James Beard Foundation Award: 2020s explained

The James Beard Foundation Awards are annual awards presented by the James Beard Foundation to recognize culinary professionals in the United States.^[1] The awards recognize chefs, restaurateurs, authors and journalists each year, and are generally scheduled around James Beard's May birthday.^[2]

The foundation also awards annually since 1998 the designation of America's Classic for local independently-owned restaurants that reflect the character of the community.^[3]

2020 awards

The 2020 chef and restaurant awards were canceled, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The book and media awards were announced online on May 27, 2020.^[4] A virtual event was broadcast from Chicago on September 25, 2020.^[5]

Lifetime Achievement and Humanitarian Award

• Lifetime Achievement Award: Jessica B. Harris^[6]
• Humanitarian of the Year: Zero Foodprint^[7]

Restaurant Design Awards

• 75 Seats and Under: Heliotrope Architects, Rupee Bar, Seattle, Washington^[8]
• 76 Seats and Over: ORA and Klein Agency, Auburn, Los Angeles, California^[8]
• Design Icon: Chez Panisse, Berkeley, California^[5]

Book Awards

The 2020 James Beard Foundation Book Awards were as follows:^[9]

• American Cooking: Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking by Toni Tipton-Martin (Clarkson Potter)
• Baking and Dessert: Living Bread: Tradition and Innovation in Artisan Bread Making by Daniel Leader and Lauren Chattman (Avery)
• Beverage with Recipes: The NoMad Cocktail Book by Leo Robitschek (Ten Speed Press)
• Beverage without Recipes: World Atlas of Wine 8th Edition by Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson (Mitchell Beazley)
• General Cooking: Where Cooking Begins: Uncomplicated Recipes to Make You a Great Cook by Carla Lalli Music (Clarkson Potter)
• Health and Special Diets: Gluten-Free Baking at Home: 102 Foolproof Recipes for Delicious Breads, Cakes, Cookies, and More by Jeffrey Larsen (Ten Speed Press)
• International: Ethiopia: Recipes and Traditions from the Horn of Africa by Yohanis Gebreyesus with Jeff Koehler (Interlink Publishing)
• Photography: American Sfoglino: A Master Class in Handmade Pasta by Eric Wolfinger (Chronicle Books)
• Reference, History, and Scholarship: The Whole Okra: A Seed to Stem Celebration by Chris Smith (Chelsea Green Publishing)
• Restaurant and Professional: The Whole Fish Cookbook: New Ways to Cook, Eat and Think by Josh Niland (Hardie Grant Books)
• Single Subject: Pasta Grannies: The Official Cookbook: The Secrets of Italy's Best Home Cooks by Vicky Bennison (Hardie Grant Books)
• Vegetable-Focused Cooking: Whole Food Cooking Every Day: Transform the Way You Eat with 250 Vegetarian Recipes Free of Gluten, Dairy, and Refined Sugar by Amy Chaplin (Artisan Books)
• Writing: Eat Like a Fish: My Adventures as a Fisherman Turned Restorative Ocean Farmer by Bren Smith (Knopf)
• Book of the Year: The Whole Fish Cookbook: New Ways to Cook, Eat and Think by Josh Niland (Hardie Grant Books)
• Cookbook Hall of Fame: Jancis Robinson

Broadcast Media Awards

The 2020 James Beard Foundation Broadcast Media Awards were as follows:

• Audio Program: It Burns: The Scandal-Plagued Race to Breed the World’s Hottest Chili, Audible
• Audio Reporting: Gravy – Mahalia Jackson’s Glori-Fried Chicken, Betsy Sheperd, southernfoodways.org
• Documentary: That's My Jazz, Vimeo
• Online Video, Fixed Location and/or Instructional: Grace Young – Wok Therapist, YouTube
• Online Video, on Location: Handmade – How Knives Are Made for New York's Best Restaurants; How a Ceramics Master Makes Plates for Michelin-Starred Restaurants, Eater
• Outstanding Personality: Roy Choi, Broken Bread with Roy Choi, KCET
• Television Program, in Studio or Fixed Location: Pati's Mexican Table – Tijuana: Stories from the Border, WETA
• Television Program, on Location: Las Crónicas del Taco (Taco Chronicles) – Canasta, Netflix
• Visual and Technical Excellence: Chef's Table, Netflix, Adam Bricker, Chloe Weaver, and Will Basanta
• Visual Reporting (on TV or Online): Rotten – The Avocado War, Netflix, Christine Haughney, Erin Cauchi, and Gretchen Goetz

Journalism Awards

The 2020 James Beard Foundation Journalism Awards were as follows:

