A chef from Ethiopia who studied psychology before pursing a career in cooking, and a restaurant in New Orleans with a contemporary Senegalese tasting menu are two of the eateries and chefs selected as finalists for the esteemed James Beard Awards.
In Washington, DC, on Wednesday, the Restaurant and Chef Awards finalists were revealed. The Lyric Opera in Chicago will host a ceremony on June 10th to reveal the winners.
Fariyal Abdullahi, the executive chef of Hav & Mar in New York, is one of the five finalists in the Emerging Chef category. After finishing with a degree in psychology, Abdullahi took a different route that took him to the Culinary Institute of America and Noma in Copenhagen, where he eventually joined the seafood-focused Hav & Mar restaurant, owned by Chef Marcus Samuelsson.
Another cook who had a difficult journey to become a chef has joined Abdullahi in the category. Masako Morishita moved to Washington, DC in order to support the Washington Commanders as a cheerleader. At Perry’s, the up-and-coming chef is now serving Japanese comfort food to patrons.
Finalist Dakar NOLA, in the Best New Restaurant category, creates a seasonal seven-course pescatarian menu that combines flavors from Chef Serigne Mbaye’s West African background with ingredients from New Orleans.
Dean Neff of Seabird in Wilmington, North Carolina, and Sarah Minnick of Lovely’s Fifty Fifty in Portland, Oregon, are this year’s finalists for Outstanding Chef.
In the Outstanding Restaurant category, two Texas finalists will be selected from Texas. Convenience West, a West Texas barbecue joint in Marfa, and Mixtri in San Antonio, which is described as “progressive Mexican culinaria.”
The nonprofit James Beard Foundation was founded shortly after the death of “pioneer foodie” James Beard for more than 30 years with the goal of “to celebrate, support and elevate the people behind America’s food culture.” was established before.
Beard hosted his first television gourmet show, “I Love to Eat,” on Network Network in 1946, and in 1954 he was named “Dean of American Cookery” by the New York Times.
The foundation, which has been controversial in recent years, introduced new policies and procedures and a new code of ethics in 2022 following allegations of poor conduct and a lack of diversity among its chefs.
The first award ceremony took place in his 1991 year.
2024 Restaurant and Chef Awards finalists
Outstanding Restaurateur
- Mamba Hamissi and Nadia Nijimbere, Baobab Fare, Detroit, MI
- Quynh-Vy and Yenvy Pham, Phở Bắc Súp Shop, Phởcific Standard Time, and The Boat, Seattle, WA
- Chris Viaud, Greenleaf, Ansanm, and Pavilion, Milford and Wolfeboro, NH
- Hollis Wells Silverman, Eastern Point Collective (The Duck & The Peach, La Collina, The Wells, and others), Washington, D.C.
- Erika Whitaker and Kelly Whitaker, ID EST (The Wolf’s Tailor, BRUTØ, Basta, and others), Boulder, CO
Outstanding Chef
- Sarah Minnick, Lovely’s Fifty Fifty, Portland, OR
- Dean Neff, Seabird, Wilmington, NC
- Michael Rafidi, Albi, Washington, D.C.
- Renee Touponce, The Port of Call, Mystic, CT
- David Uygur, Lucia, Dallas, TX
Outstanding Restaurant
- The Compound, Santa Fe, NM
- Convenience West, Marfa, TX
- Langbaan, Portland, OR
- Mixtli, San Antonio, TX
- Vestige, Ocean Springs, MS
Emerging Chef
- Fariyal Abdullahi, Hav & Mar, New York, NY
- Janet Becerra, Pancita, Seattle, WA
- Nikko Cagalanan, Kultura, Charleston, SC
- Ryan Fernandez, Southern Junction, Buffalo, NY
- Masako Morishita, Perry’s, Washington, D.C.
Best New Restaurant
- Bar Bacetto, Waitsburg, WA
- Barbs-B-Q, Lockhart, TX
- Chez Noir, Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
- Comfort Kitchen, Dorchester, MA
- Dakar NOLA, New Orleans, LA
- Hayward, McMinnville, OR
- Kaya, Orlando, FL
- Kisser, Nashville, TN
- Oro by Nixta, Minneapolis, MN
- Shan, Bozeman, MT
Outstanding Bakery
- The Burque Bakehouse, Albuquerque, NM
- Gusto Bread, Long Beach, CA
- JinJu Patisserie, Portland, OR
- Mel the Bakery, Hudson, NY
- ZU Bakery, Portland, ME
Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker
- Susan Bae, Moon Rabbit, Washington, D.C.
- Jesus Brazon and Manuel Brazon, Caracas Bakery, Doral and Miami, FL
- Atsuko Fujimoto, Norimoto Bakery, Portland, ME
- Crystal Kass, Valentine, Phoenix, AZ
- Anna Posey, Elske, Chicago, IL
Outstanding Hospitality
- Crawford and Son, Raleigh, NC
- Gemma, Dallas, TX
- Lula Cafe, Chicago, IL
- Melba’s, New York, NY
- Woodford Food & Beverage, Portland, ME
Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
- Lula Drake Wine Parlour, Columbia, SC
- The Morris, San Francisco, CA
- Strong Water Anaheim, Anaheim, CA
- Tail Up Goat, Washington, D.C.
