These Are the 2020 James Beard Awards Finalists
The Restaurant and Chef Awards winners will be announced on September 25.
Postponed from March 25, the James Beard Foundation has finally announced the finalists for its annual awards.
The coronavirus pandemic, which has left millions unemployed, has devastated the hospitality industry, and the Twitter livestream announcing this year's nominees recognized the crisis. “Today we acknowledge the accomplishments of all of the people behind these restaurants, and the need for us all to fight for this industry that employs 16 million people and is a vital part of American culture,” the foundation tweeted.
Award categories not only included Restaurant and Chef Awards nominees, but also Media Awards nominees (Books, Broadcast, and Journalism), Design Awards nominees, and Leadership Awards honorees as well. The Humanitarian of the Year award, Lifetime Achievement award, and America’s Classics recipients were all previously announced. This year’s nominees include Kwame Onwuachi, Daniela Soto-Innes, Cassidee Dabney, Missy Robbins, Marc Vetri, David Chang, Roy Choi, Natasha Pickowicz, Jessica Koslow, Junghyun Park, and many, many more—Food & Wine’s own Ray Isle is also nominated, as is Besha Rodell for the World’s Best Restaurants package from Food & Wine and Travel + Leisure.
The winners for the Media Awards will be announced via press release Wednesday, May 27 in lieu of a physical ceremony. The Restaurant and Chef Awards winners will be announced Friday, September 25 from Chicago, also broadcast live via Twitter.
Read on for the full list, courtesy of the James Beard Foundation.
2020 James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Awards
Best New Restaurant
A restaurant opened in the prior calendar year that already demonstrates excellence in cuisine and hospitality, and that is likely to make a significant impact in years to come.
- Automatic Seafood & Oysters, Birmingham, AL
- Demi, Minneapolis
- Eem, Portland, OR
- Fox & the Knife, Boston
- Gado Gado, Portland, OR
- Gianna, New Orleans
- Kalaya, Philadelphia
- Nightshade, Los Angeles
- Pasjoli, Santa Monica, CA
- Verjus, San Francisco
Outstanding Baker
A pastry chef or baker who demonstrates exceptional skill, integrity, and character in the preparation of desserts, pastries, or breads served in a retail bakery. Eligible candidates must have been working as a pastry chef or baker for the past five years.
- Graison Gill, Bellegarde Bakery, New Orleans
- Zachary Golper, Bien Cuit, NYC
- Maura Kilpatrick, Sofra Bakery, Cambridge, MA
- Lisa Ludwinski, Sister Pie, Detroit
- Avery Ruzicka, Manresa Bread, Los Gatos, CA
Outstanding Bar Program
A restaurant or bar that demonstrates exceptional care and skill in the selection, preparation, and serving of cocktails, spirits, and/or beer.
- Anvil Bar & Refuge, Houston
- Expatriate, Portland, OR
- Kimball House, Decatur, GA
- Lost Lake, Chicago
- Trick Dog, San Francisco
Outstanding Chef
A chef who sets high culinary standards and who has served as a positive example for other food professionals. Eligible candidates must have been working as a chef for the past five years.
- David Kinch, Manresa, Los Gatos, CA
- Corey Lee, Benu, San Francisco
- Donald Link, Herbsaint, New Orleans
- Missy Robbins, Lilia, NYC
- Ana Sortun, Oleana, Cambridge, MA
- Marc Vetri, Vetri Cucina, Philadelphia
Outstanding Hospitality
A restaurant in operation for five or more years that demonstrates consistency and exceptional thoughtfulness in hospitality and service.
- Brigtsen's, New Orleans
- Canlis, Seattle
- Saison, San Francisco
- Swan Oyster Depot, San Francisco
- Zingerman's Roadhouse, Ann Arbor, MI
Outstanding Pastry Chef
A pastry chef or baker who demonstrates exceptional skill, integrity, and character in the preparation of desserts, pastries, or breads served in a restaurant. Must have been working as a pastry chef or baker for the past five years.