• Columns: Power Rankings: “The Official Fast Food French Fry Power Rankings”; “The Official Spicy Snack Power Rankings”; “The Official Domestic Beer Power Rankings” by Lucas Kwan Peterson, Los Angeles Times
• Craig Claiborne Distinguished Restaurant Review Award: “Peter Luger Used to Sizzle. Now It Sputters.”; “The 20 Most Delicious Things at Mercado Little Spain”; “Benno, Proudly Out of Step With the Age” by Pete Wells, The New York Times
• Dining and Travel: “In Pursuit of the Perfect Pizza” by Matt Goulding, Airbnb Magazine
• Feature Reporting : “Value Meal” by Tad Friend, The New Yorker
• Food Coverage in a General Interest Publication: The New Yorker
• Foodways: “A Real Hot Mess: How Grits Got Weaponized Against Cheating Men” by Cynthia R. Greenlee, MUNCHIES / Food by VICE
• Health and Wellness: “How Washington Keeps America Sick and Fat”; “Meet the Silicon Valley Investor Who Wants Washington to Figure Out What You Should Eat” by Catherine Boudreau and Helena Bottemiller Evich, Politico
• Home Cooking: "Fry Time" by Nancy Singleton Hachisu, Saveur
• Innovative Storytelling: “Food and Loathing on the Campaign Trail” by Gary He, Matt Buchanan, and Meghan McCarron, Eater
• Investigative Reporting: “The Man Who Attacked Me Works in Your Kitchen’: Victim of Serial Groper Took Justice into Her Own Hands” by Amy Brittain and Maura Judkis, The Washington Post
• Jonathan Gold Local Voice Award: “In Search of Hot Beef”; “Chef Jack Riebel Is in the Fight of His Life”; “Harry Singh on the Perfect Roti, Trinidad, and Life in the Kitchen” by Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl, Mpls.St.Paul Magazine
• M.F.K. Fisher Distinguished Writing Award: “My Mother's Catfish Stew” by John T. Edge, Oxford American
• Personal Essay, Long Form: “The Dysfunction of Food” by Kim Foster
• Personal Essay, Short Form: “For 20 Years, happy hour has seen us through work — and life” by M. Carrie Allan, The Washington Post
• Profile: “The Provocations of Chef Tunde Wey” by Brett Martin, GQ Magazine
• Wine, Spirits, and Other Beverages: “Seltzer Is Over. Mineral Water Is Forever.” by Jordan Michelman, PUNCH
• Emerging Voice Award: L.A. Taco

2021 awards

In August 2020, the James Beard Foundation announced that the 2020 awards presentation would be cancelled because of COVID^[10] and they will “forgo its traditional Awards presentation in 2021, including the Restaurant and Chef Awards, Media Awards, and Restaurant Design Awards. We will not be accepting recommendations or submissions. We will be working with the Awards Committee and Subcommittees to overhaul the policies and procedures for the Awards.”^[11]

2022 awards

Lifetime Achievement and Humanitarian Award

• Lifetime Achievement Award: Martin Yan^[12]
• Humanitarian of the Year: Grace Young

Book awards

• Best International Cookbook: In Bibi’s Kitchen: The Recipes and Stories of Grandmothers from the Eight African Countries That Touch the Indian Ocean, by Hawa Hassan and Julia Turshen^{[13] [14]}
• Vegetable-Focused Cooking: The Korean Vegan Cookbook: Reflections and Recipes from Omma's Kitchen by Joanne Lee Molinaro (Clarkson Potter)^[15]

Leadership Award

• Leadership Award: Mónica Ramírez^[16] The other winners include Irene Li,^[17] Erika Allen, Mavis-Jay Sanders^[18]

Restaurant and Chef Awards

The James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Awards in 2022 were as follows:^[19]

• Outstanding Restaurateur: Chris Bianco, Tratto, Pane Bianco, and Pizzeria Bianco, Phoenix, AZ
• Outstanding Chef: Mashama Bailey, The Grey, Savannah, GA
• Outstanding Restaurant : Chai Pani, Asheville, NC
• Emerging Chef: Edgar Rico, Nixta Taqueria, Austin, TX
• Best New Restaurant: Owamni, Minneapolis, MN
• Outstanding Pastry Chef: Warda Bouguettaya, Warda Pâtisserie, Detroit, MI
• Outstanding Baker: Don Guerra, Barrio Bread, Tucson, AZ^[20]
• Outstanding Hospitality: Cúrate, Asheville, NC
• Outstanding Wine Program: The Four Horsemen, New York, NY
• Outstanding Bar Program: Julep, Houston, TX
• Best Chefs
  • Best Chef: California - Brandon Jew, Mister Jiu's, San Francisco, CA
  • Best Chef: Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH) - Erick Williams, Virtue Restaurant & Bar, Chicago, IL
  • Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA) - Cristina Martinez, South Philly Barbacoa, Philadelphia, PA
  • Best Chef: Midwest (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI) - Dane Baldwin, The Diplomat, Milwaukee, WI
  • Best Chef: Mountain (CO, ID, MT, UT, WY) - Caroline Glover, Annette, Aurora, CO
  • Best Chef: New York State - Chintan Pandya, Dhamaka, New York, NY
  • Best Chef: Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT) - Nisachon Morgan, Saap, Randolph, VT
  • Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific (AK, HI, OR, WA) - Robynne Maii, Fête, Honolulu, HI
  • Best Chef: Southeast (GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV) - Ricky Moore, SALTBOX Seafood Joint, Durham, NC
  • Best Chef: South (AL, AR, FL, LA, MS, PR) - Adam Evans, Automatic Seafood and Oysters, Birmingham, AL
  • Best Chef: Southwest (AZ, NM, NV, OK) - Fernando Olea, Sazón, Santa Fe, NM
  • Best Chef: Texas - Iliana de la Vega, El Naranjo, Austin, TX

