At the American restaurant industry’s biggest night of the year, Edouardo Jordan had the biggest night of all. At the James Beard Foundation Awards, the chef-owner of a pair of restaurants in Seattle took home the medal for the best chef in the Northwest. Later, in one of the big prizes of the night, Jordan became the first African-American chef to win the James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant.
Jordan, a Per Se and French Laundry alum, established his foothold in Seattle in 2015 when he opened Salare, a restaurant focused primarily on the French and Italian flavors and techniques that drove his professional résumé. When he opened his Southern restaurant last year, just a few blocks from Salare, JuneBaby would become an ode to his familial upbringing. He wanted to cook the food he was most passionate about and celebrate Southern cuisine. Many accolades have followed, but none are as big as the prize he claimed last night.
In the ceremony’s other big awards, Gabrielle Hamilton of Prune in New York won Outstanding Chef, Caroline Styne of the Lucques Group in Los Angeles won Outstanding Restaurateur, and Highlands Bar & Grill in Birmingham took home Outstanding Restaurant. The Alabama institution edged out Balthazar, Canlis, Frasca Food and Wine, and Quince to win in a category where an establishment must have been open for 10 consecutive years, meaning each of the nominees is considered a pillar of the country’s restaurant culture.
Check out the complete list below of nominees and winners in each category from last night’s “Oscars of food” at the Lyric Opera House in Chicago.
Best New Restaurant
The Charter Oak
St. Helena, CA
Empellón (Midtown)
New York City
Felix Trattoria
Venice, CA
JuneBaby
Seattle
Kismet
Los Angeles
Outstanding Baker
Dianna Daoheung
Black Seed Bagels
New York City
Zachary Golper
Bien Cuit
Brooklyn, NY
Maura Kilpatrick
Sofra Bakery and Café
Cambridge, MA
Belinda Leong and Michel Suas (WINNER)
b. Patisserie
San Francisco
Alison Pray
Standard Baking Co.
Portland, ME
Greg Wade
Publican Quality Bread
Chicago
Outstanding Bar Program
Anvil Bar & Refuge
Houston
Bar Agricole
San Francisco
Clyde Common
Portland, OR
Cure (WINNER)
New Orleans
Kimball House
Decatur, GA
Trick Dog
San Francisco
Outstanding Chef
Ashley Christensen
Poole’s Diner
Raleigh, NC
Gabrielle Hamilton (WINNER)
Prune
New York City
David Kinch
Manresa
Los Gatos, CA
Christopher Kostow
The Restaurant at Meadowood
St. Helena, CA
Donald Link
Herbsaint
New Orleans
Outstanding Pastry Chef
Kelly Fields
Willa Jean
New Orleans
Meg Galus
Boka
Chicago
Margarita Manzke
République
Los Angeles
Dolester Miles (WINNER)
Highlands Bar & Grill
Birmingham, AL
Diane Yang
Spoon and Stable
Minneapolis
Outstanding Restaurant
Balthazar
New York City
Canlis
Seattle
Frasca Food and Wine
Boulder, CO
Highlands Bar & Grill (WINNER)
Birmingham, AL
Quince
San Francisco
Outstanding Restaurateur
Kevin Boehm and Rob Katz
Boka Restaurant Group (Boka, GT Fish & Oyster, Girl & the Goat, and others)
Chicago
JoAnn Clevenger
Upperline
New Orleans
Ken Oringer
Uni, Little Donkey, Toro, and others
Boston
Caroline Styne (WINNER)
The Lucques Group (Lucques, a.o.c., Tavern, and others)
Los Angeles
Ellen Yin
High Street Hospitality Group (Fork, High Street on Market, High Street on Hudson, and others)
Philadelphia
Outstanding Service
Boka
Chicago
Saison
San Francisco
Zahav
Philadelphia
Zingerman’s Delicatessen
Ann Arbor, MI
Zuni Café (WINNER)
San Francisco
Outstanding Wine Program
a.o.c.
Los Angeles
Bacchanal
New Orleans
Benu
San Francisco
FIG (WINNER)
Charleston, SC
The Little Nell
Aspen, CO
Outstanding Wine, Spirits, or Beer Professional
Cathy Corison
Corison Winery
St. Helena, CA
Diane Flynt
Foggy Ridge Cider
Dugspur, VA
Miljenko “Mike” Grgich (WINNER)
Grgich Hills Estate
Rutherford, CA
Steve Matthiasson
Matthiasson Wines
Napa, CA
Lance Winters
St. George Spirits
Alameda, CA
Rising Star Chef of the Year
Camille Cogswell (WINNER)
Zahav
Philadelphia
Clare de Boer
King
New York City
Sarah Rinkavage
Marisol
Chicago
Miles Thompson
Michael’s
Santa Monica, CA
Kevin Tien
Himitsu
Washington, D.C.
