Winners were announced Monday, May 6, 2019, at the James Beard Awards at Lyric Opera of Chicago. During a ceremony emceed by Emmy-nominated actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson, awards were presented in the Restaurant and Chef and Restaurant Design categories, as well as several special achievement awards, including Lifetime Achievement, Design Icon, America’s Classics, and Humanitarian of the Year.
Industry leaders from across the country attended the highly anticipated annual ceremony where the theme was “Good Food For Good”, a mantra synonymous with the James Beard Foundation’s mission. In keeping with the theme, gala reception chefs from across the country included past James Beard Award winners and many who are involved in the Foundation’s signature impact-oriented initiatives, from Smart Catch to Women’s Leadership Programs to the Chefs Boot Camp for Policy and Change. Their thoughtful and delicious dishes fed the nearly 2,000 attendees at the evening’s Awards gala. VIP guests were treated to a multi-course dinner and experience in the mezzanine boxes during the Awards show prepared by chefs from the esteemed Union Square Hospitality Group.
A complete list of award winners can be found here, as well as at jamesbeard.org/awards.
2019 James Beard Foundation Award Winners
2019 James Beard Foundation Outstanding Restaurant Design Awards
- 75 Seats and Under
Firm: Studio Writers
Project: Atomix, NYC
- 76 Seats and Over
Firm: Parts and Labor Design
Project: Pacific Standard Time, Chicago
Other Eating and Drinking Places
Firm: Schwartz and Architecture (S^A)
Project: El Pípila, San Francisco
Design Icon
Canlis
Seattle
2019 James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Awards
Best New Restaurant
Frenchette
NYC
Outstanding Baker
Greg Wade
Publican Quality Bread
Chicago
Outstanding Bar Program
Bar Agricole
San Francisco
Outstanding Chef (Presented by All-Clad Metalcrafters)
Ashley Christensen
Poole’s Diner
Raleigh, NC
Outstanding Pastry Chef (Presented by Lavazza)
Kelly Fields
Willa Jean
New Orleans
Outstanding Restaurant (Presented by S.Pellegrino® Sparkling Natural Mineral Water)
Zahav
Philadelphia
Outstanding Restaurateur (Presented by Magellan Corporation)
Kevin Boehm and Rob Katz
Boka Restaurant Group (Boka, Girl & the Goat, Momotaro, and others)
Chicago
Outstanding Service
Frasca Food and Wine
Boulder, CO
Outstanding Wine Program (Presented by Robert Mondavi Winery)
Benu
San Francisco
Outstanding Wine, Spirits, or Beer Producer
Rob Tod
Allagash Brewing Company
Portland, ME
Rising Star Chef of the Year (Presented by S.Pellegrino® Sparkling Natural Mineral Water)
Kwame Onwuachi
Kith and Kin
Washington, D.C.
Best Chefs in America (Presented by Capital One®)
Best Chef: Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH)
Beverly Kim and Johnny Clark
Parachute
Chicago
Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (D.C., DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)
Tom Cunanan
Bad Saint
Washington, D.C.
Best Chef: Midwest (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI)
Ann Kim
Young Joni
Minneapolis
Best Chef: New York City (Five Boroughs)
Jody Williams and Rita Sodi
Via Carota
Best Chef: Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, NY State, RI, VT)
Tony Messina
Uni
Boston
Best Chef: Northwest (AK, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY)
Brady Williams
Canlis
Seattle
Best Chef: South (AL, AR, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, FL, LA, MS)
Vishwesh Bhatt
Snackbar
Oxford, MS
Best Chef: Southeast (GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV)
Mashama Bailey
The Grey
Savannah, GA
Best Chef: Southwest (AZ, CO, NM, OK, TX, UT)
Charleen Badman
FnB
Scottsdale, AZ
Best Chef: West (CA, HI, NV)
Michael Cimarusti
Providence
Los Angeles
2019 James Beard Foundation America’s Classics Honorees (Presented by American Airlines)
Pho 79
Garden Grove, CA
Owners: Tho Tran and Lieu Tran
Jim’s Steak & Spaghetti House
Huntington, WV
Owners: Jimmie Tweel Carder, Larry Tweel, and Ron Tweel
A&A Bake & Double Roti Shop
Brooklyn, NY
Owner: Noel and Geeta Brown
Sehnert’s Bakery & Bieroc Café
McCook, NE
Owners: Matt and Shelly Sehnert
Annie’s Paramount Steakhouse
Washington, D.C.
Owner: Paul Katinas
2019 James Beard Foundation Humanitarian of the Year
The Giving Kitchen
Non-profit organization providing emergency assistance to food service workers through financial support and a network of community resources
2019 James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award
Patrick O’Connell
Five-time James Beard Award winner, 3-star Michelin chef, author, and owner of The Inn at Little Washington in Washington, VA
The 2019 James Beard Awards are hosted by Choose Chicago and the Illinois Restaurant Association and presented in association with Chicago O’Hare and Midway International Airports and Magellan Corporation, as well as the following partners: Premier Sponsors: All-Clad Metalcrafters, American Airlines, Capital One, HMSHost, Lavazza, S.Pellegrino Sparkling Natural Mineral Water; Supporting Sponsors: Hyatt, National Restaurant Association, Robert Mondavi Winery, Skuna Bay Salmon, TABASCO Sauce, Valrhona, White Claw Hard Seltzer, Windstar Cruises; Gala Reception Sponsors: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Ecolab, Front of the House, Kendall College, with additional support from Chefwear, Loacker and VerTerra Dinnerware. Intersport is the Official Broadcast Partner of the 2019 James Beard Awards.
Established in 1990, the James Beard Awards recognize culinary professionals for excellence and achievement in their fields and further the Foundation’s mission to celebrate, nurture, and honor chefs and other leaders making America’s food culture more delicious, diverse, and sustainable for everyone. Each award category has an individual committee made up of industry professionals who volunteer their time to oversee the policies, procedures, and selection of judges for their respective Awards programs. All James Beard Award winners receive a certificate and a medallion engraved with the James Beard Foundation Awards insignia.
