DC Represent at the 2024 James Beard Restaurant & Chef Award

Buzz
Oh did we have a time in Chicago. ICYMi The James Beard Foundation held their swanky awards ceremony earlier this week in Chicago. It was an incredible evening honoring excellence across the culinary industry. Fine dining to casual gems, while also supporting a more sustainable industry. 
And the winners are:
 
Emerging Chef:
  • Masako Morishita, Perry's, Washington, D.C.
Outstanding Chef presented by Hilton:
  • Michael Rafidi, Albi, Washington, D.C
Outstanding Restaurateur:
  • Erika Whitaker and Kelly Whitaker, ID EST (The Wolf's Tailor, BRUTØ, Basta, and others), Boulder, CO
Outstanding Restaurant:
  • Langbaan, Portland, OR
Best New Restaurant: 
  • Dakar NOLA, New Orleans, LA
Outstanding Bakery: 
  • ZU Bakery, Portland, ME
Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker:
  • Atsuko Fujimoto, Norimoto Bakery, Portland, ME
Outstanding Hospitality:
  • Lula Cafe, Chicago, IL
Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program:
  • Lula Drake Wine Parlour, Columbia, SC
Outstanding Bar:
  • Jewel of the South, New Orleans, LA  
 
Regional Best Chefs:
Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA) 
  • Harley Peet, Bas Rouge, Easton, MD
Best Chef: California 
  • Lord Maynard Llera, Kuya Lord, Los Angeles, CA
Best Chef: Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH) 
  • Hajime Sato, Sozai, Clawson, MI
Best Chef: Midwest (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI) 
  • Christina Nguyen, Hai Hai, Minneapolis, MN
Best Chef: Mountain (CO, ID, MT, UT, WY) 
  • Matt Vawter, Rootstalk, Breckenridge, CO
Best Chef: New York State 
  • Charlie Mitchell, Clover Hill, Brooklyn, NY
Best Chef: Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT) 
  • David Standridge, The Shipwright's Daughter, Mystic, CT
Best Chef: Northwest & Pacific (AK, HI, OR, WA) 
  • Gregory Gourdet, kann, Portland, OR
Best Chef: South (AL, AR, FL, LA, MS, PR) 
  • Valerie Chang, Maty's, Miami, FL
Best Chef: Southeast (GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV) 
  • Paul Smith, 1010 Bridge, Charleston, WV
Best Chef: Southwest (AZ, NM, NV, OK) 
  • Rene Andrade, Bacanora, Phoenix, AZ
Best Chef: Texas 
  • Ana Liz Pulido, Ana Liz Taqueria, Mission, TX
Humanitarian of the Year Award: The LEE Initiative
 
Lifetime Achievement Award: Ruth Reichl
 
The voting process for all Restaurant and Chef Awards can be found here, and the criteria and eligibility for each category can be found on the Awards’ policies and procedures page, as well as here. 
 
For more information about the James Beard Awards, visit jamesbeard.org/awards.
 
 
… And … stayed tuned to Nycci’s Insta for stories and posts from her time on the Red Carpet as the emcee for Hilton Hotels.