar, San Juan, PR **Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service:** Arjav Ezekiel, Birdie’s, Austin, TX **Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service:** Ignacio Jimenez, Superbueno, New York, NY **Outstanding Bar:** Kumiko, Chicago, IL **Best Chef: California:** Jon Yao, Kato, Los Angeles, CA **Best Chef: Great Lakes:** Noah Sandoval, Oriole, Chicago, IL **Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic:** Carlos Delgado, Causa and Amazonia, Washington, D.C. **Best Chef: Midwest:** Karyn Tomlinson, Myriel, St. Paul, MN **Best Chef: Mountain:** Salvador Alamilla, Amano, Caldwell, ID **Best Chef: New York State:** Vijay Kumar, Semma, New York, NY **Best Chef: Northeast:** Sky Haneul Kim, Gift Horse, Providence, RI **Best Chef: Northwest & Pacific:** Timothy Wastell, Antica Terra, Amity, OR **Best Chef: South:** Nando Chang, Itamae AO, Miami, FL **Best Chef: Southeast:** Jake Howell, Peninsula, Nashville, TN **Best Chef: Southwest:** Yotaka Martin, Lom Wong, Phoenix, AZ **Best Chef: Texas:** Thomas Bille, Belly of the Beast, Spring, TX

The previously announced winners of the 2025 James Beard America’s Classics include Lem’s Bar-B-Q in Chicago, The Pioneer Saloon in Ketchum, ID, and Dooky Chase in New Orleans, LA. The awards ceremony not only serves to honor culinary talent but also acts as a platform for discussing important social issues within the industry. As the culinary landscape continues to evolve, the James Beard Awards remain a significant benchmark for excellence and innovation in American cuisine.