Tonight we celebrated the 2020 James Beard Award honorees and nominees in a live virtual event broadcast via Twitter from Chicago (watch it now ICYMI). The evening was emceed by Ji Suk Yi, a staple in local Chicago media and television for over 10 years. Yi played host to the broadcast from the show’s headquarters in Chicago as this year’s presenters and participants joined remotely.
James Beard Award–winning host Pati Jinich introduced the America’s Classics honorees, and the Lifetime Achievement Award was presented by musician and journalist Questlove to author, editor, and translator of 18 books, Jessica B. Harris. Alice Waters, who accepted the Design Icon Award for her restaurant Chez Panisse, also presented the Humanitarian of the Year honor to nonprofit organization Zero Foodprint.
Colleen Vincent, JBF vice president of community, spoke with 2019 Leadership Award winner Sean Sherman about leading change and diversity through food, and the recent announcement of the James Beard Foundation Food and Beverage Investment Fund for Black and Indigenous Americans.
Nominees also offered words of inspiration and support to their colleagues throughout the industry, providing a glimpse of hope and positivity from across the country. They detailed the way in which they have given back to their communities in recent months and how they are motivated to build back better than before.
To close the evening, Gail Simmons moderated a roundtable discussion with chefs Kwame Onwuachi, Tanya Holland, Beverly Kim, and Johnny Clark on the state of the restaurant industry, touching on the role of independent restaurants in local communities, challenges faced in recent months, the economics of running an independent restaurant, racial and gender inequity, and more. Below are a few highlights, and stay tuned to Beard Foundation channels for the full discussion:
- Tanya Holland: “As far as the role of community, I have people in my community who are just like, ‘we have to keep you here, what can we do, what can we do more of?’ Because it’s so important, particularly in Oakland, California, to have a Black-owned restaurant and a Black-owned business. The day after the movement was our highest sales date ever even before COVID, and that just goes to show you how committed people were to showing how important we are.”
- Beverly Kim: “Even though we were barely breaking even during this pandemic, it felt really good to help our frontline workers and cook for the local hospital and give to the local senior citizen and Korean American community. And we’re continuing to think of ways we can give back to our community especially during the protests; Black Lives Matter brought a lot of attention to using our platform to talk about these issues as well as inequities in gender. People look to restaurants believe it or not, they see us as leaders in the community, for social justice, and change.”
- Kwame Onwuachi: “People think that when they come into restaurants and they see a busy restaurant they think it’s dollar signs. And a lot of that money isn’t going to onions, it’s going to rent and taxes. So that’s what needs to change. But we live in a capitalistic nation and we all signed up for this. We also need to look in ourselves as to why we’re in this industry and what we really want to achieve. Are we going to drink our water and mind our business or are we going to fight for something that we can actually change? And if we don’t have the answers for it, I think we need to be really careful of what we’re advocating for.”
There will be no James Beard Awards given in 2021 in the Restaurant and Chef, Media (Book, Broadcast Media and Journalism Awards), and Restaurant Design categories. The Foundation will not be accepting recommendations or submissions for the upcoming year. As the Foundation moves forward, it will be conducting a comprehensive internal and external review of the Awards systems to address any systemic bias and align the Awards with the Foundation’s mission of promoting sustainability, equity, and diversity in the restaurant industry. The Foundation is taking stock of how the Awards are administered, communicated, and presented to assure the Awards are open and accessible to all. Updates regarding the Awards will be posted regularly to jamesbeard.org/awards and on the Foundation’s social channels (@beardfoundation on Twitter and Instagram).
Everyone in this industry has worked long and hard, and we will continue to nurture your passion and honor your contributions to this community. Tonight we honor the nominees of the 2020 James Beard Awards, presented by CapitalOne.