- Lincoln Carson, Bon Temps, Los Angeles
- Juan Contreras, Atelier Crenn, San Francisco
- Margarita Manzke, République, Los Angeles
- Diane Moua, Spoon and Stable, Minneapolis
- Natasha Pickowicz, Flora Bar, NYC
- Miro Uskokovic, Gramercy Tavern, NYC
Outstanding Restaurant
A restaurant that demonstrates consistent excellence in food, atmosphere, service, and operations. Eligible candidates must have been in business 10 or more consecutive years.
- FIG, Charleston, SC
- Frasca Food and Wine, Boulder, CO
- Jaleo, Washington, D.C.
- Pizzeria Bianco, Phoenix
- Quince, San Francisco
Outstanding Restaurateur
A restaurateur who demonstrates creativity in entrepreneurship and integrity in restaurant operations. Eligible candidates must have been in the restaurant business for at least 10 years and they must not have been nominated for a James Beard Foundation chef award in the past five years.
- Paul Bartolotta, The Bartolotta Restaurants, Milwaukee (Ristorante Bartolotta, Harbor House, Lake Park Bistro, and others)
- Jamie Bissonnette and Ken Oringer, JK Food Group, Boston (Little Donkey, Toro, Coppa)
- JoAnn Clevenger, Upperline Restaurant, New Orleans
- Alex Raij and Eder Montero, NYC (La Vara, Saint Julivert Fisherie, Txikito)
- Jason Wang, Xi'an Famous Foods, NYC
Outstanding Wine Program
A restaurant or bar that demonstrates excellence in wine service through a carefully considered wine list and a well-informed approach to helping customers choose and drink wine.
- Bacchanal, New Orleans
- Canard, Portland, OR
- COTE, NYC
- Miller Union, Atlanta
- Night + Market Sahm, Venice, CA
- Spiaggia, Chicago
Outstanding Wine, Beer or Spirits Producer
A beer, wine, or spirits producer who demonstrates consistency and exceptional skill in his or her craft.
- Scott Blackwell and Ann Marshall, High Wire Distilling Co., Charleston, SC
- Cathy Corison, Corison Winery, St. Helena, CA
- Drew Kulsveen, Willett Distillery, Bardstown, KY
- Todd Leopold and Scott Leopold, Leopold Bros., Denver
- Lance Winters, St. George Spirits, Alameda, CA
Rising Star Chef of the Year
A chef age 30 or younger, born on or after January 1 in the year occurring thirty years prior to the award year in which such chef is to be considered for the award (e.g., January 1, 1976 for candidates to be considered in awards year 2006), who displays exceptional talent, character, and leadership ability, and who is likely to make a significant impact in years to come.
- Will Aghajanian and Liz Johnson, The Catbird Seat, Nashville
- Irene Li, Mei Mei, Boston
- Gaby Maeda, State Bird Provisions, San Francisco
- Ashleigh Shanti, Benne on Eagle, Asheville, NC
- Paola Velez, Kith/Kin, Washington, D.C.
- Jon Yao, Kato, Los Angeles
Best Chefs
Chefs who set high culinary standards and also demonstrate integrity and admirable leadership skills in their respective regions. A nominee may be from any kind of dining establishment but must have been working as a chef for at least five years, with the three most recent years spent in the region.
Best Chef: California
- Jeremy Fox, Birdie G's, Santa Monica, CA
- Brandon Jew, Mister Jiu's, San Francisco
- Jessica Koslow, Sqirl, Los Angeles
- Mourad Lahlou, Mourad, San Francisco
- Joshua Skenes, Angler, San Francisco
- Pim Techamuanvivit, Kin Khao, San Francisco
Best Chef: Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH)
- Jason Hammel, Lula Cafe, Chicago
- Gene Kato, Momotaro, Chicago
- Noah Sandoval, Oriole, Chicago
- John Shields and Karen Urie Shields, Smyth, Chicago
- Erick Williams, Virtue, Chicago
- Lee Wolen, Boka, Chicago
Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (D.C., DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)
- Amy Brandwein, Centrolina, Washington, D.C.