- Waxlight Bar à Vin, Buffalo, NY
Outstanding Bar
- Barr Hill Cocktail Bar, Montpelier, VT
- Clavel Mezcaleria, Baltimore, MD
- Jewel of the South, New Orleans, LA
- Las Ramblas, Brownsville, TX
- Pacific Cocktail Haven, San Francisco, CA
Best Chefs (by region)
Best Chef: California
- Geoff Davis, Burdell, Oakland, CA
- Rogelio Garcia, Auro, Calistoga, CA
- Lord Maynard Llera, Kuya Lord, Los Angeles, CA
- Tara Monsod, Animae, San Diego, CA
- Buu “Billy” Ngo, Kru, Sacramento, CA
Best Chef: Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH)
- Vinnie Cimino, Cordelia, Cleveland, OHJose Salazar, Mita’s, Cincinnati, OH
- Sujan Sarkar, Indienne, Chicago, IL
- Hajime Sato, Sozai, Clawson, MI
- Jenner Tomaska, Esmé, Chicago, IL
Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)
- Tony Conte, Inferno Pizzeria Napoletana, Darnestown, MD
- Jesse Ito, Royal Sushi & Izakaya, Philadelphia, PA
- Matt Kern, One Coastal, Fenwick Island, DE
- Harley Peet, Bas Rouge, Easton, MD
- Kevin Tien, Moon Rabbit, Washington, D.C.
Best Chef: Midwest (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI)
- Ann Ahmed, Khâluna, Minneapolis, MN
- Rob Connoley, Bulrush, St. Louis, MO
- Dan Jacobs and Dan Van Rite, EsterEv, Milwaukee, WI
- Christina Nguyen, Hai Hai, Minneapolis, MN
- Tim Nicholson, The Boiler Room, Omaha, NE
Best Chef: Mountain (CO, ID, MT, UT, WY)
- Brandon Cunningham, Social Haus, Greenough, MT
- Ali Sabbah, Mazza Cafe, Salt Lake City, UT
- Matt Vawter, Rootstalk, Breckenridge, CO
- Penelope Wong, Yuan Wonton, Denver, CO
- Nick Zocco, Urban Hill, Salt Lake City, UT
Best Chef: New York State
- Nasim Alikhani, Sofreh, Brooklyn, NY
- Atsushi Kono, Kono, New York, NY
- Chris Mauricio, Harana Market, Accord, NY
- Charlie Mitchell, Clover Hill, Brooklyn, NY
- Jeremy Salamon, Agi’s Counter, Brooklyn, NY
Best Chef: Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT)
- Conor Dennehy, Talulla, Cambridge, MA
- Maria Meza, Dolores, Providence, RI
- David Standridge, The Shipwright’s Daughter, Mystic, CT
- Jake Stevens, Leeward, Portland, ME
- Cara Tobin, Honey Road, Burlington, VT
Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific (AK, HI, OR, WA)
- Avery Adams, Matia Kitchen, Orcas Island, WA
- Kristi Brown, Communion, Seattle, WA
- Josh Dorcak, MÄS, Ashland, OR
- Gregory Gourdet, kann, Portland, OR
- Melissa Miranda, Musang, Seattle, WA
Best Chef: Southeast (GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV)
- Jamie Davis, The Hackney, Washington, NC
- Rod Lassiter and Parnass Savang, Talat Market, Atlanta, GA
- James London, Chubby Fish, Charleston, SC
- Robbie Robinson, City Limits Barbeque, West Columbia, SC
- Paul Smith, 1010 Bridge, Charleston, WV
Best Chef: South (AL, AR, FL, LA, MS, PR)
- Valerie Chang, Maty’s, Miami, FL
- Hunter Evans, Elvie’s, Jackson, MS
- Gabriel Hernandez, Verde Mesa, San Juan, PR
- Carlos Portela, Orujo, San Juan, PR
- Arvinder Vilkhu, Saffron, New Orleans, LA
Best Chef: Southwest (AZ, NM, NV, OK)
- Rene Andrade, Bacanora, Phoenix, AZ
- Jeff Chanchaleune, Ma Der Lao Kitchen, Oklahoma City, OK
- Steve Kestler, Aroma Latin American Cocina, Henderson, NV
- Steve Riley, Mesa Provisions, Albuquerque, NM
- Eduardo Rodriguez, Zacatlán, Santa Fe, NM
Best Chef: Texas
- Emmanuel Chavez, Tatemó, Houston, TX
- Christopher Cullum, Cullum’s Attaboy, San Antonio, TX
- Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel, Birdie’s, Austin, TX
- Misti Norris, Petra & the Beast, Dallas, TX
- Ana Liz Pulido, Ana Liz Taqueria, Mission, TX