2023 awards

Book Awards

• Vegetable-Focused Cooking: The Vegan Chinese Kitchen: Recipes and Modern Stories from a Thousand-Year-Old Tradition: A Cookbook by Hannah Che (Clarkson Potter)^[21]

Lifetime Achievement and Humanitarian of the Year Awards

• Lifetime Achievement Award: Madhur Jaffrey, cookbook author, writer, teacher, and actress.
• Humanitarian of the Year Award: Olivia Watkins and Karen Washington, co-founders of the Black Farmer Fund.

Leadership Award

Source:^[22]

• Jim Embry, Founder of Sustainable Communities Network, Slow Food USA, and Ujamaa Cooperative Farming Alliance
• Valerie Horn, Board Chair for Community Agricultural Nutritional Enterprises (CANE Kitchen), Cowan Community Center, and City of Whitesburg Farmers Market
• Savonala "Savi" Horne, Executive Director of the North Carolina Association of Black Lawyers, Land Loss Prevention Project
• Ira Wallace, Owner of Southern Exposure Seed Exchange
• Rowen White, Founder and Creative Director of Sierra Seeds
• Emerging Leadership: The Burgerville Workers Union

Restaurant and Chef Awards

The James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Awards in 2023 were as follows:^[23]

• Outstanding Restaurateur: Ellen Yin, High Street Hospitality Group (Fork, a.kitchen + bar, High Street, etc.), Philadelphia, PA
  • Outstanding Chef: Rob Rubba, Oyster Oyster, Washington, D.C. Outstanding Restaurant: Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Philadelphia, PA
• Emerging Chef: Damarr Brown, Virtue, Chicago, IL
• Best New Restaurant: Kann, Portland, OR
• Outstanding Bakery: Yoli Tortilleria, Kansas City, MO
• Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker: Margarita Manzke, République, Los Angeles, CA
• Outstanding Hospitality: The Quarry, Monson ME
• Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program: OTOTO, Los Angeles, CA
• Outstanding Bar Program: Bar Leather Apron, Honolulu, HI

Best Chefs (by region):

• Best Chef: California: Justin Pichetrungsi, Anajak Thai, Sherman Oaks, CA
• Best Chef: Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH): Tim Flores and Genie Kwon, Kasama, Chicago, IL
• Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA): Chutatip "Nok" Suntaranon, Kalaya, Philadelphia, PA
• Best Chef: Midwest (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI): Itaru Nagano and Andrew Kroeger, Fairchild, Madison, WI
• Best Chef: Mountain (CO, ID, MT, UT, WY): Kris Komori, KIN, Boise, ID
• Best Chef: New York State: Junghyun Park, ATOMIX, New York, NY
• Best Chef: Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT): Sherry Pocknett, Sly Fox Den Too, Charlestown, RI
• Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific (AK, HI, OR, WA): Vince Nguyen, Berlu, Portland, OR
• Best Chef: South (AL, AR, FL, LA, MS, PR): Natalia Vallejo, Cocina al Fondo, San Juan, PR
• Best Chef: Southeast (GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV): Terry Koval, The Deer and the Dove, Decatur, GA
• Best Chef: Southwest (AZ, NM, NV, OK): Andrew Black, Grey Sweater, Oklahoma City, OK
• Best Chef: Texas: Benchawan Jabthong Painter, Street to Kitchen, Houston, TX

2024 awards

• Best Chef: Midwest: Christina Nguyen, Hai Hai and Hola Arepa, Minneapolis, MN
• Best Chef: Texas: Ana Liz Pulido, Ana Liz Taqueria, Mission, TX^[24]

Semifinalists

• Best New Restaurant: Hayward
• Best New Restaurant category: Ramen Del Barrio^[25]

Book Awards

• Vegetable-Focused Cooking: Tenderheart: A Cookbook About Vegetables and Unbreakable Family Bonds by Hetty Lui McKinnon^[26]

