THE JAMES BEARD AWARDS STRUCTURE AND GOVERNANCE  

The James Beard Awards consist of the following recognition programs: Media Awards (Book, Broadcast Media, Journalism), Restaurant and Chef Awards, and Achievement Awards which include: Lifetime Achievement and Humanitarian of the Year Awards. The Leadership Awards were retired after the 2024 Awards cycle.

The Media, Restaurant and Chef, Lifetime Achievement and Humanitarian of the Year are operated by independent volunteer members of the media, culinary, beverage, hospitality, and the broader culinary ecosystem.   

The James Beard Foundation is introducing Beverage Awards categories over the next few years, with the goal of acknowledging the beverage industry in a more holistic way. For the 2025 Awards cycle, the Foundation is rolling out three new beverage categories under the Restaurant and Chef Awards.

 

STRUCTURE

Click here to see how the Awards are structured.

Awards Committee: Together and in consultation with the Foundation and its staff, the Awards Committee has oversight of and administers the James Beard Awards. The Awards Committee reviews and approves all prospective subcommittee members and judge; votes on the Lifetime Achievement and Humanitarian of the Year Award; and reviews and approves all policy, eligibility and criteria changes put forth by the Subcommittees. Members include chairpersons of each Awards program, Board of Trustees members and at-large food, beverage, media and related industries.  

Awards Subcommittees + Judges: Each Awards program is administered by an independent volunteer subcommittee, together and in consultation with the Foundation and its representatives. Each subcommittee administers their respective programs; they recommend and select new subcommittee members and judges.  

Subcommittees’ names are published on this website. Judges are invited to apply annually.  Judges’ names are published on the website at the end of each cycle. Assigned categories are not revealed. 

The James Beard Foundation and its Board of Trustees has jurisdiction over all Awards programs. Members of the Board of Trustees do not vote, except where indicated. Foundation staff do not vote. As appropriate and based on strategy alignment, the Board may direct the Awards Committee and the subcommittees to include or exclude any Awards category, or to modify, amend or replace the criteria applicable to any Awards category.

2025 Awards Committee:

  •     Chair, Elizabeth Falkner, Chef/Creative/Maker, Trustee  
  •     Vice-Chair, Duskie Estes, black pig meat co., Farm to Pantry Bay Area Ranchers Cooperative
  •     Jeff Cherry, Founder, CEO, and Executive Director, Conscious Venture Lab; Managing General Partner, Conscious Venture Partners, LLC; Founder, CEO, and Managing Partner, The Porter Group, LLC, Trustee
  •     Cynthia Graubart, Broadcast Media Awards Committee Chair; Cookbook Author; Former Culinary Television Producer
  •     Tahiirah Habibi, The Hue Society
  •     Richard Hull, CEO, Miso Robotics
  •     Bill Kim, Urban Belly Restaurants
  •     André Natera, Chef; Author, Podcast Host; Chef’s PSA
  •     Rochelle Oliver, Journalism Awards Committee Chair; Founder/Managing Editor, islandandspice.com
  •     Lauren Saria, Restaurant & Chef Committee Co-Chair;  Deputy Food Editor, The San Francisco Standard
  •     Jessamyn Waldman Rodriguez, Managing Director, Common Era; Founder, Hot Bread Kitchen; and Author

 

James Beard Awards Programs

Media Awards

Click here for information on the voting process for all Media awards.

Media Awards subcommittee members and its judges are experts in their respective fields. Judges are recommended by each subcommittee, Awards Committee, and the Foundation. Subcommittee members assign six judges per category, where the judge has no conflict. Subcommittee members do not vote except for committee-chosen awards.

 

Book Awards
The Book Awards that are administered by the James Beard Foundation were started in 1966 by French’s Mustard as the R. T. French Tastemaker Awards. They were administered briefly and in turn by Duncan Hines, Joseph E. Seagram & Sons, and the International Association of Culinary Professionals. The James Beard Foundation brought them into the fold in 1990.

2025 Book Awards Subcommittee

  • Chair, Nancie McDermott, Head, Nancie's Table
  • Vice-Chair, Genevieve Villamora, Restaurateur and Writer
  • Cheryl Day, Entrepreneur, Baker, Author, TV and Radio Host; Founder, Southern Restaurants for Racial Justice
  • Rebekah Denn, Contributor, The Seattle Times and other Publications, Editor of PCC Community Markets Sound Consumer Newspaper
  • Cynthia Greenlee, Historian, Writer, Journalist and Deputy Editor, Special Series at The Guardian
  • Jenny Hartin, Director of Publicity, Review Writer and Indexing Manager, Eat Your Books
  • Irvin Lin, Writer, Photographer, Recipe Developer, Blogger, Influencer
  • Therese Nelson, Founder, Black Culinary History
  • Erica Skolnik, Global Bakery Senior Culinary Program Manager, Whole Foods Market
  • Louiie Victa, Chef, Food Photographer, Recipe Developer and Food Stylist; American Photographic Artists

 

Broadcast Media Awards
The Broadcast Media Awards were established in 1993 by the James Beard Foundation.

