These Are 2018's James Beard Award Winners

After waiting with bated breath, this year's James Beard Award winners were announced last night in Chicago. Host Carla Hall of The Chew, along with a slew of the culinary world's familiar faces such as Maneet Chauhan and Andrew Zimmern, awarded restaurateurs and chefs for their culinary and design achievements. Female chefs dominated the list with Brooklyn's Missy Robbins and San Francisco's Dominique Crenn, to name a few, taking best regional chefs, while New York's Gabrielle Hamilton won the Outstanding Chef award. The James Beard Foundation streamed the ceremony live on Twitter, complete with red carpet coverage. These are the 2018 winners.

75 Seats and Under

Firm: The MP Shift

Designers: Amy Morris, Anna Polonsky and Julie Nerenberg

Project: De Maria, NYC

76 Seats and Over

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

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The American Restaurant

Kansas City, Missour

Best New RestaurantA 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.

JuneBaby, Seattle

Outstanding Baker (Presented by Taylor Precision Products)

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 a baker or pastry chef for at least five years. 

Belinda Leong and Michel Suas, B. Patisserie, San Francisco

Outstanding Bar Program (Presented by Woodford Reserve Bourbon)A restaurant or bar that demonstrates excellence in cocktail, spirits and/or beer service.

Cure, 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. Eligible candidates must have been working as a chef for the past five years.

Gabrielle Hamilton, Prune, NYC

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 a pastry chef or baker for the past five years. 

Dolester Miles, Highlands Bar & Grill, Birmingham, AL

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. Eligible restaurants must have been in operation 10 or more consecutive years.

Highlands Bar & Grill, Birmingham, AL

Outstanding RestaurateurA working restaurateur who sets high national standards in restaurant operations and entrepreneurship. Candidates must have been in the restaurant business for at least 10 years. Candidates must not have been nominated for a James Beard Foundation chef award in the past five years.

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

Outstanding ServiceA restaurant in operation five or more years that demonstrates high standards of hospitality and service.

Zuni Cafe, San Francisco

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.

FIG, Charleston, SC

Outstanding Wine, Spirits, or Beer ProfessionalA beer, wine, or spirits professional who has made a significant national impact on the restaurant industry.

Miljenko Grgich, Grgich Hills Estate, Rutherford, CA

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.

Camille Cogswell, Zahav, Philadelphia

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)

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, MH, 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, Compere 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