The 2020 James Beard Awards Honorees
Humanitarian of the Year
Zero Foodprint
Lifetime Achievement
Jessica B. Harris
America’s Classics
Lassis Inn, Little Rock, AR
Owners: Elihue Washington Jr. and Maria Washington
Zehnder’s of Frankenmuth, Frankenmuth, MI
Owners: Al Zehnder, Susan Zehnder, and Martha Zehnder Shelton
Puritan Backroom, Manchester, NH
Owners: Arthur Pappas, Chris Pappas, and Eric Zink
Oriental Mart, Seattle
Owners: Mila Apostol and Joy Apostol
El Taco de Mexico, Denver
Owner: Sasha Zanabria
Vera’s Backyard Bar-B-Que, Brownsville, TX
Owner: Armando Vera
The James Beard Leadership Awards
Phillip and Dorathy E. Barker, Co-Founders, Operation Spring Plant, Inc. (OSP)
Rosalinda Guillen, Executive Director, Community to Community Development (C2C)
Abiodun Henderson, Executive Director, The Come Up Project featuring Gangstas to Growers
Mark and Kerry Marhefka, Owners, Abundant Seafood
Caleb Zigas, Executive Director, La Cocina
The James Beard Restaurant Design Awards
Design Icon
Chez Panisse
75 Seats and Under
Firms: Heliotrope Architects
Project: Rupee, Seattle
76 Seats and Over
Firms: Klein Agency and ORA
Project: auburn, Los Angeles
Outstanding Design of Alternative Eating & Drinking Places
Firms: Lori Chemla
Project Carissa’s the Bakery, East Hampton, NY
The 2020 James Beard Awards Restaurant and Chef Nominees
Best New Restaurant
Automatic Seafood & Oysters, Birmingham, AL
Demi, Minneapolis
Eem, Portland, OR
Fox & the Knife, Boston
Gado Gado, Portland, OR
Gianna, New Orleans
Kalaya, Philadelphia
Nightshade, Los Angeles
Pasjoli, Santa Monica, CA
Verjus, San Francisco
Outstanding Baker
Graison Gill, Bellegarde Bakery, New Orleans
Zachary Golper, Bien Cuit, NYC
Maura Kilpatrick, Sofra Bakery, Cambridge, MA
Lisa Ludwinski, Sister Pie, Detroit
Avery Ruzicka, Manresa Bread, Los Gatos, CA
Outstanding Bar Program
Anvil Bar & Refuge, Houston
Expatriate, Portland, OR
Kimball House, Decatur, GA
Lost Lake, Chicago
Trick Dog, San Francisco
Outstanding Chef (Presented by All-Clad Metalcrafters)
Corey Lee, Benu, San Francisco
Donald Link, Herbsaint, New Orleans
Missy Robbins, Lilia, NYC
Ana Sortun, Oleana, Cambridge, MA
Marc Vetri, Vetri Cucina, Philadelphia
Outstanding Hospitality (Presented by American Airlines)
Brigtsen's, New Orleans
Canlis, Seattle
Saison, San Francisco
Swan Oyster Depot, San Francisco
Zingerman's Roadhouse, Ann Arbor, MI
Outstanding Pastry Chef (Presented by Lavazza)
Lincoln Carson, Bon Temps, Los Angeles
Juan Contreras, Atelier Crenn, San Francisco
Margarita Manzke, République, Los Angeles
Diane Moua, Spoon and Stable, Minneapolis
Natasha Pickowicz, Flora Bar, NYC
Miro Uskokovic, Gramercy Tavern, NYC
Outstanding Restaurant (Presented by S.Pellegrino® Sparkling Natural Mineral Water)
FIG, Charleston, SC
Frasca Food and Wine, Boulder, CO
Jaleo, Washington, D.C.
Pizzeria Bianco, Phoenix
Quince, San Francisco
Outstanding Restaurateur
Jamie Bissonnette and Ken Oringer, JK Food Group, Boston (Little Donkey, Toro, Coppa)
JoAnn Clevenger, Upperline Restaurant, New Orleans
Alex Raij and Eder Montero, NYC (La Vara, Saint Julivert Fisherie, Txikito)
Jason Wang, Xi'an Famous Foods, NYC
Outstanding Wine Program
Bacchanal, New Orleans
Canard, Portland, OR
COTE, NYC
Miller Union, Atlanta
Night + Market Sahm, Venice, CA
Spiaggia, Chicago
Outstanding Wine, Beer or Spirits Producer
Scott Blackwell and Ann Marshall, High Wire Distilling Co., Charleston, SC
Cathy Corison, Corison Winery, St. Helena, CA
Drew Kulsveen, Willett Distillery, Bardstown, KY
Todd Leopold and Scott Leopold, Leopold Bros., Denver
Lance Winters, St. George Spirits, Alameda, CA
Rising Star Chef of the Year (Presented by S.Pellegrino® Sparkling Natural Mineral Water)
Will Aghajanian and Liz Johnson, The Catbird Seat, Nashville
Irene Li, Mei Mei, Boston
Gaby Maeda, State Bird Provisions, San Francisco
Ashleigh Shanti, Benne on Eagle, Asheville, NC
Paola Velez, Kith/Kin, Washington, D.C.
