The 2026 James Beard Awards are always hotly anticipated across the industry, but this year The Local Palate was possibly even more invested because of the number of Southern chefs, restaurants, and beverage professionals in national categories, from Outstanding Restaurant (Nashville’s The Catbird Seat and Mixtli in San Antonio) to Best New Restaurant (Merci in Charleston) to Outstanding Hospitality (Aria in Atlanta and Bottega in Birmingham). But competition was fierce, and awards in those categories went to other regions of the country.
Still, the South was strongly represented, with Adrian Torres of Maximo (West University Place, Texas) kicking off the awards as Emerging Chef with a moving acceptance speech about his Latinx community and his Mexican immigrant parents. “Today, standing on this stage, I want to say something that I never thought my younger self would say: I am proud to be the son of immigrants. Tonight I refuse to let fear be the headline.” He then expressed his thanks in Spanish to those who had provided support along the way.
Immigration was the theme of the evening almost as much as food. Both Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker and Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson spoke with pride about the diversity of the Illinois dining scene. “Illinois was built by generations of families from every corner of the world, like mine from Ukraine,” Pritzker said, “carrying recipes and traditions and stories with them. Many of these communities have been under siege from the president of the United States. I will always stand against attacks on these communities.”
Chefs across the board shared the stories of how their heritage and their food are inseparable. Loryn Nalic, who was visibly overwhelmed with emotion as she accepted the award for Best Chef: Midwest, spoke of how war had separated her family and that her restaurant, Balkan Treat Box, which serves Balkan and Bosnian food, had brought them back together. LA-based organization No Us Without You was recognized as Humanitarian of the Year for its work since Covid providing food and resources for undocumented hospitality workers.
Susan Bae of Washington, DC’s Moon Rabbit, who won Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker, shared in her acceptance speech, “As a Korean American chef, this award means something bigger than myself. Representation matters. Being invited into the room matters. It’s more than visibility: It’s belonging.” Afterward, she told us, “Gratitude tops the list, to be here to celebrate great chefs from around America and some that are inspirations to me.”
And Evelyn Garcia, who won Best Chef: Texas along with her partner at JŪN, Henry Lu, shared that if she’d learned anything from opening the restaurant, it is that “there’s room for everyone, there’s a space to tell our story, and that it’s meant to be heard.”
Winners or not, Southern food professionals we spoke to evidenced that their focus is, as always, on representing their own unique stories, supporting their communities, and continuing to build.
Tavel Bristol-Joseph, owner and pastry chef at Emmer & Rye hospitality, who was nominated for Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker at Nicōsi, a MICHELIN-starred dessert bar in San Antonio, said the nomination itself was a “lifetime achievement” of his 27-year career. He told us that the awards “show a light to people who haven’t heard of us, which in this climate is definitely necessary.”
Best Chef: Texas finalist Ope Amosu (ChòpnBlọk, Houston), shared, “To me it’s more about making sure I’m advocating and representing my culture, what I believe, my community. For us to be able to have our name and see our culture on this type of stage, it’s a win. We’re still going to be doing us every single time.”
And E.J. Lagasse, Emerging Chef finalist for Emeril’s in New Orleans, told us, “What a room to be in—it brings real joy.” When asked what was next for him, he said he was headed back to New Orleans: “We’ll get right back to it.”
A Moment With the James Beard Awards Winners
Best Chef: South: Serigne Mbaye, Dakar Nola, New Orleans
Before the ceremony Effie Richardson, co-owner of Dakar Nola, revealed that their new, larger location, which they moved into just three weeks ago, “allows us to tell our story more. It feels more true to who we are as a brand and as an identity. We look forward to growing in that space, growing our pastry program, our beverage program, and building a legacy for ourselves and for New Orleans as well, rooted in West African food and hospitality.”
After his win, Mbaye told us that he felt amazing and honored that his story was able to reach a larger audience and shared that he was excited to invite more people into his new space. As for what’s next, “Follow me on social media because I’m a very impulsive person; I do think very spontaneously.”
Best Chef: Southeast: Taylor Montgomery, Montgomery Sky Farm, Leicester, North Carolina
“It’s definitely humbling to be in a room filled with so many talented chefs,” said chef Taylor Montgomery before thanking the Beard Foundation not only for recognizing his restaurant but for finding them. “We’re just a small farm in North Carolina,” he said to cheers from the audience. They focus on regenerative farming and preservation of heirloom vegetable varieties that are in danger of being lost. He brought a team of at least a dozen people on stage with him who were volunteers and staff at the farm: “We’re all rooted together here.”
Best Chef: Texas: Evelyn Garcia and Henry Lu, JŪN, Houston
Garcia spoke about her dream of opening a restaurant that “has turned into a space of creativity for our team, a space to showcase our city—Houston, I love you so much! Our amazing city is made from creatives, from first generations like we are. It is a city of dreams and hopes. This is just the beginning.” Lu thanked “our immigrant parents—they invested so much in us and everything we are today is because of them.”
Emerging Chef: Adrian Torres, Maximo, West University Place, Texas
“I kind of just blacked out for the first five seconds,” Torres said after his win with a big smile. “Growing up in the industry, I never aspired to be in the spotlight. I just kept my head down and worked. Over the last year the restaurant has been very fruitful, so I’ve learned to soak it all in and just own it. I get to talk about real things and represent real people.”
Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker: Susan Bae, Moon Rabbit, Washington, DC
Bae shared that being recognized “means having a space to feel like what I do, say, and create matters and is impactful. Maybe someday I can also influence and have an impact on future chefs.” She spoke about being the only woman in the kitchen and that “having an all-woman team is something new I tried at Moon Rabbit. I wanted to create space for my pastry team to lean on each other through communication and collaboration.” She told us that her favorite pastry to make was a choux.
Other Awards
In Wheeling, West Virginia, Figaretti’s Italian Restaurant was selected as one of six America’s Classics.
Southern Smoke Foundation received an Impact Award. Co-founder and chef Chris Shepherd pledged he would continue to dedicate his life to his work with the foundation, which provides food-and-beverage grants and access to no-cost mental health care. “If we can get our industry in a better, safer space mentally and physically then we’ll be in a better world.”
Get to know the chefs
Roots
Serigne Mbaye Talks Senegalese Thieboudienne | Video
In his thieboudienne, chef Serigne Mbaye combines an appreciation for food and with his family’s roots at his New Orleans spot, Dakar Nola.
In the Field
In the Kitchen with Chef EJ Lagasse of Emeril’s | Listen
TLP sat down with EJ Lagasse, Emeril’s son, to discuss his own journey to culinary stardom in his home of New Orleans.
Roots
ChòpnBlọk: A Journey to Connection
The road to Houston’s first fast-casual West African cuisine in ChòpnBlọk was paved with community and intention.
