Here Are the 2022 James Beard Awards Restaurant, Chef, and Media Finalists

Today, the James Beard Foundation announced its slate of finalists for its 2022 awards. This short list of nominees honors the year’s outstanding restaurants and chefs — the first such list since 2020. In addition to the list of Restaurant and Chef Award finalists, the foundation announced chef and TV host Martin Yan as the winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award and Grace Young as the winner of its Humanitarian of the Year Award for her work supporting Chinatowns and Asian American-owned small businesses. They also announced four Leadership Award winners — Monica Ramirez of Justice for Migrant Women; Irene Li of Mei Mei Dumplings and Prepshift; Erika Allen of Urban Growers Collective; and Mavis-Jay Sanders of Drive Change. The worker-led, Oakland-based restaurant Understory took home the Emerging Leadership award. They join the already-announced America’s Classics winners for 2022, which were revealed in February.

The semifinalist rollout last month was not without its missteps. While promised changes to the categories, criteria, and voting processes did result in what was easily read as the most diverse — across race, gender, geography, styles of service, and styles of cuisine — in the foundation’s history, ultimately names had to be removed from that list due to closures, and one name was added because it had been left off “due to clerical error.” The overall sense is that while the changes are in many ways long overdue, they are also not totally comfortable yet for the foundation and its awards committee.

Unlike in years past, media nominees were not announced concurrently with the restaurant and chef nominees. Nominees for cookbook, journalism, and other media awards will be revealed in a separate announcement on April 27. The Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony will take place in Chicago on June 13. Without further ado, here are the nominees:

Outstanding Restaurateur

A restaurateur who uses their establishment(s) as a vehicle for building community, demonstrates creativity in entrepreneurship, integrity in restaurant operations, and is making efforts to create a sustainable work culture. Eligible candidates must have been in the restaurant business for at least five years and they must not have been nominated for a James Beard Foundation chef award in the past three years. The medallion and a certificate are given to the winning restaurateur or, in the case of a pair or team of restaurateurs who are generally understood to be equal partners in the endeavor, restaurateurs.

• Ashok Bajaj, Knightsbridge Restaurant Group (Rasika, Bindaas, Annabelle, and others), Washington, D.C.
• Chris Bianco, Tratto, Pane Bianco, and Pizzeria Bianco, Phoenix
• Kevin Gillespie, Red Beard Restaurants (Gunshow, Ole Reliable, and Revival), Atlanta
• Akkapong “Earl” Ninsom, Langbaan, Hat Yai, Eem, and others, Portland, OR
• Chris Williams, Lucille’s Hospitality Group, Houston
• Ellen Yin, High Street Hospitality Group (Fork, a.kitchen + bar, High Street Philly, and others), Philadelphia

Outstanding Chef

A chef who sets high culinary standards and has served as a positive example for other food professionals. Eligible candidates must have been working as a chef for three or more consecutive years. The medallion and a certificate are given to the winning chef or, in the case of a pair or team of chefs who are understood to be equal partners in the endeavor, chefs.

• Reem Assil, Reem’s, Oakland and San Francisco, CA
• Mashama Bailey, The Grey, Savannah, GA
• Peter Chang, Peter Chang, VA and MD
• Jason Vincent, Giant, Chicago
• Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi, Joule, Seattle

Outstanding Restaurant

A restaurant that demonstrates consistent excellence in food, atmosphere, hospitality, and operations while contributing positively to its broader community. Eligible candidates must have been in business for five or more consecutive years, not including any time closed due to the pandemic. A certificate is given to the winning restaurant and the medallion, and a certificate are given to the restaurant’s principal owner, or General Manager, or Chef, at the discretion of the restaurant.

• Brennan’s, New Orleans
• Butcher & Bee, Charleston, SC
• Chai Pani, Asheville, NC
• Parachute, Chicago
• The Walrus and the Carpenter, Seattle

Emerging Chef

A chef who displays exceptional talent, character, and leadership ability, and who is likely to make a significant impact in years to come. No age limit is required. The medallion and a certificate are given to the winning chef.

• Angel Barreto, Anju, Washington, D.C.
• Calvin Eng, Bonnie’s, NYC
• Cleophus Hethington, Benne on Eagle, Asheville, NC
• Serigne Mbaye, Dakar Nola, New Orleans
• Edgar Rico, Nixta Taqueria, Austin
• Crystal Wahpepah, Wahpepah’s Kitchen, Oakland, CA

Best New Restaurant

A restaurant opened in 2020 or 2021 that already demonstrates excellence in cuisine and hospitality and seems likely to make a significant impact in years to come. A certificate is given to the winning restaurant, and the medallion and a certificate are given to the restaurant’s principal owner, or General Manager, or Chef(s), at the discretion of the restaurant.

