Many of Chicago’s top chefs and restaurateurs gathered Sunday night in the Loop for the annual Banchet Awards to celebrate the excellence, depth and diversity of the city’s food community.
More than 400 guests attended the ceremony at Venue SIX10, which was livestreamed for the first time on NBC. And outside in the cold and snow, protesters marched for 37-year-old Alex Pretti, an intensive care unit nurse who was fatally shot by a federal immigration agent in Minnesota last week.
During the ceremony, the politics of the moment were not ignored, with several award winners using the stage to speak out against the aggressive immigration enforcement that’s gripping the country.
Fresh off its first Michelin star and a James Beard Award semifinalist nod, Feld took home the awards for Best New Restaurant and Best Hospitality.
Feld chef Jake Potashnick ended his speech at the podium with “Screw ICE.”
On Monday morning, Potashnick told the Tribune that he’s lucky to have a small platform to be able to say something about the political climate that’s terrorizing immigrant communities.
“I am a member of the hospitality industry, which historically is an access point for immigrants to get a foot in the door, to follow the old mentality of the American dream of working your way up,” Potashnick said. “But regardless of if I was in the restaurant industry or not — I’d be outspoken right now. This is not far away. This is not a CNN story about somewhere across an ocean. (Minnesota) is a two-hour drive from here. We have service daily and we have to put away these feelings and work, but it’s not easy to pretend that everything’s OK.”
Still, comical moments were sprinkled throughout the ceremony.
The Wieners Circle’s infamous foul-mouthed Roberta “Poochie” Jackson presented Best Hospitality to Feld’s Nathan Ducker.
“I better be nominated next year,” she said to roars of laughter.
And the Banchet’s executive director, Michael Muser, poked at food influencers, made fun of the rising popularity of alcohol-free wine and jabbed at some restaurants using AI for creating recipes.
“AI can have a part of what we do,” Muser said. “But I promise you, Chicago restaurants are made with human hands, human hearts, and that is something that no robot can replace.”
On Monday, Muser said being in that room was a reminder that food brings people together, especially in moments when emotions are running “high beyond the walls of our restaurants.”
“Chicago’s chefs and restaurant teams have always shown up for one another with empathy, generosity and mutual respect, and that sense of community was palpable throughout the night,” Muser told the Tribune. “The awards exist to celebrate excellence, but they also reflect the way this industry supports people first and that is something I am deeply proud of.”
During the ceremony, organizers played a projected slide showing local restaurants with “Hands Off Chicago” signs in their windows. The moment drew intense applause.
In the fall, restaurants and cafes in neighborhoods like Bridgeport, Pilsen and farther south, to ones in the northwest such as Logan Square and Avondale, put up signs barring immigration agents from entering. Those solidarity signs continue to be a quieter approach to denouncing ICE, but a powerful display of businesses knowing their rights.
John Manion of El Che and Brasero, who was named Chef of the Year, said in his acceptance speech that Chicago is a city known for standing up for each other.
“There’s so many people in this room that I don’t know (who) have dropped everything to help people they don’t know,” Manion said. “When people come in from out of town, they always ask, ‘What makes Chicago different?’ And it is that we stand up for each other, we look out for each other. Now more than ever, (it’s) super important, but I’m just proud to be a little part of this.”
Earlier this month, Manion’s restaurants participated in “Todos Ponen: Una Noche de Pueblos y Platillos,” which raised money to provide direct grocery support for Latino families in Little Village, McKinley Park, Pilsen, Logan Square, Hermosa, Avondale and Belmont Cragin. The 125 families who received gift cards to local supermercados have experienced increased food insecurity driven by fear, job loss and limited safe access to grocery stores because of increased immigration enforcement activity in Chicago.
Other big wins of the night included Justin Lerias of Del Sur Bakery, who was named Pastry Chef of the Year. At 24 years old, Lerias has drawn long lines at his hyperseasonal farm-to-pastry-box cafe in the Lincoln Square neighborhood with his highly coveted Filipino-flavored pastries.
In his heartfelt speech, Lerias said one of his overarching goals is to provide an example of treating restaurant workers with respect and fair wages, while still being financially successful.
River North’s Indienne — Chicago’s first Indian restaurant to earn a Michelin star — received the ceremony’s top award: Restaurant of the Year.
On Monday, Indienne chef Sujan Sarkar, whose recently opened Nadu was just named a James Beard semifinalist for Best New Restaurant, said the Banchet award reaffirms his team’s culinary direction and mission.
“It is truly special and not just for Indienne, but for the evolution of Indian cuisine in America,” Sarkar said.
This is Indienne’s second Banchet Award. It won Best New Restaurant in 2023.
“I’m deeply grateful to Chicago for believing in our vision,” Sarkar added.
And the lifetime achievement honor was given to chef Grant Achatz of Alinea, presented by former longtime Tribune restaurant critic Phil Vettel.
“One could argue that this chef belongs to the world and maybe the ages, but to me, he’s ours,” Vettel said to Achatz. “A Midwestern boy, who for 20 years has been Chicago’s standard bearer for culinary iteration and excellence.”
Accepting the honor with a standing ovation, Achatz held Chicago in high regard.
“It’s an extraordinarily rarefied space to wake up every day and eagerly race to work to make core memories for our guests and ourselves,” he said. “I still do that every day and it makes me very happy, most of the days.”
Complete list of 2026 Banchet Award winners
Bar of the Year or Beverage Program of the Year: Gus’ Sip & Dip – Kevin Beary and Scott Kitsmiller
Sommelier of the Year: Alex Cuper — El Che, Brasero
Rising Chef: Javauneeka Jacobs — Frontera Grill
Best New Restaurant: Feld
Best Counter Service: Sanders BBQ Supply
Best Hospitality: Feld
Iconic Restaurant (25-plus years): Gene & Georgetti
Best Design: The Alston
Best Neighborhood Restaurant: Mahari
Best Heritage Restaurant: Nine Garden (Chinatown)
Pastry Chef of the Year: Justin Lerias — Del Sur Bakery
Chef of the Year: John Manion — El Che, Brasero
Restaurant of the Year: Indienne
Culinary Excellence (Lifetime Achievement): Grant Achatz
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