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5h ago

James Beard Awards Crown 2026 Winners in Chicago

The ceremony sharpened industry focus on immigration, sustainability and hospitality labor while boosting visibility for the restaurants and chefs who won.

Best New Restaurant award winner Lei is a 28-seat wine bar in New York City's Chinatown.
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Kalaya, a Thai restaurant in Philadelphia, won the award for Outstanding Restaurant.
Lei serves food rooted in Chinese homecooking, and splits its menu between warm and cold dishes.

Overview

  • The James Beard Awards, which took place Monday, June 15, at Chicago’s Lyric Opera House, announced national and regional winners including Michael Tusk as Outstanding Chef and Adrian Torres as Emerging Chef.
  • Lei of New York won Best New Restaurant and Kalaya of Philadelphia was named Outstanding Restaurant, while Jacob (Jake) Potashnick of Feld became Chicago’s lone chef winner in the Great Lakes regional category.
  • Adrian Torres used his acceptance speech to identify as the son of immigrants and a DACA recipient, and multiple speakers throughout the night highlighted the restaurant industry’s reliance on immigrant labor.
  • The James Beard Foundation marked its 40th anniversary and confirmed the awards will remain hosted in Chicago through 2028, keeping the event’s economic and reputational impact concentrated in the city.
  • Winners are already seeing a ‘Beard bump’ of attention and bookings, and the ceremony reinforced sector priorities—sustainability practices, worker wellbeing and humanitarian aid programs—that could shape funding, hiring and public expectations going forward.