• Angry Egret Dinette, Los Angeles
• Bacanora, Phoenix
• BARDA, Detroit
• Dhamaka, NYC
• Horn BBQ, Oakland, CA
• Kasama, Chicago
• Leeward, Portland, ME
• Owamni, Minneapolis
• Oyster Oyster, Washington, D.C.
• Roots Southern Table, Farmers Branch, TX
• Ursula, NYC

Outstanding Pastry Chef

• Warda Bouguettaya, Warda Pâtisserie, Detroit
• Margarita Manzke, République, Los Angeles
• Claudia Martinez, Miller Union, Atlanta
• Ruben Ortega, Xochi, Houston
• Caroline Schiff, Gage & Tollner, NYC

Outstanding Baker

• Maya-Camille Broussard, Justice of the Pies, Chicago
• Atsuko Fujimoto, Norimoto Bakery, Portland, ME
• Don Guerra, Barrio Bread, Tucson, AZ
• Caroline Schweitzer and Lauren Heemstra, Wild Crumb, Bozeman, MT
• Zak Stern, Zak the Baker, Miami

Outstanding Hospitality

A restaurant that demonstrates consistent and excellent hospitality and service to its dining community, while also making efforts to provide a sustainable work culture. Eligible candidates have been in operation for five or more years.

• Cúrate, Asheville, NC
• House of Prime Rib, San Francisco
• Hugo’s, Houston
• Sylvia’s Restaurant, NYC
• Ticonderoga Club, Atlanta

Outstanding Wine Program

• The Four Horsemen, NYC
• Frenchette, NYC
• The Little Nell, Aspen, CO
• Maydan, Washington, D.C.
• Rebel Rebel, Somerville, MA

Outstanding Bar Program

• Alley Twenty Six, Durham, NC
• Attaboy, Nashville
• barmini by José Andrés, Washington, D.C.
• Julep, Houston
• Nobody’s Darling, Chicago

Best Chef: California

• Brandon Jew, Mister Jiu’s, San Francisco
• Bryant Ng, Cassia, Santa Monica, CA
• Sarintip “Jazz” Singsanong, Jitlada, Los Angeles
• James Syhabout, Commis, Oakland, CA
• Pim Techamuanvivit, Nari, San Francisco

Best Chef: Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH)

• Omar Anani, Saffron De Twah, Detroit
• Jason Hammel, Lula Cafe, Chicago
• Noah Sandoval, Oriole, Chicago
• John Shields and Karen Urie Shields, Smyth, Chicago
• Erick Williams, Virtue Restaurant & Bar, Chicago

Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)

• Angel Barreto, Anju, Washington, D.C.
• Amy Brandwein, Centrolina, Washington, D.C.
• Jesse Ito, Royal Izakaya, Philadelphia
• Cristina Martinez, South Philly Barbacoa, Philadelphia
• Chutatip “Nok” Suntaranon, Kalaya Thai Kitchen, Philadelphia

Best Chef: Midwest (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI)

• Dane Baldwin, The Diplomat, Milwaukee
• Karen Bell, Bavette La Boucherie, Milwaukee
• Jorge Guzmán, Petite León, Minneapolis
• Gregory León, Amilinda, Milwaukee
• Sean Sherman, Owamni, Minneapolis
• Yia Vang, Union Hmong Kitchen, Minneapolis

Best Chef: Mountain (CO, ID, MT, UT, WY)

• Jose Avila, El Borrego Negro, Denver
• Cody Cheetham, Tavernetta, Denver
• Caroline Glover, Annette, Aurora, CO
• Dana Rodriguez, Work & Class, Denver
• Eric Skokan, Black Cat Farm Table Bistro, Boulder, CO

Best Chef: New York State

• Amanda Cohen, Dirt Candy, NYC
• JJ Johnson, FIELDTRIP, NYC
• Ayesha Nurdjaja, Shuka, NYC
• Chintan Pandya, Dhamaka, NYC
• Junghyun Park, Atomix, NYC

Best Chef: Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT)

• Vien Doubi, CÔNG TỬ BỘT, Portland, ME
• Tiffani Faison, Orfano, Boston
• Courtney Loreg, Woodford Food and Beverage, Portland, ME
• Nisachon Morgan, Saap, Randolph, VT
• Damian Sansonetti, Chaval, Portland, ME

Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific (AK, HI, OR, WA)

