NEW YORK, NY (May 2, 2017) – Winners were revealed Monday, May 1, 2017 at the 2017 James Beard Foundation Awards at Lyric Opera of Chicago. During a ceremony hosted by Emmy Award-nominated actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson, awards in the Restaurant and Chef and Restaurant Design categories were presented, as well as a number of special achievement awards, including Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America, Lifetime Achievement, Design Icon, America’s Classics, and Humanitarian of the Year. Winners of the Foundation’s annual Media Awards were presented on April 25, 2017, at a ceremony and dinner at Pier 60 at Chelsea Piers in New York City, hosted by James Beard Award winner, chef, writer, and television personality Andrew Zimmern. A complete list of award winners announced on May 1 can be found at the end of this release. Results from both events can be found at jamesbeard.org/awards.
Highlights from this year’s list of winners include:
- Best New Restaurant: Le Coucou, NYC
- Outstanding Chef: Michael Solomonov, Zahav, Philadelphia
- Outstanding Pastry Chef: Ghaya Oliveira, Daniel, NYC
- Outstanding Restaurant: Topolobampo, Chicago
- Outstanding Restaurateur: Stephen Starr, Starr Restaurants (Le Coucou, Serpico, Upland, and others), Philadelphia
- Rising Star Chef: Zachary Engel, Shaya, New Orleans
Industry leaders from across the country attended the highly anticipated ceremony where the theme of the evening was “Powered by Food,” which celebrated the thrilling ways that technology has strengthened our connections through food, from the blog post that sparks a trend, to the Instagram that inspires us, and the shared images that become our portal to cuisine from far afield. The gala reception chefs, consisting of former James Beard Foundation Award recipients and nominees, shared their cuisine with nearly 2,000 attendees.
Established in 1990, the James Beard Awards recognize culinary professionals for excellence and achievement in their fields and furthers the Foundation’s mission to celebrate, nurture, and honor chefs and other leaders making America's food culture more delicious, diverse, and sustainable for everyone. Each award category has an individual committee made up of industry professionals who volunteer their time to oversee the policies, procedures, and selection of judges for their respective Awards program. All JBF Award winners receive a certificate and a medallion engraved with the James Beard Foundation Awards insignia. There are no cash prizes.
The 2017 James Beard Foundation Awards are proudly hosted by Choose Chicago and the Illinois Restaurant Association and presented in association with the Chicago Department of Aviation, HMSHost, Illinois Office of Tourism, and Mariano's as well as the following partners: Premier Sponsors: All-Clad Metalcrafters, American Airlines, Lavazza, S.Pellegrino® Sparkling Natural Mineral Water, True Refrigeration®; Supporting Sponsors: Breville®, Hyatt, Robert Mondavi Winery, Skuna Bay Salmon, Valrhona; Gala Reception Sponsors: Ecolab, Front of the House®, Kendall College, Windstar Cruises; with additional support from: Chefwear, Creminelli Fine Meats, Emmi Roth, VerTerra Dinnerware.
2017 James Beard Foundation Award Winners
2017 James Beard Foundation Restaurant Design Awards 75 Seats and Under (For the best restaurant design or renovation in North America since January 1, 2014) Firm: AvroKO Designers: Kristina O’Neal, William Harris, Adam Farmerie, and Greg Bradshaw Project: SingleThread, Healdsburg, California
76 Seats and Over (For the best restaurant design or renovation in North America since January 1, 2014) Firm: Meyer Davis Designers: Will Meyer, Gray Davis, and Katie McPherson Project: St. Cecilia, Atlanta
Design Icon Grand Central Oyster Bar and Restaurant NYC
2017 James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Awards
Best New Restaurant (Presented by True Refrigeration®) A restaurant opened in the calendar year before the award will be given that already displays excellence in food, beverage, and service, and that is likely to make a significant impact in years to come. Le Coucou NYC
Outstanding Baker A chef or baker who prepares breads, pastries, or desserts in a retail bakery, and who serves as a national standard-bearer of excellence. Must have been working as a baker or pastry chef for at least five years. Mark Furstenberg Bread Furst Washington, D.C.
