Chicago competes to keep James Beards past 2028
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Illinois Restaurant Association CEO Sam Toia (left), IRA COO Mary Kay Bonoma (second from left) and Mayor Brandon Johnson pose on the red carpet at the 2026 James Beard Awards. Photo: Monica Eng/Axios
Although Chicago has hosted the prestigious James Beard Awards since 2015, it will now have to compete with other cities to keep them.
Driving the news: The James Beard Foundation launched a process Wednesday to accept bids from cities that would like to host from 2029 to 2033 — and Chicago is one of them.
Why it matters: The foundation says the awards generate millions in direct spending for host cities, although local tourism officials were not able to immediately confirm a net economic benefit.
- Still, reputational benefits that come when hundreds of influential global foodies gather in one location to eat are hard to deny.
Catch up quick: Former Mayor Rahm Emanuel first clinched a deal to move the awards from New York to Chicago in 2015, and the contract was extended to 2028 under former Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
What they're saying: "We look forward to participating in the process and demonstrating why Chicago remains the premier destination to host these iconic awards," said the city's tourism arm, Choose Chicago, and the Illinois Restaurant Association in a joint statement Wednesday.
- "We value our longstanding partnership with the James Beard Foundation and are excited about the opportunity to continue evolving and growing together in the years ahead."
By the numbers: While Choose Chicago didn't provide its own economic data, the Beard Foundation cites figures from Tourism Economics indicating that the 2026 awards in Chicago generated $8.3 million in direct spending.
- "This direct spending generated a total economic impact of $17.0 million, which supported 175 total [full-time] jobs throughout the Greater Chicago Area [and] ... approximately $1.2 million in total state and local tax revenues," the foundation says.
Between the lines: While Emanuel and Lightfoot were seen as more "restaurant friendly" than Mayor Brandon Johnson — based on policies including his effort to end Chicago's tipped minimum wage — Johnson told Axios last month that he was working to make sure the awards stay here.
- He noted the role of immigrants in the restaurant industry and said keeping the Beards "sends a powerful message to the rest of the country that we're not going to flinch, bow, break or cower to anything that comes to disrupt what we know to be true: That everyone belongs. This is a welcoming city."
What's next: The Beard Foundation will evaluate proposals from bidder cities over the next six months and is expected to make a decision in early 2027.