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8h ago

James Beard Awards Honor Torres, Tusk, Kalaya and Lei in Chicago

Highlighting immigrant labor alongside worker well-being, the ceremony signaled a push toward hospitality equity as Chicago prepares to host the awards through 2028.

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 Restaurant and Chef Awards were held Monday at Chicago’s Lyric Opera House before about 2,000 chefs and industry figures and were livestreamed for national audiences.
  • Major winners included Adrian Torres of Maximo (Emerging Chef), Michael Tusk of Quince (Outstanding Chef), Kalaya in Philadelphia (Outstanding Restaurant), Lei in New York (Best New Restaurant), and Jacob Potashnick of Feld (Best Chef: Great Lakes).
  • Several acceptance speeches foregrounded immigrant roots and the role of immigrant workers in restaurants, with Torres noting his DACA status and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker emphasizing the contribution of immigrant labor to the industry.
  • The James Beard Foundation and Choose Chicago confirmed the event will remain in Chicago through 2028, reinforcing the city’s role as the awards’ host since 2015 and its civic and economic stake in the ceremony.
  • Beyond trophies, winners typically see a surge in attention and business, and this year’s emphasis on worker well-being, sustainability, and humanitarian efforts such as No Us Without You could shape hiring, service practices, and public funding for hospitality programs.