- Nicholas Elmi, Laurel, Philadelphia
- Rich Landau, Vedge, Philadelphia
- Cristina Martinez, South Philly Barbacoa, Philadelphia
- Jon Sybert, Tail Up Goat, Washington, D.C.
- Cindy Wolf, Charleston, Baltimore
Best Chef: Midwest (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI)
- Steven Brown, Tilia, Minneapolis
- Michael Corvino, Corvino Supper Club & Tasting Room, Kansas City, MO
- Michael Gallina, Vicia, St. Louis
- Jamie Malone, Grand Café, Minneapolis
- Christina Nguyen, Hai Hai, Minneapolis
Best Chef: Mountain (CO, ID, MT, UT, WY)
- Carrie Baird, Bar Dough, Denver
- Jen Castle and Blake Spalding, Hell's Backbone Grill & Farm, Boulder, UT
- Jeff Drew, Snake River Grill, Jackson, WY
- Caroline Glover, Annette, Aurora, CO
- Dana Rodriguez, Super Mega Bien, Denver
- Kelly Whitaker, The Wolf's Tailor, Denver
Best Chef: New York State
- Sean Gray, Momofuku Ko, NYC
- Brooks Headley, Superiority Burger, NYC
- Junghyun Park, Atomix, NYC
- Daniela Soto-Innes, ATLA, NYC
- Alex Stupak, Empellón, NYC
Best Chef: Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT)
- Vien Dobui, CÔNG TỬ BỘT, Portland, ME
- Tiffani Faison, Orfano, Boston
- Ben Jackson, Drifters Wife, Portland, ME
- Krista Kern Desjarlais, The Purple House, North Yarmouth, ME
- Greg Mitchell and Chad Conley, Palace Diner, Biddeford, ME
- Cassie Piuma, Sarma, Somerville, MA
Best Chef: Northwest & Pacific (AK, HI, OR, WA)
- Peter Cho, Han Oak, Portland, OR
- Gregory Gourdet, Departure, Portland, OR
- Chris Kajioka and Anthony Rush, Senia, Honolulu
- Katy Millard, Coquine, Portland, OR
- Kristen Murray, MÅURICE, Portland, OR
- Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi, Joule, Seattle
Best Chef: South (AL, AR, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, FL, LA, MS)
- Jose Enrique, Jose Enrique, San Juan, PR
- Kristen Essig and Michael Stoltzfus, Coquette, New Orleans
- Michael Gulotta, Maypop, New Orleans
- Mason Hereford, Turkey and the Wolf, New Orleans
- Isaac Toups, Toups' Meatery, New Orleans
Best Chef: Southeast (GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV)
- Katie Button, Cúrate, Asheville, NC
- Cassidee Dabney, The Barn at Blackberry Farm, Walland, TN
- Cheetie Kumar, Garland, Raleigh, NC
- Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman, Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen, Memphis
- Julia Sullivan, Henrietta Red, Nashville
Best Chef: Southwest (AZ, NM, NV, OK)
- Dan Krohmer, Other Mama, Las Vegas
- Jonathan Perno, Campo at Los Poblanos Historic Inn & Organic Farm, Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, NM
- Chrysa Robertson, Rancho Pinot, Scottsdale, AZ
- Silvana Salcido Esparza, Barrio Café Gran Reserva, Phoenix
- Jeff Smedstad, Elote Cafe, Sedona, AZ
- James Trees, Esther's Kitchen, Las Vegas
Best Chef: Texas
- Kevin Fink, Emmer & Rye, Austin
- Michael Fojtasek, Olamaie, Austin
- Anita Jaisinghani, Pondicheri, Houston
- Steve McHugh, Cured, San Antonio
- Trong Nguyen, Crawfish & Noodles, Houston
2020 Leadership Award Honorees
- Phillip and Dorathy E. Barker, Co-Founders, Operation Spring Plant, Inc. (OSP)
- Rosalinda Guillen, Executive Director, Community to Community Development (C2C)
- Abiodun Henderson, Executive Director, The Come Up Project featuring Gangstas to Growers
- Mark and Kerry Marhefka, Owners, Abundant Seafood
- Caleb Zigas, Executive Director, La Cocina
Humanitarian of the Year
Zero Foodprint
Lifetime Achievement
