Chicago scores 11 nominations at this year's James Beard Awards

Chicago is making itself known in this year’s James Beard Awards. Eleven local chefs and restaurants are on the semifinalist list! The James Beard Foundation® announced today its 2023 Restaurant and Chef Awards Semifinalists in advance of the James Beard Awards® presented by Capital One. The full list of 2023 Restaurant and Chef Awards Semifinalists can be found here and on the James Beard Foundation website. Nominees will be announced on Wednesday, March 29, and winners will be celebrated at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards Ceremony on Monday, June 5, 2023, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Smyth, Obelix and Khmai Cambodian Fine Dining are among the 11 Chicagoland restaurants named as semifinalists. Damarr Brown, chef de cuisine at Virtue, is among semifinalists for Emerging Chef. (Virtue’s chef and owner, Erick Williams, won a James Beard Award last year for Best Chef: Great Lakes.) Other local highlights include Sepia, a semifinalist in the Outstanding Hospitality category, and All Together Now, which is up for Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program. Five Chicago restaurants made the cut (out of 20) for Best Chef: Great Lakes: Diana Dávila Boldin (Mi Tocaya Antojería), Thai Dang (HaiSous), Paul Fehribach (Big Jones), Tim Flores and Genie Kwon (Kasama) and Zubair Mohajir (Wazwan).

 In the Best New Restaurant category, two Chicago candidates will vie for the honor: Obelix, the French restaurant from brothers Oliver and Nicolas Poilevey; and Khmai Cambodian Fine Dining. (See Eater’s list of 25 Best New Restaurants in Chicago.)

“Congratulations to all our 2023 James Beard Award Semifinalists! This is always an exhilarating moment as we kick off the Awards cycle and recognize the outstanding achievements of individuals and teams across the country,” said Clare Reichenbach, CEO of the James Beard Foundation. “After a year of fundamental changes, we look forward to building on the progress made, celebrating those paving a better future for us all—through their talent and craft, service to others, and commitment to a better, more sustainable industry. We look forward to sharing more exciting details for the 2023 ceremonies in the coming days.”

The James Beard Awards, considered to be among the nation’s most prestigious honors exceptional talent in the culinary and food media industries, as well as a demonstrated commitment to racial and gender equity, community, sustainability, and a culture where all can thrive.

“Congratulations to our 2023 Semifinalists. It is exciting to see deserving talent across the industry be recognized for their achievement—and that the changes we made to our policies and procedures are still bearing fruit,” said Tanya Holland, Chair of the James Beard Awards Committee, James Beard Foundation Board of Trustee. “I am honored to be part of a program that can have a positive effect on so many.”

“We are so thrilled to recognize this year’s Restaurant and Chef Awards Semifinalists, a truly diverse group of talented individuals across the culinary industry,” said Adrian Miller, Restaurant and Chef Awards Committee Chair.

The James Beard Foundation’s Restaurant and Chef Awards—established in 1990 and first awarded in 1991—are one of five separate recognition programs of the Awards. This Awards program celebrates excellence across a range of experiences, from fine-dining establishments to casual gems, and emerging talents to established masters. The 2023 Restaurant and Chef Semifinalists are recognized across 23 categories, including the new Award for Outstanding Bakery.