Outstanding Bar Program A restaurant or bar that demonstrates excellence in cocktail, spirits, and/or beer service. Arnaud’s French 75 Bar New Orleans
Outstanding Chef (Presented by All-Clad Metalcrafters) A working chef in America whose career has set national industry standards and who has served as an inspiration to other food professionals. Must have been working as a chef for the past five years. Michael Solomonov Zahav Philadelphia
Outstanding Pastry Chef (Presented by Lavazza) A chef or baker who prepares desserts, pastries, or breads in a restaurant, and who serves as a national standard bearer of excellence. Must have been working as a pastry chef or baker for the past five years. Ghaya Oliveira Daniel NYC
Outstanding Restaurant (Presented by S.Pellegrino® Sparkling Natural Mineral Water) A restaurant in the United States that serves as a national standard bearer of consistent quality and excellence in food, atmosphere and service. Must have been in operation 10 or more consecutive years. Topolobampo Chicago
Outstanding Restaurateur A working restaurateur who sets high national standards in restaurant operations and entrepreneurship. Must have been in the restaurant business for at least 10 years. Must not have been nominated for a James Beard Foundation chef award in the past five years. Stephen Starr Starr Restaurants (Le Coucou, Serpico, Upland, and others) Philadelphia
Outstanding Service A restaurant in operation five or more years that demonstrates high standards of hospitality and service. Blue Hill at Stone Barns Pocantico Hills, NY
Outstanding Wine Program (Presented by Robert Mondavi Winery) A restaurant in operation five or more years that serves as a standard bearer for excellence in wine service through a well-presented wine list, knowledgeable staff, and efforts to educate customers about wine. Canlis Seattle
Outstanding Wine, Beer, or Spirits Professional A beer, wine, or spirits professional who has made a significant national impact on the restaurant industry. Sam Calagione Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Milton, DE
Rising Star Chef of the Year (Presented by S.Pellegrino® Sparkling Natural Mineral Water) A chef age 30 or younger who displays an impressive talent and who is likely to make a significant impact on the industry in years to come. Zachary Engel Shaya New Orleans
Best Chefs Chefs who have set new or consistent standards of excellence in their respective regions. Eligible candidates may be from any kind of dining establishment and must have been working as a chef for at least five years, with the three most recent years spent in the region.
Best Chef: Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH) Sarah Grueneberg Monteverde Chicago
Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (D.C., DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA) Greg Vernick Vernick Food & Drink Philadelphia
Best Chef: Midwest (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI) Kevin Nashan Sidney Street Cafe St. Louis
Best Chef: New York City (Five Boroughs) Marco Canora Hearth
Best Chef: Northeast (CT, MA, ME, MH, NY STATE, RI, VT) Andrew Taylor and Mike Wiley Eventide Oyster Co. Portland, ME
Best Chef: Northwest (AK, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY) Gabrielle Quiñónez Denton and Greg Denton Ox Portland, OR
Best Chef: South (AL, AR, FL, LA, MS, PR) Rebecca Wilcomb Herbsaint New Orleans
Best Chef: Southeast (GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV) Steven Satterfield Miller Union Atlanta
Best Chef: Southwest (AZ, CO, NM, OK, TX, UT) Hugo Ortega Hugo’s Houston
Best Chef: West (CA, HI, NV) Corey Lee Benu San Francisco
2017 James Beard Foundation Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America Inductees
Roger Berkowitz President and CEO, Legal Sea Foods Boston
Suzanne Goin Multiple James Beard Award-Winning Chef and Restaurateur, A.O.C., Lucques, and Tavern Los Angeles
Evan Kleiman Culinarian; Host of KCRW’s Good Food Los Angeles
Michel Nischan Multiple James Beard Award-Winning Chef; Founder, President, and CEO, Wholesome Wave Bridgeport, CT
Rajat Parr Domaine de la Cote Lompac, CA
2017 James Beard Foundation America’s Classics
Bertha's Kitchen North Charleston, SC Owners: Julia Grant, Linda Pinckney and Sharon Coakley
Gioia's Deli St. Louis Owner: Alex Donley
La Taqueria San Francisco Owner: Miguel Jara
Sahadi's Brooklyn, NY Owners: Christine Sahadi Whelan, and Ron Sahadi
Schultz's Crab House Essex, MD Owners: Chrissy Burkman, Stephanie Kell, Jason McKinney, Michelle McKinney, Robert A. McKinney Jr., and Stephen McKinney
2017 James Beard Foundation Humanitarian of the Year
Denise Cerreta One World Everybody Eats Salt Lake City
2017 James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award
Nora Pouillon Restaurant Nora Washington, D.C.