Jessica B. Harris
America’s Classics
Lassis Inn
Little Rock, AR
Owners: Elihue Washington Jr. and Maria Washington
Zehnder’s of Frankenmuth
Frankenmuth, MI
Owners: Al Zehnder, Susan Zehnder, and Martha Zehnder Shelton
Puritan Backroom
Manchester, NH
Owners: Arthur Pappas, Chris Pappas, and Eric Zink
Oriental Mart
Seattle
Owners: Mila Apostol and Joy Apostol
El Taco de Mexico
Denver
Owner: Sasha Zanabria
Vera’s Backyard Bar-B-Que
Brownsville, TX
Owner: Armando Vera
2020 James Beard Foundation Book Awards
For cookbooks and other non-fiction food- or beverage-related books that were published in the U.S. in 2019. Winners, including the Book of the Year Award and the Cookbook Hall of Fame inductee will be announced on Wednesday, May 27, 2020.
American
Books with recipes focused on the cooking or foodways of regions or communities in the United States.
Cook Like a Local: Flavors That Can Change How You Cook and See the World
Chris Shepherd and Kaitlyn Goalen
(Clarkson Potter)
Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking
Toni Tipton-Martin
(Clarkson Potter)
South: Essential Recipes and New Explorations
Sean Brock
(Artisan Books)
Baking and Desserts
Books with recipes focused on breads, pastries, desserts, and other treats.
Dappled: Baking Recipes for Fruit Lovers
Nicole Rucker
(Avery)
Living Bread: Tradition and Innovation in Artisan Bread Making
Daniel Leader and Lauren Chattman
(Avery)
Pastry Love: A Baker's Journal of Favorite Recipes
Joanne Chang
(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Beverage with Recipes
Books focused on recipes for how to make beverages.
Last Call: Bartenders on Their Final Drink and the Wisdom and Rituals of Closing Time
Brad Thomas Parsons
(Ten Speed Press)
The Martini Cocktail: A Meditation on the World's Greatest Drink, with Recipes
Robert Simonson
(Ten Speed Press)
The NoMad Cocktail Book
Leo Robitschek
(Ten Speed Press)
Beverage without Recipes
Beverage-focused books and guides that either don’t contain recipes or that may have minimal recipes but aren’t recipe-centric.
The Complete Guide to Japanese Drinks: Sake, Shochu, Japanese Whisky, Beer, Wine, Cocktails and Other Beverages
Stephen Lyman and Chris Bunting
(Tuttle Publishing)
Red & White: An Unquenchable Thirst for Wine
Oz Clarke
(Little, Brown Book Group)
World Atlas of Wine 8th Edition
Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson
(Mitchell Beazley)
General
Books with recipes that address a broad scope of cooking, not just a single topic, technique or region.
All About Dinner: Simple Meals, Expert Advice
Molly Stevens
(W. W. Norton & Company)
Milk Street: The New Rules: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook
Christopher Kimball
(Voracious)
Where Cooking Begins: Uncomplicated Recipes to Make You a Great Cook
Carla Lalli Music
(Clarkson Potter)
Health and Special Diets
Books with recipes related to health and nutrition, or that address specific health issues, such as allergies or diabetes.
The Beauty Chef Gut Guide: With 90+ Delicious Recipes and Weekly Meal Plans
Carla Oates
(Hardie Grant Books)
Cannelle et Vanille: Nourishing, Gluten-Free Recipes for Every Meal and Mood
Aran Goyoaga
(Sasquatch Books)
Gluten-Free Baking at Home: 102 Foolproof Recipes for Delicious Breads, Cakes, Cookies, and More
Jeffrey Larsen
(Ten Speed Press)
International
Books with recipes focused on food and cooking traditions of countries or regions outside of the United States.