Jon Yao, Kato, Los Angeles
Best Chefs (Presented by Capital One)
Best Chef: California
Jeremy Fox, Birdie G's, Santa Monica, CA
Brandon Jew, Mister Jiu's, San Francisco
Mourad Lahlou, Mourad, San Francisco
Joshua Skenes, Angler, San Francisco
Pim Techamuanvivit, Kin Khao, San Francisco
Best Chef: Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH)
Jason Hammel, Lula Cafe, Chicago
Gene Kato, Momotaro, Chicago
Noah Sandoval, Oriole, Chicago
John Shields and Karen Urie Shields, Smyth, Chicago
Erick Williams, Virtue, Chicago
Lee Wolen, Boka, Chicago
Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (D.C., DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)
Amy Brandwein, Centrolina, Washington, D.C.
Nicholas Elmi, Laurel, Philadelphia
Cristina Martinez, South Philly Barbacoa, Philadelphia
Jon Sybert, Tail Up Goat, Washington, D.C.
Cindy Wolf, Charleston, Baltimore
Best Chef: Midwest (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI)
Steven Brown, Tilia, Minneapolis
Michael Corvino, Corvino Supper Club & Tasting Room, Kansas City, MO
Michael Gallina, Vicia, St. Louis
Jamie Malone, Grand Café, Minneapolis
Christina Nguyen, Hai Hai, Minneapolis
Best Chef: Mountain (CO, ID, MT, UT, WY)
Carrie Baird, Bar Dough, Denver
Jen Castle and Blake Spalding, Hell's Backbone Grill & Farm, Boulder, UT
Jeff Drew, Snake River Grill, Jackson, WY
Caroline Glover, Annette, Aurora, CO
Dana Rodriguez, Super Mega Bien, Denver
Kelly Whitaker, The Wolf's Tailor, Denver
Best Chef: New York State
Sean Gray, Momofuku Ko, NYC
Brooks Headley, Superiority Burger, NYC
Junghyun Park, Atomix, NYC
Daniela Soto-Innes, ATLA, NYC
Alex Stupak, Empellón, NYC
Best Chef: Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT)
Vien Dobui, CÔNG TỬ BỘT, Portland, ME
Tiffani Faison, Orfano, Boston
Ben Jackson, Drifters Wife, Portland, ME
Krista Kern Desjarlais, The Purple House, North Yarmouth, ME
Greg Mitchell and Chad Conley, Palace Diner, Biddeford, ME
Cassie Piuma, Sarma, Somerville, MA
Best Chef: Northwest & Pacific (AK, HI, OR, WA)
Peter Cho, Han Oak, Portland, OR
Gregory Gourdet, Departure, Portland, OR
Chris Kajioka and Anthony Rush, Senia, Honolulu
Katy Millard, Coquine, Portland, OR
Kristen Murray, MÅURICE, Portland, OR
Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi, Joule, Seattle
Best Chef: South (AL, AR, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, FL, LA, MS)
Jose Enrique, Jose Enrique, San Juan, PR
Michael Gulotta, Maypop, New Orleans
Mason Hereford, Turkey and the Wolf, New Orleans
Isaac Toups, Toups' Meatery, New Orleans
Best Chef: Southeast (GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV)
Katie Button, Cúrate, Asheville, NC
Cassidee Dabney, The Barn at Blackberry Farm, Walland, TN
Cheetie Kumar, Garland, Raleigh, NC
Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman, Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen, Memphis
Julia Sullivan, Henrietta Red, Nashville
Best Chef: Southwest (AZ, NM, NV, OK)
Dan Krohmer, Other Mama, Las Vegas
Jonathan Perno, Campo at Los Poblanos Historic Inn & Organic Farm, Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, NM
Chrysa Robertson, Rancho Pinot, Scottsdale, AZ
Silvana Salcido Esparza, Barrio Café Gran Reserva, Phoenix
Jeff Smedstad, Elote Cafe, Sedona, AZ
James Trees, Esther's Kitchen, Las Vegas
Best Chef: Texas
Kevin Fink, Emmer & Rye, Austin
Michael Fojtasek, Olamaie, Austin
Anita Jaisinghani, Pondicheri, Houston
Steve McHugh, Cured, San Antonio
Trong Nguyen, Crawfish & Noodles, Houston
Through its Open for Good campaign, the Foundation is working to help the independent restaurant industry survive the COVID-19 crisis and come back stronger, more equitable, and more resilient. The Foundation’s vision is an industry in which everyone has an equal opportunity to thrive. Learn more about Open for Good.