2025 Broadcast Media Awards Committee

  • Chair, Cynthia Graubart, James Beard Award-Winning Cookbook Author and Culinary Television Producer
  • Vice-Chair, Matthew McIntyre, Owner, Walkup Studio
  • Monti Carlo, Puerto Rican Chef and Food Media Personality
  • Alan Montecillo, Senior Editor, KQED Public Radio
  • Joanna Pleta, Marketing Consultant
  • Pervaiz Shallwani, Journalist and Trained Chef, Associate Director of Dining and Food Culture, Bon Appétit
  • Amy Vogler, Freelance Cookbook Author and Writer, Consultant, Recipe Developer and Taster, Producer of Food Programming for Public Television, and Contributor, Wooden Spoon Kitchen
  • Mia Warren, Managing Director, Feet in 2 Worlds
  • Afi Yellow-Duke, Labor Representative, New York Professional Nurses Union; Formerly Associate Producer, WNYC

 

Journalism Awards
The Journalism Awards were established by the James Beard Foundation in 1992.

2025 Journalism Awards Committee

  • Chair, Rochelle Oliver, Founder and Managing Editor, islandandspice.com
  • Vice-Chair, Brigid Washington, Author and Food Writer
  • Steven Alvarez, Professor, St. John's University
  • Victoria Bouloubasis, Freelance Journalist, Food Writer, and Filmmaker
  • Tracy Brown, Chief Content Officer, Chicago Public Media
  • Von Diaz, Writer and Food Historian
  • Zahir Janmohamed, Assistant Professor of English at Bowdoin College; Co-Founder of the Racist Sandwich Podcast
  • Maura Judkis, Reporter, Washington Post
  • Krishnendu Ray, Professor, NYU
  • John Yearwood, Editorial Director of Diversity and Culture, POLITICO

 

Restaurant and Chef Awards

The Restaurant and Chef Awards were established by the James Beard Foundation in 1990; the first ceremony took place in 1991.

Click here for information on the voting process for the Restaurant and Chef Awards.

Restaurant and Chef Awards subcommittee members and judges possess knowledge of the independent restaurant scene - nationally and in their respective regions—and the expertise to independently evaluate food and beverage. They include food and beverage writers, critics, editors, chefs, restaurateurs and avid diners. Subcommittee members recommend and select judges, with additional recommendations provided by the Awards Committee and the Foundation. Subcommittee members assign judges to visit, taste, and evaluate, and vote on award candidates where the judge has no conflict. Subcommittee members also visit, taste, evaluate, and vote on award candidates where they have no conflict. Subcommittee members and judges receive a dining stipend from the Foundation to facilitate tasting assignments.

2025 Restaurant and Chef Awards Committee

  • Co-Chair, Lauren Saria, Deputy Food Editor, San Francisco Standard
  • Co-Chair, Erinn Tucker, PhD Department Chair & Associate Professor, University of Maryland Eastern Shore
  • Vice-Chair, Adrian Lipscombe, Chef
  • Cedric Angeles, Photographer and Director  
  • Emma Balter, Editor in Chief, Houstonia Magazine
  • Dr. Myron Beasley, Professor, Bates College  
  • Stephanie Burnette, Food and Travel Writer  
  • Felicia Campbell, Food, Dining and Nightlife Editor, The Arizona Republic/Gannett  
  • Gabriel Chabrán, Associate Editor of Food and Culture, LAist
  • Adrienne Cheatham, Chef and Author, Sunday Best
  • Martha Cheng, Writer and Editor  
  • Lindsay Christians, Food Editor, The Capital Times  
  • Liz Cook, Freelance Food Writer  
  • Serena Daniels, City Editor, Eater Detroit  
  • Dawn Davis, Publisher, 37 Ink Books; Executive Editor, Simon Books  
  • Zack Fernandes, Communications Manager, Pop-Up Proprietor, Freelance Journalist
  • Stella Fong, Freelance Writer and Radio Host, Yellowstone Public Radio  
  • Alexa Gagosz, Journalist, Boston Globe  
  • Mary-Frances Heck, Executive Director, Lifestyle Brands at Outside Inc.  
  • Ali Khan, TV Host, Food Writer and Food Blogger
  • Steven Keith, Restaurant Critic and Food Writer, Charleston Gazette-Mail; Senior Content Director, Miles Partnership  
  • Craig LaBan, Restaurant Critic, The Philadelphia Inquirer  
  • Nycci Nellis, CEO, TheListAreYouOnIt.com  
  • Adam Reiner, Food and Drink Writer, The Restaurant Manifesto
  • Brian Schwartz, Author and Food Writer, Oklahoma Magazine  
  • Ashok Selvam, Editor, Eater Chicago  
  • Allecia Vermillion, Vice President of Editorial, SagaCity Media  
  • Laura Young, Founder and Editor, New Denizen

Regions: To remain current with the constantly evolving restaurant demographics across the country, every few years the James Beard Foundation takes a deeper look at how its Awards regions are distributed. Regions were recently redistributed in September 2019 after an in-depth analysis performed with the help of outside data consultants. These regions will remain the same for the 2025 Awards.