Black Sea: Dispatches and Recipes – Through Darkness and Light
Caroline Eden
(Quadrille Publishing)
Ethiopia: Recipes and Traditions from the Horn of Africa
Yohanis Gebreyesus
(Interlink Publishing)
The Food of Sichuan
Fuchsia Dunlop
(W. W. Norton & Company)
Photography
American Sfoglino: A Master Class in Handmade Pasta
Eric Wolfinger
(Chronicle Books)
Le Corbuffet: Edible Art and Design Classics
Esther Choi
(Prestel)
Oaxaca: Home Cooking from the Heart of Mexico
Quentin Bacon
(Abrams Books)
Reference, History, and Scholarship
Includes manuals, guides, encyclopedias, and books that present research related to food or foodways.
Gandhi’s Search for the Perfect Diet: Eating with the World in Mind
Nico Slate
(University of Washington Press)
A South You Never Ate: Savoring Flavors and Stories from the Eastern Shore of Virginia
Bernard L. Herman
(The University of North Carolina Press)
The Whole Okra: A Seed to Stem Celebration
Chris Smith
(Chelsea Green Publishing)
Restaurant and Professional
Books written by a culinary professional or restaurant chef with recipes that may include advanced cooking techniques, use specialty ingredients, and require professional equipment. This includes culinary arts textbooks.
Dishoom: From Bombay with Love
Shamil Thakrar, Kavi Thakrar, and Naved Nasir
(Bloomsbury Publishing)
Eleven Madison Park: The Next Chapter, Revised and Unlimited Edition
Daniel Humm
(Ten Speed Press)
The Whole Fish Cookbook: New Ways to Cook, Eat and Think
Josh Niland
(Hardie Grant Books)
Single Subject
Books with recipes focused on a single or category of ingredients, a dish, or a method of cooking – such as lobster, seafood, grains, pasta, burgers, or canning. Exceptions: baking and desserts books, vegetable-focused books, health and special diets books, restaurant and professional books, and beverage books should be entered in those respective categories.
From the Oven to the Table: Simple Dishes That Look After Themselves
Diana Henry
(Mitchell Beazley)
Pasta Grannies: The Official Cookbook: The Secrets of Italy's Best Home Cooks
Vicky Bennison
(Hardie Grant Books)
Sour: The Magical Element That Will Transform Your Cooking
Mark Diacono
(Quadrille Publishing)
Vegetable-Focused Cooking
Books that feature recipes for how to prepare and serve vegetables and plant-based ingredients. Books may be vegetarian, vegan, or vegetable-focused with minimal reference to meats.
Ruffage: A Practical Guide to Vegetables
Abra Berens
(Chronicle Books)
Vegetables Illustrated: An Inspiring Guide with 700+ Kitchen-Tested Recipes
Editors at America's Test Kitchen
(America's Test Kitchen)
Whole Food Cooking Every Day: Transform the Way You Eat with 250 Vegetarian Recipes Free of Gluten, Dairy, and Refined Sugar
Amy Chaplin
(Artisan Books)
Writing
Narrative nonfiction books, including memoirs, culinary tourism, investigative journalism, food advocacy, and critical analysis of food and foodways for a general audience.
Eat Like a Fish: My Adventures as a Fisherman Turned Restorative Ocean Farmer
Bren Smith
(Knopf)
Notes from a Young Black Chef: A Memoir
Kwame Onwuachi with Joshua David Stein
(Knopf)
Women on Food: Charlotte Druckman and 115 Writers, Chefs, Critics, Television Stars, and Eaters
Charlotte Druckman
(Abrams Press)
2020 James Beard Foundation Broadcast Media Awards
For radio, television broadcasts, podcasts, webcasts, and documentaries appearing in 2019. Winners will be announced on Wednesday, May 27, 2020.