• Carlo Lamagna, Magna Kusina, Portland, OR
• Robynne Maii, Fête, Honolulu
• Thomas Pisha-Duffly, Oma’s Hideaway, Portland, OR
• Sheldon Simeon, Tin Roof, Kahului, HI
• Mutsuko Soma, Kamonegi, Seattle

Best Chef: Southeast (GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV)

• Katie Button, Cúrate, Asheville, NC
• Greg Collier, Leah & Louise, Charlotte, NC
• Philip Krajeck, Rolf and Daughters, Nashville
• Cheetie Kumar, Garland, Raleigh, NC
• Ricky Moore, SALTBOX Seafood Joint, Durham, NC

Best Chef: South (AL, AR, FL, LA, MS, PR)

• Blake Aguillard and Trey Smith, Saint-Germain, New Orleans
• Adam Evans, Automatic Seafood and Oysters, Birmingham, AL
• Timothy Hontzas, Johnny’s Restaurant, Homewood, AL
• Melissa M. Martin, Mosquito Supper Club, New Orleans
• Isaac Toups, Toups’ Meatery, New Orleans

Best Chef: Southwest (AZ, NM, NV, OK)

• Fernando Olea, Sazón, Santa Fe
• Martín Rios, Restaurant Martín, Santa Fe
• Salazar Brothers, La Guelaguetza, Albuquerque, NM
• Giovanni Scorzo, Andreoli Italian Grocer, Scottsdale, AZ
• Jamie Tran, The Black Sheep, Las Vegas

Best Chef: Texas

• Tiffany Derry, Roots Southern Table, Farmers Branch, TX
• Christine Ha and Tony J. Nguyen, Xin Chào, Houston
• Quy Hoang, Blood Bros. BBQ, Bellaire, TX
• Steven McHugh, Cured, San Antonio, TX
• Iliana de la Vega, El Naranjo, Austin

James Beard Foundation Book Awards

Baking and Desserts

• Cheryl Day’s Treasury of Southern Baking by Cheryl Day
• Mooncakes and Milk Bread: Sweet and Savory Recipes Inspired by Chinese Bakeries by Kristina Cho
• Mother Grains; Recipes for the Grain Revolution by Roxana Jullapat

Beverage with Recipes

• Death & Co Welcome Home by Alex Day, Nick Fauchald, and David Kaplan with Devon Tarby and Tyson Buhler
• The Japanese Art of the Cocktail by Masahiro Urushido and Michael Anstendig
• The Way of the Cocktail by Julia Momose with Emma Janzen

Beverage without Recipes

• Foot Trodden: Portugal and the Wines Time Forgot by Simon J. Woolf
• Girly Drinks: A World History of Women and Alcohol by Mallory O’Meara
• The Noble Rot Book: Wine From Another Galaxy by Dan Keeling and Mark Andrew

General

• Cook, Eat, Repeat: Ingredients, Recipes, and Stories by Nigella Lawson
• Cooking at Home: Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying About Recipes (And Love My Microwave) by David Chang and Priya Krishna
• Everyone’s Table: Global Recipes for Modern Health by Gregory Gourdet and J.J. Goode

International

• Falastin by Sami Tamimi
• In Bibi’s Kitchen by Hawa Hassan with Julia Turshen
• Ripe Figs: Recipes and Stories from Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus by Yasmin Khan

Reference, History, and Scholarship

• Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue by Adrian Miller
• The Flavor Equation: The Science of Great Cooking Explained by Nik Sharma
• Koji Alchemy by Rich Shih and Jeremy Umansky

Restaurant and Professional

• Mr. Jiu’s in Chinatown by Brandon Jew and Tienlon Ho
• Modernist Pizza by Nathan Myhrvold and Francisco Migoya
• Pasta: The Spirit and Craft of Italy’s Greatest Food with Recipes by Missy Robbins and Talia Baiocchi

Single Subject

• Cool Beans: The Ultimate Guide to Cooking the World’s Most Versatile Plant-Based Protein by Joe Yonan
• Grains For Every Season by Joshua McFadden and Martha Holmberg
• The Hog Book by Jesse Griffiths

U.S. Foodways

• Black Food: Stories, Art, and Recipes From Across the African Diaspora by Bryant Terry
• Mosquito Supper Club: Cajun Recipes from a Disappearing Bayou by Melissa M. Martin
• The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food by Marcus Samuelsson and Osayi Endolyn

Vegetable-Focused Cooking

• The Korean Vegan Cookbook by Joanne Molinaro
• To Asia, With Love: Everyday Asian Recipes and Stories From the Heart by Hetty McKinnon
• Vegetable Kingdom: The Abundant World of Vegan Recipes by Bryant Terry