Best Chef: Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH)
Andrew Brochu
Roister
Chicago
Abraham Conlon (WINNER)
Fat Rice
Chicago
Beverly Kim and Johnny Clark
Parachute
Chicago
David Posey and Anna Posey
Elske
Chicago
Lee Wolen
Boka
Chicago
Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (D.C., DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)
Amy Brandwein
Centrolina
Washington, D.C.
Tom Cunanan
Bad Saint
Washington, D.C.
Rich Landau
Vedge
Philadelphia
Jeremiah Langhorne (WINNER)
The Dabney
Washington, D.C.
Cindy Wolf
Charleston
Baltimore
Best Chef: Midwest (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI)
Karen Bell
Bavette La Boucherie
Milwaukee
Steven Brown
Tilia
Minneapolis
Justin Carlisle
Ardent
Milwaukee
Gavin Kaysen (WINNER)
Spoon and Stable
Minneapolis
Ann Kim
Young Joni
Minneapolis
Best Chef: New York City (Five Boroughs)
Amanda Cohen
Dirt Candy
Ignacio Mattos
Estela
Missy Robbins (WINNER)
Lilia
Brooklyn, NY
Alex Stupak
Empellón (Midtown)
Jody Williams
Buvette Gastrothèque
Best Chef: Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, NY STATE, RI, VT)
Karen Akunowicz (WINNER)
Myers + Chang
Boston
Tiffani Faison
Tiger Mama
Boston
Tony Messina
Uni
Boston
Cassie Piuma
Sarma
Somerville, MA
Benjamin Sukle
Oberlin
Providence, RI
Best Chef: Northwest (AK, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY)
Edouardo Jordan (WINNER)
Salare
Seattle
Katy Millard
Coquine
Portland, OR
Bonnie Morales
Kachka
Portland, OR
Justin Woodward
Castagna
Portland, OR
Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi
Joule
Seattle
Best Chef: South (AL, AR, FL, LA, MS, PR)
Vishwesh Bhatt
Snackbar
Oxford, MS
Nina Compton (WINNER)
Compère Lapin
New Orleans
Jose Enrique
Jose Enrique
San Juan, PR
Kristen Essig and Michael Stoltzfus
Coquette
New Orleans
Brad Kilgore
Alter
Miami
Slade Rushing
Brennan’s
New Orleans
Best Chef: Southeast (GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV)
Mashama Bailey
The Grey
Savannah, GA
Katie Button
Nightbell
Asheville, NC
Cassidee Dabney
The Barn at Blackberry Farm
Walland, TN
Rodney Scott (WINNER)
Rodney Scott’s BBQ
Charleston, SC
Andrew Ticer and Michael Hudman
Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen
Memphis, TN
Best Chef: Southwest (AZ, CO, NM, OK, TX, UT)
Michael Fojtasek
Olamaie
Austin
Bryce Gilmore
Barley Swine
Austin
Steve McHugh
Cured
San Antonio
Martín Rios
Restaurant Martín
Santa Fe
Alex Seidel (WINNER)
Mercantile Dining & Provision
Denver
Best Chef: West (CA, HI, NV)
Michael Cimarusti
Providence
Los Angeles
Dominique Crenn (WINNER)
Atelier Crenn
San Francisco
Jeremy Fox
Rustic Canyon
Santa Monica, CA
Jessica Koslow
Sqirl
Los Angeles
Travis Lett
Gjelina
Venice, CA
2018 James Beard Foundation Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America Inductees
Jody Adams
Chef/Owner, TRADE, Porto, and Saloniki
Boston
Lally Brennan and Ti Adelaide Martin
Co-Proprietors, Commander’s Palace
New Orleans
Allison Hooper
Co-Founder, Vermont Creamery
Websterville, VT
Daniel Johnnes
Wine Director, The Dinex Group
New York City
2018 James Beard Foundation America’s Classics
Sun Wah
Chicago
Owners: Kelly Cheng, Laura Cheng, and Michael Cheng
Galleria Umberto
Boston
Owners: Paul Deuterio and Ralph Deuterio
Los Hernandez Tamales
Union Gap, WA
Owner: Felipe Hernandez
El Güero Canelo
Tucson, AZ
Owner: Daniel Contreras
Dong Phuong Bakery
New Orleans
Owner: Linh Tran Garza
2018 James Beard Foundation Humanitarian of the Year
José Andrés
Multiple James Beard Award–Winning Chef; Owner, ThinkFoodGroup; Founder, World Central Kitchen
2018 James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award
Paula Wolfert
Multiple James Beard Award–Winning Author