Audio Program
The Food Programme – The Search for Esiah's Seeds
Airs on: BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds
It Burns: The Scandal-Plagued Race to Breed the World’s Hottest Chili
Airs on: Audible
The Sporkful – When White People Say Plantation
Airs on: iTunes, Sporkful, Spotify, and Stitcher
Audio Reporting
California Foodways – The Curious Second Life of a Prather Ranch Cow: Biomedical Research; Trans Man Finds – and Creates – Refuge in His Family's Small-Town Cafe; Legalizing Cannabis Impacts Food, Farming in Humboldt
Reporter: Lisa Morehouse
Airs on: KQED, California Foodways, iTunes, Google Play, Radio Public, SoundCloud, and Stitcher
Food Actually – Junk Food Actually
Reporter: Tamar Adler
Airs on: Luminary
Gravy – Mahalia Jackson’s Glori-Fried Chicken
Reporter: Betsy Shepherd
Airs on: southernfoodways.org and iTunes
Documentary
Harvest Season
Airs on: PBS
Nothing Fancy: Diana Kennedy
Airs on: Premiered at SXSW in March 2019
That's My Jazz
Airs on: Vimeo
Online Video, Fixed Location and/or Instructional
Chef Studio: The Crumby Bits – Cricket Macarons
Airs on: YouTube
Grace Young – Wok Therapist
Airs on: GraceYoung.com and YouTube
Ready Jet Cook - How to Make Pad Thai with Jet Tila
Airs on: FoodNetwork.com and YouTube
Online Video, on Location
Eat, Drink, Share, Puerto Rico Food – El Burén de Lula
Airs on: YouTube
Handmade – How Knives Are Made for New York's Best Restaurants; How a Ceramics Master Makes Plates for Michelin-Starred Restaurants
Airs on: Eater and YouTube
In Real Life – Why Eating This Fish Could Save Coral Reefs
Airs on: YouTube and AJ+
Outstanding Personality/Host
Alton Brown
Good Eats: The Return
Airs on: Food Network
David Chang
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Airs on: Netflix
Roy Choi
Broken Bread with Roy Choi
Airs on: Tastemade and KCET
Television Program, in Studio or Fixed Location
Good Eats: The Return – American Classic: Chicken Parm
Airs on: Food Network
Lidia's Kitchen – Trattoria Favorites
Airs on: PBS
Pati's Mexican Table – A Local's Tour of Culiacán
Airs on: WETA; distributed nationally by American Public Television
Television Program, on Location
Chef's Table – Asma Khan
Airs on: Netflix
Las Crónicas del Taco (Taco Chronicles) – Canasta
Airs on: Netflix
Street Food – Bangkok, Thailand
Airs on: Netflix
Visual and Audio Technical Excellence
Chef's Table
Adam Bricker, Chloe Weaver, and Will Basanta
Airs on: Netflix
Street Food
Alexander D. Paul, Matthew Chavez, and Shane Reed
Airs on: Netflix
The Taste of Place – Wild Rice
Jesse Roesler and Kevin Russell
Airs on: Vimeo
Visual Reporting (on TV or Online)
Fork the System – Moro Food of Muslim Mindanao: This is Filipino, Too
Reporters: Joi Lee and HyoJin Park
Airs on: Al Jazeera English Digital, YouTube, and Facebook
In Real Life– Why This $300 Clam Is so Important to Native Americans and China
Reporters: AJ+ Staff
Airs on: YouTube and AJ+
Rotten – The Avocado War
Reporters: Christine Haughney, Erin Cauchi, and Gretchen Goetz
Airs on: Netflix
2020 James Beard Foundation Journalism Awards
For articles published in English in 2019. Winners, including the Emerging Voice Award, will be announced on Wednesday, May 27, 2020.
