The James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards are at 6 p.m. Monday at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
This year marks the 35th anniversary of the awards and the 10th anniversary of the ceremony taking place in Chicago. This year’s ceremony will be hosted by chefs Nyesha Arrington and Andrew Zimmern.
Here’s what to know.
What are the James Beard Awards?
The James Beard Awards are often referred to as “the Oscars of the food world.” The James Beard Foundation will recognize chefs and restaurants tonight. It previously honored excellence in books, broadcast media and journalism covering food and drink at a ceremony on Saturday.
Who was James Beard?
James Beard was a Portland-born chef who was revered as the dean of American cooking. He was an actor, singer and caterer, and eventually went on to star in a TV cooking show called “I Love to Eat.” He created the James Beard Cooking School in 1955, wrote a newspaper column and published multiple cookbooks. He died in 1985 and the James Beard Foundation was established in his honor.
Who are the Chicago nominees?
Semifinalists were announced in January, while the list of official nominees was announced in April.
Chicago has five nominees hoping to clinch a win tonight: Kumiko in the Outstanding Bar category; Galit in the Outstanding Restaurant category; and Thai Dang of HaiSous, Chris Jung and Erling Wu-Bower of Maxwells Trading, and Noah Sandoval of Oriole in the Best Chef: Great Lakes category, which includes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio.
What Chicago restaurants have won previously?
Chicago’s most recent previous winners include Lula Cafe, which won the Outstanding Hospitality category in 2024; Tim Flores and Genie Kwon of Kasama, who won the Best Chef: Great Lakes category in 2023; and Damarr Brown of Virtue, who won the Emerging Chef category in 2023. Earlier this year, the James Beard Foundation recognized Lem’s Bar-B-Q, Chicago’s oldest Black-owned barbecue restaurant, as a recipient of its America’s Classics Awards.
How do I follow the awards?
Tickets for the gala are sold out, but Eater will host a livestream that you can watch here.
The Tribune Food team will provide coverage throughout the day, so watch for our story from the red carpet, followed by a recap of the ceremony once it wraps up at the end of the night.