2025 Beverage Awards Committee

  • Jennifer Colliau, Founder and Owner, Small Hand Foods and Small Hand Cocktails; Bar Director, Roses on Adeline
  • Tahiirah Habibi, Founder and CEO, The Hue Society
  • Virginia Miller, Dining and Drink Writer and Editor, Freelance
  • Richy Petrina, Founder, Ithaca Wine Ventures

 

Achievement Awards

The James Beard Awards comprises three achievement Awards: the Lifetime Achievement and Humanitarian of the Year Awards, administered by the Awards Committee, and the Impact Awards, administered by the Impact Committee of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees.

All subcommittee members recommend and vote on candidates for the Lifetime Achievement Awards and Humanitarian of the Year.

The Lifetime Achievement Award is given to an individual whose lifetime body of work has had a positive and long-lasting impact on the way we eat, cook, and/or think about food in America.  

The Humanitarian of the Year Award is given to an individual or organization working in the realm of food who has given selflessly and worked tirelessly to better the lives of others and society at large.  

There is no open call for recommendations for these two awards.  

Click here for information on the voting process for Lifetime Achievement and Humanitarian Awards.

The Impact Awards are the representation of the Foundation’s impact work and priorities. They recognize achievement by individuals and/or organizations who are actively working to push for standards that create a more equitable, sustainable, and economically viable restaurant industry and food system for producers, workers, and consumers alike. The Impact Awards are administered by the Impact Committee of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees and reflect the year’s programmatic priorities.

Nominations come from an Impact Awards Advisory Council, constituted of experts in the food system space and sectors adjacent to the restaurant industry, and from a public open call for recommendations. 

 

JAMES BEARD AWARDS EMERITUS COMMITTEE

The James Beard Awards Emeritus Committee program was created to recognize committee members whose terms have ended, for their contributions to the Awards program.

Emeritus committee members represent a wealth of industry experience across diverse sectors and remain deeply committed to the work we are doing. Members are invited and agree to serve in an advisory capacity and are officially active for two 2-year terms. The Emeritus program, one of the Awards 2021 audit recommendations, is effective as of the 2022 Awards cycle.

2025 Emeritus Committee Members

  • Scott Alves Barton, Food Studio Professor/Chef, New York University (Book Awards Committee)
  • Gustavo Arellano, Feature Reporter, Los Angeles Times (Journalism Awards Committee)
  • Patricia Calhoun, Editor, Westword (Journalism Awards Committee)
  • Hsiao-Ching Chou, Communications Consultant and Author of Chinese Soul Food (Book Awards Committee, Emeritus Chair)
  • Amanda Faison, Freelance Food Writer and Cookbook Editor (Restaurant and Chef Awards Committee)
  • Jenn Harris, Food Columnist, Video Host, and Producer, Los Angeles Times (Restaurant and Chef Awards Committee)
  • Ren LaForme, Managing Editor, The Poynter Institute (Journalism Awards Committee)
  • Mackensy Lunsford, Editor, Southern Kitchen; Food and Culture Storyteller (Restaurant and Chef Awards Committee)
  • Adrian Miller, The Soul Food Scholar (Restaurant and Chef Awards Committee, Emeritus Chair)
  • Nikki Miller-Ka, Senior Food Editor, Gulfshore Life Magazine (Restaurant and Chef Awards Committee)
  • José Ralat, Taco Editor, Texas Monthly (Restaurant and Chef Awards Committee)
  • Jamila Robinson, Editor in Chief, Bon Appétit (Journalism Awards Committee, Emeritus Chair)
  • Ken Rubin, Chief Culinary Officer, Rouxbe (Broadcast Media Awards Committee, Emeritus Chair)
  • Marc Schermerhorn, President’s Circle, Culinary Arts, Art Institute of Seattle (Book Awards Committee, Emeritus Vice-Chair)
  • Jamie Tiampo, President, SeeFood Media (Broadcast Media Awards Committee)
  • Diane Worthington, Author, James Beard Award Winner®, Broadcaster, Tribune Content Agency (Broadcast Media Awards Committee)