Columns
What She’s Having: “Popeyes’ Fried Chicken Sandwich: A Delicious Distraction, a Cultural Lesson”; “Every Season Is Soup Season”; “Why a Somali Nook in East Boston Is One of the Country’s Best New Restaurants”
Devra First
The Boston Globe
Power Rankings: “The Official Fast Food French Fry Power Rankings”; “The Official Spicy Snack Power Rankings”; “The Official Domestic Beer Power Rankings”
Lucas Kwan Peterson
Los Angeles Times
Rooted in Place: “In Service”; “Hair, Food, and Hustle”; “The Best That We've Got”
Rosalind Bentley
Gravy
Craig Claiborne Distinguished Restaurant Review Award
“Le Colonial Is an Orientalist Specter”; “The Ultimate Chaat Truck Crawl”; “The Fantasy — and Reality — of Dining at Chez Panisse”
Soleil Ho
San Francisco Chronicle
“NYC’s Buzziest New Sushi Parlors Are Transcendent, If You Can Handle the Bros”; “Wall Street’s Underground Russian Spa Is a Dining Destination for the Soul”; “Estiatorio Milos Is One of the Last Big Restaurant Scams in New York”
Ryan Sutton
Eater New York
“Peter Luger Used to Sizzle. Now It Sputters.”; “The 20 Most Delicious Things at Mercado Little Spain”; “Benno, Proudly Out of Step With the Age”
Pete Wells
The New York Times
Dining and Travel
“In Pursuit of the Perfect Pizza”
Matt Goulding
Airbnb Magazine
“Interview With the Vampiro”
Dylan James Ho
Taste
“These Are the World's Best Restaurants: North America, South America, Africa and Middle East”
Besha Rodell
Travel + Leisure and Food & Wine
Feature Reporting
America's farmers in crisis during Trump's trade wars: “Left Behind: Farmers Fight to Save Their Land in Rural Minnesota as Trade War Intensifies”; "’I'm Gonna Lose Everything’: A Farm Family Struggles to Recover after Rising Debt Pushes a Husband to Suicide"; “In Trump Country, a Season of Need on Family Farms”
Annie Gowen
The Washington Post
“The Great Land Robbery”
Vann R. Newkirk II
The Atlantic
“Value Meal”
Tad Friend
The New Yorker
Food Coverage in a General Interest Publication
- The Bitter Southerner
- Gastro Obscura
- The New Yorker
Foodways
“An Indigenous Community in Mexico Finds Its Voice — and Strength — in Wild Mushrooms”
Michael Snyder
Los Angeles Times
“On Hawaii, the Fight for Taro’s Revival”
Ligaya Mishan
T: The New York Times Style Magazine
“A Real Hot Mess: How Grits Got Weaponized Against Cheating Men”
Cynthia R. Greenlee
MUNCHIES | Food by VICE
Health and Wellness
“The AGEs Puzzle: How We Cook Food Is Killing Us. Scientists in SC Know Why.”; “9 Easy Ways to Eat Fewer AGEs: A Stress-Free Guide”
Tony Bartelme
The Post and Courier (Charleston, SC)
“How Washington Keeps America Sick and Fat”; “Meet the Silicon Valley Investor Who Wants Washington to Figure Out What You Should Eat”
Catherine Boudreau and Helena Bottemiller Evich
Politico
“Protein Nation”
Shaun Dreisbach
EatingWell
Home Cooking
“6 Holiday Cookies That Will Win You the Cookie Swap”
Hilary Cadigan and Rick Martinez
Bon Appétit
“Fry Time”
Nancy Singleton Hachisu
Saveur
“In Praise of Schmaltz”
Rachel Handler
Grub Street
Innovative Storytelling
“Best New Restaurants 2019”
Kevin Alexander, Nicole A. Taylor, and Adriana Velez
Thrillist
“Food and Loathing on the Campaign Trail”
Gary He, Matt Buchanan, and Meghan McCarron
Eater
“Made in America”
Tim Carman and Shelly Tan
The Washington Post
Investigative Reporting
“How USDA Distorted Data to Conceal Decades of Discrimination Against Black Farmers”
Nathan Rosenberg and Bryce Wilson Stucki
The Counter
“‘The Man Who Attacked Me Works in Your Kitchen’: Victim of Serial Groper Took Justice into Her Own Hands”
Amy Brittain and Maura Judkis