Visuals

• White and Shadows by Yuka Yanazume and Julia Hasting
• Sushi Shokunin: Japan’s Culinary Masters by Andrea Fazzari
• The New School of Scale-to-Tail Cooking and Eating by Rob Palmer and Daniel New

Writing

• Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America by Marcia Chatelaine
• Getting Something to Eat in Jackson: Race, Class, and Food in the American South by Joseph C. Ewoodzie.
• The Man Who Ate Too Much: The Life of James Beard by John Birdsall

James Beard Foundation Broadcast Media Awards

Documentary/Docuseries Visual Media

• Gather, airs on Netflix
• High on the Hog: How African-American Cuisine Transformed America, airs on Netflix
• The Hungriest State, Mississippi State University Films

Instructional Visual Media

• Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Television
• The Food Network Kitchen: Everything You Need to Know About Collard Greens
• The Wild Harvest with Alan Bergo

Reality or Competition Visual Media

• School of Chocolate (airs on Netflix)
• Sparklers (airs on SommTV)
• Top Chef: Family Style (airs on Peacock)

Commercial/Sponsored Visual Media

• Justin V. Barocas, Uber Eats Presents: On the Rise with Marcus Samuelsson
• Sean O’Connor, Whitney Hassett, Kyle J. Glenn, I Hire Punks
• Dennis Burnett, Made Right Here Road Trip

Visual Media — Short Form

• How 60,000 Metric Tons of Salt Are Harvested from One of the World’s Saltiest Lakes (Airs on Eater)
• TrueSouth - Lake Village (Airs on ESPN/SEC Network)
• Eat This: What Everyone Gets Wrong About Farm Work (Airs on AJ+)

Visual Media — Long Form

• EatUp! New York (Airs on ABC7 New York)
• Somebody Feed Phil (Airs on Netflix)
• Taste the Nation: Holiday Edition (Airs on Hulu)

Social Media Account

• Social Media Account: KJ Kearney, @blkfoodfridays
• Alexis Nikole Nelson, @blackforager
• Aleya Zenieris, @tasty

Audio Programming

• Dish City
• Gastropod
• Good Food

Audio Reporting

• A People’s History of Kansas City by Mackenzie Martin
• California Foodways by Lisa H. Morehouse
• The Sporkful by Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O’Hara

James Beard Foundation Journalism Awards

Columns and Newsletters

• Tasting Home: “Travels with Papa”; “ Following the Thread”; “In Her Footsteps” by Kwame Onwuachi and Joshua David Stein, Food and Wine
• Tex-Mexplainer: “Nixtamalization Is the 3,500-Year-Old Secret to Great Tortillas”; “Live a Little and Try Crunching on Chapulines, or Roasted Grasshoppers”; “Forget Everything You Think You Know About Mole” by Jose Ralat, Texas Monthly
• Taste Matters: “Really, Is Everyone a Critic?”; “Stop Calling Chinese Food Cheap. It Can Be Exceptional at Every Price.”; “The Ingredients May Be New. The Quest For Deliciousness Is Eternal.” by Mahira Rivers, Resy

Dining and Travel

• “Right Around the Corner” Francis Lam, Conde Nast Traveler
• “Eating in Xi’an, Where Wheat and Lamb Speak to China’s Varied Palate” by Ligaya Mishan, T Magazine
• “The Ultimate Texas Tacopedia” by Jose R. Ralat, Texas Monthly

Feature Reporting

• “Inside the Secretive, Semi-Illicit, High Stakes World of WhatsApp Mango Importing,” by Ahmed Ali Akbar, Eater
• “Tek Cyear uh de Root, Part One — The Schützenfest, Black Endurance, and Beer Culture in Old South Charleston”; “Tek Cyear uh de Root, Part Two — The Deliberate Reconstruction of the Charleston Schützenfest”; “Tek Cyear uh de Root, Part Three — The Lost Potential of Charleston Beer” by Jamaal Lemon, Good Beer Hunting
• “Raising Cane,” by Shane Mitchell, The Bitter Southerner

Food Coverage in a General Interest Publication

• The Bitter Southerner
• The New Yorker
• The Washington Post

Foodways

• “‘We’re Reclaiming Beer Because It’s Ours’” by James Bennett II for Eater
• “The American Dream in the Back of a Sunoco” by Trisha Gopal for Eater
• “Eating in Xi’an, Where Wheat and Lamb Speak to China’s Varied Palate” by Ligaya Mishan for T Magazine

Health and Wellness

• “Cultivating Better Health,” by Michael Behar, Eating Well
• “Diet-Related Diseases Pose a Major Risk for Covid-19. But the U.S. Overlooks Them.” by Helena Bottemiller Evich, Politico
• “Deeply Rooted: An Endocrine Web Special Report on Race and Diabetes” by Andrea Velez, Endocrine Web

