James Beard Foundation to Announce 2026 Restaurant and Chef Award Winners

The James Beard Foundation is preparing to announce the final recipients of its 2026 Restaurant and Chef Awards on Monday, June 15. The highly anticipated annual ceremony, a significant event in the restaurant industry, will be held at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Gail Simmons, a celebrated cookbook author and host of "Top Chef," will host the event.

These awards acknowledge excellence across various categories, including Outstanding Restaurant, Best New Restaurant, Outstanding Chef, and several regional Best Chef awards, alongside America’s Classics. The announcement for the competitive restaurant and chef categories follows the foundation's Media Awards, which recognized achievements in cookbooks, journalism, and broadcast food storytelling. Finalists for the restaurant and chef awards were initially revealed on March 31.

Ahead of the main ceremony, the foundation has already recognized several honorees in non-competitive categories. The Humanitarian of the Year Award was presented to Damián Diaz and Othón Nolasco, founders of No Us Without You LA. Chef and restaurateur Nancy Silverton received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Additionally, the Impact Award honorees for 2026 include the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, New Mexico Sen. Ben Ray Luján, ReFED, and the Southern Smoke Foundation.

According to Eater, updates on the winners in each category will be provided throughout the night.