The Washington Post
“The Young Hands That Feed Us”
Karen Coates and Valeria Fernández
Pacific Standard
Jonathan Gold Local Voice Award
“Forget Democratic Votes. Which Presidential Hopeful Will Eat 16 Iconic SC Foods First?”; “A James Island Meat-and-Two Secretly Switched to Carolina Gold Rice. Here’s What Happened.”; “In Prisons Across South Carolina, It’s Not a Birthday Without Cake Made by a Fellow Inmate”
Hanna Raskin
The Post and Courier (Charleston, SC)
“In Search of Hot Beef”; “Chef Jack Riebel Is in the Fight of His Life”; “Harry Singh on the Perfect Roti, Trinidad, and Life in the Kitchen”
Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl
Mpls.St.Paul Magazine
“In a Wheelchair and Hungry”; “Where to Eat Regionally Inspired Mexican Food in New York City”; “How Sichuan Became NYC’s Dominant Chinese Cuisine”
Robert Sietsema
Eater New York
M.F.K. Fisher Distinguished Writing Award
“A Mind to Stay Here”
Rosalind Bentley
Gravy
“My Mother's Catfish Stew”
John T. Edge
Oxford American
“An Undeserved Gift”
Shane Mitchell
The Bitter Southerner
Personal Essay, Long Form
“The Dysfunction of Food”
Kim Foster
Kim-Foster.com
“Love, Peace, and Taco Grease: How I Left My Abusive Husband and Found Guy Fieri”
Rax King
Catapult
“Seeking Jewish Identity at the Sabra Hummus Factory”
Orr Shtuhl
The Forward
Personal Essay, Short Form
“For 20 Years, happy hour has seen us through work — and life”
M. Carrie Allan
The Washington Post
“How the Starbucks Macchiato Ruined My Indie Coffee Shop Experiences”
Nicole A. Taylor
Thrillist
“In Memoriam of Hominy Grill, the Restaurant That Defined Charleston”
Ali Rosen
Plate
Profile
“First Course”
Zoe Tennant
Granta
“The Fruit Saver”
Tejal Rao
Women on Food
(Abrams Press)
“The Provocations of Chef Tunde Wey”
Brett Martin
GQ Magazine
Wine, Spirits, and Other Beverages
“How Climate Change Impacts Wine”
Eric Asimov
The New York Times
“May I Help You With That Wine List?”
Ray Isle
Food & Wine
“Seltzer Is Over. Mineral Water Is Forever.”
Jordan Michelman
PUNCH
2020 James Beard Foundation Outstanding Restaurant Design Awards
75 Seats and Under
For the best restaurant design or renovation in North America since January 1, 2017.
Firms: SIMPLICITY
Project: HALL by o.d.o
Firms: Heliotrope Architects
Project: Rupee, Seattle
Firms: Spoonbill Watering Hole and Restaurant, Flywheel Co. and Vermillion Architects, LLC
Project: Spoonbill Watering Hole and Restaurant, Lafayette, LA
76 Seats and Over
For the best restaurant design or renovation in North America since January 1, 2017.
Firms: Hacin + Associates
Project: Shore Leave, Boston
Firms: Ken Fulk Inc
Project: Swan & Bar Bevy, Miami
Firms: Klein Agency and ORA
Project: auburn, Los Angeles
Outstanding Design of Alternative Eating & Drinking Places
Eligible establishments include places where prepared food and/or beverages are served for consumption on premises (except in the case of food trucks or takeout counters) but not for markets, farm stands, food shops or groceries where ingredients are sold for preparation elsewhere. This category, added in 2019, recognizes that the nature of restaurants is changing, and food is sold and consumed in a variety of environments that do not necessarily qualify as traditional full-service restaurants.
Firms: Lori Chemla
Project: Carissa’s the Bakery, East Hampton, NY
Firms: Stonehill Taylor, MCR/Morse Development and Aaron Sciandra
Project: Connie, Queens, NY
Firms: Studio Dewberry and Workstead
Project: Citrus Club, Charleston, SC
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Chez Panisse, Berkeley, CA