Home Cooking

• “The Way of Clay” by Mary Frances Heck
• “For Garlic Powder, a Working Seasoning Finally Gets its Turn in the Spice Limelight,” Ben Mims, L.A. Times Food
• “The Secret Society of Marmalade Makers,” Lesley Pariseau, Taste

Innovative Storytelling

• “Arturo and the Rancho Zen of Washing Dishes” by Javier Cabral for PopUp Magazine
• “How Black Foragers Find Freedom in the Natural World,” by Dr. Cynthia Greenlee, Adraint Bereal, and Wulf Bradley for the New York Times
• “A Feast for Lost Souls” by Annelise Jolley and Zahara Gómez Lucini for the Atavist Magazine

Investigative Reporting

• “NYC Food Delivery Workers Band to Demand Better Treatment. Will New York Listen to Los Deliveristas Unidos?”; “Food Delivery Workers Toiling Through Historic Flooding Call Skimpy Wages and Tips ‘A Cruel Joke’”; “New York City Passes Landmark New Protections for Food Delivery Workers” by Claudia Irizarry Aponte and Josefa Velasquez for The City NYC
• “Palestine and the West Bank Agricultural Struggle,” by Marianne Dhenin for Life and Thyme
• “Revolt of the Delivery Workers” by Josh Dzieza for New York Magazine

Personal Essay — Long Form

• “It’s Time to Decolonize Wine” by Miguel de Leon for Punch
• “All the Food You Can Eat and Only the Family You Can Stand” by Jackie Summers for Epicurious
• “The Creature Comfort of Aunt Jemima” by Adia Victoria for The Bitter Southerner

Personal Essay — Short Form

• “How It Feels to Close Your Restaurant for Good” by Kiki Aranita for Food and Wine
• “Caribou Bones and Burgundy” by Elaine Chukan Brown
• “The Dangers of Bartending While Asian,” by Kaylee Hammonds for Food and Wine

Profile

• “Chef José Andrés Embraces the Chaos,” by Jane Black for Huffington Post
• “Patsy Young — American Brewer, Fugitive From Slavery” by Theresa McCulla for Good Beer Hunting
• “The Man Who Sees a Future Where Indigenous Foods Are as Ubiquitous as Burgers,” by Kate Nelson for Esquire

Jonathan Gold Local Voice Award

• “Growing Up on Los Angeles’s Black Barbecue”; “Downtown LA’s Once-Unstoppable Restaurant Scene Now Faces an Uncertain Future”; “Tonight’s Dinner Should Be Fried Chicken From an LA Grocery Store” by Mona Holmes, Eater LA
• “‘Too Much to Lose.’ Why a Miami Man Moved into a Backyard Tent During Coronavirus Crisis”; “Salt Bae’s Restaurant Called Cops on Customer who Wouldn’t Pay for Gold-Wrapped Steaks”; “How to Eat Like a Local in Miami: A Local’s Guide to Dining in the 305” by Carlos Frias, Miami Herald
• “Innovation and the Incinerated Tongue: Notes on Hot Chicken, Race, and Culinary Crossover”; “Two Friends Talk about Black, White, and The Grey: On Cooking and Collaboration Across the Color Line”; “Pimento-cracy” by Dr. Cynthia Greenlee, The Counter and Oxford American

Craig Claiborne Distinguished Restaurant Review Award

• “In Grand Central Market, a Beloved Chef Begins a New Chapter”; “Jumpstart Your Day at this Taiwanese Breakfast Pop-up in Chinatown”; “This Atwater Village Sushi Bar is what L.A. Fine Dining is all About,” Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times
• “’Constant Evolution’”; “Restaurant Debuts as one of the Best in the Midwest”; “Pizzas Out of this World,” Luisa Chu, Chicago Tribune
• “The Bay Area is Having a Love Affair with Smashburgers. This is the One You’ll Want to Eat Again and Again”; “Impossible’s New Vegan Nuggets Taste Better than McNuggets. Sadly, that’s not Saying Much”; “S.F. Restaurant’s $72 Fried Rice Was a Runaway Hit. It Was Also the Chef’s Nightmare,” Soleil Ho, San Francisco Chronicle

MFK Fisher Distinguished Writing Award

• “The Flavors of My Grief,” Yasmin Khan for Vogue
• “Right Around the Corner,” Francis Lam for Conde Nast Traveler
• “Life Was Not a Peach,” Hannah Selinger for Eater

Disclosure: Some Vox Media staff members are part of the voting body for the James Beard Foundation Awards.