CALIFORNIA

California James Beard Award restaurant, chef nominees; What spots made Food & Wine list?

Portrait of Wes Woods II Wes Woods II
Ventura County Star

Several California chefs and restaurants are in the spotlight as the 2025 James Beard Award nominees were recently released.

The nominations for the awards are in the restaurant and chef categories, as well as impact, lifetime achievement and humanitarian of the year.

Winners will be revealed at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony on June 16 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, according to a news release.

The California James Beard Award nominees are:

The James Beard Foundation will announce winners for their 2025 best restaurant and chef awards on June 16 in Chicago.

Outstanding Restaurateur

  • Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski, Atomic Workshop (The Anchovy Bar, State Bird Provisions, and The Progress), San Francisco

Outstanding Bakery

  • Gusto Bread, Long Beach

Outstanding Hospitality

  • Harbor House Inn, Elk

Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program

  • Strong Water, Anaheim

Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service

  • Jacob Brown, Lazy Bear, San Francisco

Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service

  • Tobin Shea, Redbird, Los Angeles

Best Chef: California

  • Daniel Castillo, Heritage Barbecue, San Juan Capistrano
  • Richard Lee, Saison, San Francisco
  • Tara Monsod, ANIMAE, San Diego
  • Kosuke Tada, Mijoté, San Francisco
  • Jon Yao, Kato, Los Angeles

The 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award honoree is author, culinary journalist, and activist Toni Tipton-Martin, who is a graduate of the University of Southern California School of Journalism, grew up in Los Angeles and is a former Los Angeles Times food writer.

Toni Tipton-Martin, the author of several cookbooks, at Gage & Tollner in Brooklyn on Nov. 19, 2023.

What are the James Beard Awards?

The James Beard Awards, established in 1990 with the first awards given in 1991, are among the nation’s most prestigious culinary honors. Winners receive a certificate and a medallion engraved with the James Beard Awards insignia.

For more information and the full list of nominees, visit www.jamesbeard.org.

Food & Wine 2025 list has California connections

The publication Food & Wine also released its 2025 Global Tastemakers list.

Los Angeles placed No. 3 and San Francisco placed No. 8 on Food & Wine's top 10 U.S. cities for food and drink.

The publication mentions Los Angeles' Thai restaurant Holy Basil with 2024 Food & Wine Best New Chef Wedchayan “Deau” Arpapornnopparat among the places to visit for its rigatoni yellow curry. The San Francisco listing mentions sourdough at Tartine or Josey Baker Bread.

The Top 10 U.S, Cities for Food and Drink

  1. New York
  2. Chicago
  3. Los Angeles
  4. Austin, Texas
  5. New Orleans
  6. Charleston, S.C.
  7. Miami
  8. San Francisco
  9. Houston
  10. Philadelphia

Burdell in Oakland was No. 1 in Food & Wine's list of the top 15 U.S. restaurants, while Yangban in Los Angeles placed seventh.

Burdell chef and owner Geoff Davis creates a fresh take on California soul food, according to the publication.

"The boiled peanuts, barbecue shrimp, and family meals fold local and seasonal produce into dishes with slow-simmered nostalgia," according to Food & Wine.

Yangban features "chef power couple" Katianna and John Hong, "serving their distinct perspective on modern Korean-American fare," according to the publication.

The Top 15 U.S. Restaurants

  1. Burdell (Oakland)
  2. Canlis (Seattle)
  3. The Musket Room (New York City)
  4. Lowland (Charleston, S.C.)
  5. Emeril's (New Orleans)
  6. Mr. Tuna (Portland, Maine)
  7. Yangban (Los Angeles)
  8. My Loup (Philadelphia)
  9. Myriel (Saint Paul, Minn.)
  10. Stissing House (Pine Plains, New York)
  11. Nancy's Hustle (Houston)
  12. Penny (New York City)
  13. Sunny's (Miami)
  14. Virtue (Chicago)
  15. Oyster Oyster (Washington, D.C.)

Below are other listings, including the top 10 U.S. cities for pastry and the top 10 bars in the U.S.

Los Angeles is ranked No. 3 for pastry because it "has a perfectly measured combination of innovation, cultural diversity, and access to plentiful seasonal ingredients," while San Francisco is ranked No. 4 for its sourdough, croissants, and pineapple buns.

Top 10 U.S. cities for pastry

  1. New York City
  2. Chicago
  3. Los Angeles
  4. San Francisco
  5. New Orleans
  6. Boston
  7. Miami
  8. Houston
  9. Las Vegas
  10. Detroit

The top 10 bars in the U.S. feature two from Los Angeles and one from San Francisco.

Bar Flores is "considered by some to be the best day-drinking spot in the U.S" and ranks No. 2 for its views of the Echo Park neighborhood and Sunset Boulevard, according to Food & Wine.

No. 7 ranked Mirate, located in the Los Feliz neighborhood, "puts agave spirits front and center, including many smaller, private-label bottlings you won’t find anywhere else," according to the publication.

Trick Dog, in the Mission District, ranked No. 8 for being "a neighborhood bar with a clubhouse vibe, yet it is also a destination spot that true drinks enthusiasts seek out."

  1. Cure (New Orleans)
  2. Bar Flores (Los Angeles)
  3. Kumiko (Chicago)
  4. Esters Fair Prospect (Wailuku, Hawaii)
  5. Sip & Guzzle (New York City)
  6. Midnight Cowboy (Austin)
  7. Mirate (Los Angeles)
  8. Trick Dog (San Francisco)
  9. Happy Accidents (Albuquerque, New Mexico)
  10. Law Bird (Columbus, Ohio)

Wes Woods II covers West County for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at wesley.woodsii@vcstar.com, 805-437-0262 or @JournoWes.