Notes and References

1. Web site: JBF Awards James Beard Foundation . 2022-06-02 . www.jamesbeard.org . en.
2. Web site: Young . Melanie . 2015-05-04 . How the James Beard Awards Began . 2022-06-02 . Eater . en.
3. News: Judkis . Maura . 12 November 2018 . After 37 years, beloved lunch counter C.F. Folks closes in landlord dispute . en-US . Washington Post . 2023-02-26 . 0190-8286.
4. News: Hallinan . Bridget . These Are the 2020 James Beard Media Awards Winners . Food & Wine . May 27, 2020 . September 10, 2021 . March 6, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210306013240/https://www.foodandwine.com/news/james-beard-media-awards-winners-2020 . live .
5. News: Nunzio . Miriam Di . James Beard Awards ceremony reiterates commitment to new mission: inclusion, diversity, equity . Chicago Sun-Times . 27 September 2020 . en . 10 September 2021 . 8 October 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201008195920/https://chicago.suntimes.com/taste/2020/9/27/21458433/james-beard-awards-ceremony-new-mission-inclusion-diversity-equity . live .
6. News: Fortney . Luke . Queens-Born Jessica B. Harris Receives James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award . Eater NY . 11 March 2020 . en . 10 September 2021 . 4 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210504155031/https://ny.eater.com/2020/3/11/21173292/jessica-b-harris-james-beard-lifetime-achievement-award . live .
7. News: Bitker . Janelle . S.F. nonprofit Zero Foodprint wins James Beard Award . San Francisco Chronicle . 13 March 2020 . 10 September 2021 . 5 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210505144532/https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/article/S-F-nonprofit-Zero-Foodprint-wins-James-Beard-15127829.php . live .
8. News: Wells . Pete . Beard Foundation Will Announce a Few More Awards, Despite a Vow Not To . The New York Times . 21 September 2020 . 10 September 2021 . 6 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210506034647/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/21/dining/james-beard-awards-design.html . live .
9. Web site: The 2020 James Beard Media Award Winners. www.jamesbeard.org. en. 2020-06-18. 2020-06-16. https://web.archive.org/web/20200616225916/https://www.jamesbeard.org/blog/the-2020-james-beard-media-award-winners. live.
10. News: Giuliani-Hoffman . Francesca . James Beard Foundation tables its culinary awards for 2020 and 2021 . CNN . August 21, 2020 . September 10, 2021 . January 27, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210127073102/https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/21/us/james-beard-awards-canceled-pandemic-trnd/index.html . live .
11. Web site: Awards News . James Beard Foundation . 5 June 2021 . 24 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210524141602/https://www.jamesbeard.org/awards . live .
12. Web site: The 2022 Lifetime Achievement Winner and Humanitarian of the Year Award James Beard Foundation . 2022-05-11 . www.jamesbeard.org . en.
13. Web site: Mercer . Emily . 2023-05-30 . How Hawa Hassan Is Making the World Smaller Through Food . 2023-09-15 . . en-US.
14. Web site: Varriano . Jackie . 2021-02-04 . How Seattle shaped the life of Somalia-born entrepreneur and cookbook author Hawa Hassan . 2023-09-15 . . en-US.
15. Web site: James Beard Foundation Award:Joanne Lee Mollinaro. . June 6, 2023.
16. Web site: 2022 Leadership Award Winner Mónica Ramírez James Beard Foundation . 2022-06-02 . www.jamesbeard.org . en.
17. News: Boston chef and restaurant owner Irene Li wins James Beard Award for leadership . 15 October 2022 . March 17, 2022 . WBUR News.
18. Web site: The 2022 Leadership Award Winners . James Beard Foundation . 15 October 2022.
19. Web site: The 2022 James Beard Award Winners . jamesbeard.org . 15 June 2022.
20. News: Burch . Cathalena . Tucson's own Don Guerra of Barrio Bread wins a James Beard Award . 25 November 2022 . Tucson.com . June 14, 2022.
21. Web site: James Beard Awards: Hannah Che. November 20, 2023. James Beard Foundation Award.
22. Web site: The 2023 Leadership Award Winners James Beard Foundation . 2023-06-16 . www.jamesbeard.org . en.
23. Web site: The 2023 James Beard Award Winners James Beard Foundation . 2023-06-16 . www.jamesbeard.org . en.
24. Web site: Goldstein . Li . 2024-06-11 . These Are the James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Award Winners, 2024 . 2024-06-12 . . en-US.
25. Web site: Goldstein . Li . 2024-01-24 . These Are the James Beard Awards Restaurant and Chef Semifinalists, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240125141755/https://www.bonappetit.com/story/james-beard-foundation-restaurant-chef-awards-semifinalists-2024 . 2024-01-25 . 2024-07-20 . Bon Appétit . en-US.
26. Web site: THE 2024 JAMES BEARD MEDIA AWARD WINNERS. June 20, 2024. James Beard Foundation Award.