Best Chef: Southeast winner Mashama Bailey (Photo: Galdones Photography)
The 2019 James Beard Awards were filled with everything but the kitchen sink—stirring speeches, bountiful laughter, and lots of celebratory tears. Nominees, winners, presenters, and guests enjoyed a luxurious spread of dishes that honored this special occasion at the gala reception that followed. Now that the champagne has been popped, let's take a peek at some of the photo highlights from the ceremony held at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Zooey Deschanel and JBF Award winner Andrew Zimmern with Jacob Pechenik on the red carpet (Photo: Eliesa Johnson) Chef Ann Kim is overcome with emotion after winning the Best Chef: Midwest Award (Photo: Eliesa Johnson)Master of ceremonies Jesse Tyler Ferguson kept the show moving and delighted the crowd all night (Photo: Kent Miller Studios) Outstanding Pastry Chef Award winner Kelly Fields (Galdones Photography)Mayor Rahm Emanuel enjoys a VIP reception at the 2019 James Beard Awards with the USO of Illinois's active members of the armed forces and Heather Morris of Magellan Corporation, an in-association sponsor of this year's Beard Awards. Magellan Corporation is also a proud supporter of the USO of Illinois and attended the awards with more than 20 active military personnel who joined them for the evening. (Photo Credit: Galdones Photography) Guests packed the Lyric Opera of Chicago during the reception (Photo: Kent Miller Studios) Rising Star Chef winner Kwame Onwuachi accepts his Beard Award (Photo: Kent Miller Studios)Guests enjoyed dishes such as this Passion Fruit–Marinated Ideal Fish White Fish Crudo with Pimento Wood–Smoked Cream by chef Danielle Leoni at the gala reception (Photo: Eliesa Johnson) The Humanitarian of the Year Award went to The Giving Kitchen, a non-profit that provides emergency assistance to food service workers (Photo: Galdones Photography)Outstanding Wine Program Award recipients Yoon Ha and Donghyuk Shin of Benu, San Francisco take a selfie (Galdones Photography)
