Chicago feasts at the 2023 James Beard Awards
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Virtue chef Damarr Brown took home the Emerging Chef award Monday night. Photo: Monica Eng/Axios
The biggest names in American food descended on the Civic Opera House Monday night for the James Beard Foundation's Chef and Restaurant Awards, delivering some local triumphs but also some misses.
Why it matters: Even if Chicago didn't win a pile of medals, the city won lots of positive national attention, a boost for local restaurants and plenty of culinary tourists — albeit on an already packed weekend.
- "Our reputation for food helps draw millions of visitors here each year, thereby strengthening our economy and our entire city," Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a speech at the ceremony Monday.
Our big winners: Chef Damarr Brown, of Virtue in Hyde Park, won in the Emerging Chef category, while Kasama's Tim Flores and Genie Kwon took home the award for Best Chef: Great Lakes.
What they're saying: "It's a huge win for me, myself, and my team, and the South Side," Brown told Axios. "It's a huge win for the culture in general."
- "To be recognized for cooking my mom's food is insane," Flores told the crowd Monday night. "My parents are in the Philippines right now on a beach somewhere .... while I stand on this stage on the verge of sh--ting my pants."
The big disappointments: River North restaurant Obélix lost the Best New Restaurant award to Haitian spot Kann in Portland, Oregon, while The Quarry in Maine beat out chef Andrew Zimmerman's Sepia in the West Loop for Outstanding Hospitality.
Zoom out: Chefs and restaurateurs from Philly took home several of the night's top prizes, including Outstanding Restaurant. Washington, D.C.'s Rob Rubba won Outstanding Chef.
The big picture: Similar to 2022, this year's crop of winners reflected an effort by the foundation to celebrate the diversity of the national food scene.
- In addition to chef awards, the foundation bestowed "America's Classics" awards that recognize beloved local eateries that showcase community character.
The intrigue: This year's awards proceeded under a faint cloud of controversy about the way the foundation investigates and enforces its new ethics code for nominees.
- Still, few attendees that Axios spoke to were bothered by the foundation's attempt to vet nominees for bad behavior.
What's ahead: Mayor Johnson said during his speech that he's committed to working with Chicago's restaurant industry "to make sure that these vital spaces have everything they need to survive."