Stories / Awards

The 2018 James Beard Award Winners

JBF Editors

May 07, 2018

Search
Recipes

2018 Best Chef South Nina Compton (Photo: Galdones Photography)
2018 Best Chef South Nina Compton (Photo: Galdones Photography)

Here are the winners of the 2018 James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Awards. Congrats to all!

(See who took home medallions at the JBF Media Awards on Friday, April 27.)

--

2018 James Beard Foundation Restaurant Design Awards

75 Seats and Under (For the best restaurant design or renovation in North America since January 1, 2015)
Firm: The MP Shift
Designers: Amy Morris, Anna Polonsky, and Julie Nerenberg
Project: De Maria, NYC

76 Seats and Over (For the best restaurant design or renovation in North America since January 1, 2015)
Firms: Aidlin Darling Design with a l m project
Designers: Joshua Aidlin, David Darling, Adam Rouse, and Andrea Lenardin Madden
Project: In Situ, San Francisco

Design Icon
The American Restaurant
Kansas City, Missouri

 

2018 James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Awards

Best New Restaurant 
JuneBaby
Seattle

Outstanding Baker (Presented by Taylor Precision Products)
Belinda Leong and Michel Suas
B. Patisserie
San Francisco

Outstanding Bar Program (Presented by Woodford Reserve Bourbon)
Cure
New Orleans

Outstanding Chef (Presented by All-Clad Metalcrafters)
Gabrielle Hamilton
Prune
NYC

Outstanding Pastry Chef (Presented by Lavazza)
Dolester Miles
Highlands Bar & Grill
Birmingham, AL 

Outstanding Restaurant (Presented by S.Pellegrino® Sparkling Natural Mineral Water)
Highlands Bar & Grill
Birmingham, AL 

Outstanding Restaurateur
Caroline Styne
The Lucques Group (Lucques, a.o.c., Tavern, and others) 
Los Angeles

Outstanding Service 
Zuni Café
San Francisco

Outstanding Wine Program (Presented by Robert Mondavi Winery)
FIG
Charleston, SC

Outstanding Wine, Spirits, or Beer Professional 
Miljenko Grgich
Grgich Hills Estate
Rutherford, CA

Rising Star Chef of the Year (Presented by S.Pellegrino® Sparkling Natural Mineral Water)
Camille Cogswell
Zahav
Philadelphia 

Best Chef: Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH)
Abraham Conlon
Fat Rice
Chicago

Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (D.C., DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)
Jeremiah Langhorne
The Dabney
Washington, D.C. 

Best Chef: Midwest (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI)
Gavin Kaysen
Spoon and Stable
Minneapolis

Best Chef: New York City (Five Boroughs)
Missy Robbins
Lilia
Brooklyn, NY 

Best Chef: Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, NY STATE, RI, VT)
Karen Akunowicz
Myers + Chang
Boston

Best Chef: Northwest (AK, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY)
Edouardo Jordan
Salare
Seattle

Best Chef: South (AL, AR, FL, LA, MS, PR)
Nina Compton
Compère Lapin
New Orleans

Best Chef: Southeast (GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV)
Rodney Scott
Rodney Scott’s BBQ
Charleston, SC

Best Chef: Southwest (AZ, CO, NM, OK, TX, UT)
Alex Seidel
Mercantile Dining & Provision
Denver

Best Chef: West (CA, HI, NV)
Dominique Crenn
Atelier Crenn
San Francisco 

 

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, NY

 

2018 James Beard Foundation America’s Classics (Presented by TABASCO® Sauce)

Sun Wah 
Chicago, IL 
Owners: Kelly Cheng, Laura Cheng and Michael Cheng
 
Galleria Umberto
Boston, MA 
Owners: Paul Deuterio and Ralph Deuterio 
 
Los Hernandez
Union Gap, WA 
Owner: Felipe Hernandez
 
El Guero Canelo 
Tucson, AZ 
Owner: Daniel Contreras 
 
Dong Phuong Bakery
New Orleans, LA 
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

--

Read the full press release.

The 2018 James Beard Awards are proudly hosted by Choose Chicago and the Illinois Restaurant Association and presented in association with Chicago O’Hare and Midway International Airports, as well as the following partners: Premier Sponsors: All-Clad Metalcrafters, American Airlines, HMSHost, HOODZ: a BELFOR Company, Illinois Office of Tourism, Lavazza, S.Pellegrino®Sparkling Natural Mineral Water, TABASCO® Sauce, Woodford Reserve Bourbon; Supporting Sponsors: Breville®, Corporate Essentials, Hyatt, National Restaurant Association™, Robert Mondavi Winery, Skuna Bay Salmon, Taylor Precision Products, Valrhona, Windstar Cruises; Gala Reception Sponsors: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Ecolab, Front of the House®, Kendall College, Mercedes-Benz; with additional support from: Chefwear, Emmi Roth, Loacker, and VerTerra Dinnerware.

Learn more about the James Beard Awards.

Want to get breaking James Beard Awards news and more? Subscribe to the James Beard Awards newsletter.