And the 2018 James Beard Foundation Award winners are…
The James Beard Foundation Awards were presented Monday, May 7, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Gathering some of the top names in the food industry, as well cultural, civic and foodservice leaders from around the country, the awards celebrated the best in the national food scene. Carla Hall, the co-host of “The Chew” on ABC and long-time D.C.-area resident, was on hand to host the event. During the night, the winners in the Restaurant and Chef and Restaurant Design categories were announced for the first time.
Previously announced, José Andrés took home the 2018 James Beard Foundation Humanitarian of the Year Award. He has received multiple awards in the past and is the founder of ThinkFoodGroup and World Central Kitchen, started in 2012. He’s been involved in several humanitarian projects and his work in this regard led him to Puerto Rico, where he served up 3.3 million meals after Hurricane Maria in 2017 and advocated for additional humanitarian relief for this U.S. territory.
The Best Chef Award, MidAtlantic Region, went to Jeremiah Langhorne, chef and owner of The Dabney in Washington, D.C. The restaurant opened in the fall of 2015 in Blagden Alley, with a chef who had an ambitious mission to source as many ingredients as possible from the MidAtlantic region and the Chesapeake Bay Area.
Throughout accounts of his work, Langhorne has been noted as having an avid pursuit of incorporating fresh, locally-sourced ingredients and foraging techniques in his restaurants. This chef award is well-deserved and one which his fanbase in the D.C. area will be excited about. Here’s the full list of winners in the categories of Restaurant and Chef and Restaurant Design, Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America, Lifetime Achievement, Humanitarian Award, and Design Icon:
2018 James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Awards
Best New Restaurant: JuneBaby
Seattle
Outstanding Baker: Belinda Leong and Michel Suas
B. Patisserie, San Francisco
Outstanding Bar Program: Cure
New Orleans
Outstanding Service: Zuni Café
San Francisco
Outstanding Restaurant: Highlands Bar & Grill
Birmingham, Ala.
Outstanding Wine Program: FIG
Charleston, S.C.
Outstanding Chef: Gabrielle Hamilton
Prune, New York City
Outstanding Pastry Chef: Dolester Miles
Highlands Bar & Grill, Birmingham, Ala.
Outstanding Restaurateur: Caroline Styne
The Lucques Group, Lucques, a.o.c., Tavern, and others, Los Angeles
Outstanding Wine, Spirits, or Beer Professional: Miljenko Grgich
Grgich Hills Estate, Rutherford, Calif.
Rising Star Chef of the Year: Camille Cogswell
Zahav, Philadelphia

Best Chef, Great Lakes: Abraham Conlon
Fat Rice, Chicago
Great Lakes Region comprising Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio
Best Chef, MidAtlantic: Jeremiah Langhorne
The Dabney, Washington, D.C.
MidAtlantic Region comprises D.C.,Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey,
Pennsylvania, and Virginia
Best Chef, Midwest: Gavin Kaysen
Spoon and Stable, Minneapolis
Midwest Region comprises Iowa, Kansas Minneapolis, Missouri,
Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin
Best Chef, New York City (Five Boroughs): Missy Robbins
Lilia, Brooklyn, NY
Best Chef, Northeast: Karen Akunowicz
Myers + Chang, Boston
Northeast Region comprises Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine,
New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont
Best Chef, Northwest: Edouardo Jordan
Salare, Seattle
Northwest Region comprises Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon
Washington, and Wyoming
Best Chef, South: Nina Compton
Compère Lapin, New Orleans
South Region comprises Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana
Mississippi, and Puerto Rico
Best Chef, Southeast: Rodney Scott
Rodney Scott’s BBQ, Charleston, South Carolina
Southeast Region comprises Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina,
South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia
Best Chef, Southwest: Alex Seidel
Mercantile Dining & Provision, Denver
Southwest Region comprises Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico,
Oklahoma, Texas and Utah
Best Chef, West: Dominique Crenn
Atelier Crenn, San Francisco
West Region comprises California, Hawaii and Nevada
2018 James Beard Foundation Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America Inductees
Jody Adams
Chef/Owner, TRADE, Porto, and Saloniki, Boston
Lally Brennan and Ti Adelaide Martin
Co-proprietors, Commander’s Palace, New Orleans
Allison Hooper
Co-founder, Vermont Creamery, Websterville, Vt.
Daniel Johnnes, wine director
The Dinex Group, New York City
2018 James Beard Foundation Restaurant Design Awards
75 Seats and Under (For the best restaurant design or renovation in North America since January 1, 2015)
Firm: The MP Shift
Designers: Amy Morris, Anna Polonsky, and Julie Nerenberg
Project: De Maria, New York City
76 Seats and Over (For the best restaurant design or renovation in North America since January 1, 2015)
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
Design Icon: The American Restaurant
Kansas City, Mo.
2018 James Beard Foundation Humanitarian of the Year
José Andrés
Multiple James Beard Award–winning chef; owner, ThinkFoodGroup; founder, World Central Kitchen
2018 James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award
Paula Wolfert
Multiple James Beard Award–winning author
Photo credit: Francis Son
This article was originally published in Swizzle Chill Magazine spring issue. Check out the digital edition of Swizzle Chill here.