Portland's JinJu Patisserie, a Korean-inspired assorted dessert shop, and a Willamette Valley chef won big at the 35th annual James Beard Awards in Chicago last night.

Why it matters: Rose City's continued presence in recent years at the awards, which honor excellence in food, wine, baking and hospitality, cements its status as one of America's most innovative food cities.

The latest: JinJu Patisserie — known for its weekend specials like hazelnut-chocolate kouign-amann, matcha red bean pain suisse and extra-flaky, twice-baked croissants — won for Outstanding Bakery.

• In an acceptance speech, pastry chefs Jin Caldwell and Kyurim "Q" Lee dedicated the win to the Portland community for "showing us love since day one" when they opened in 2019.

What they're saying: "Portland has opened the door wide open to us," Caldwell told Axios Chicago in an interview backstage.

Plus: Timothy Wastell of Amity-based winery Antica Terra secured the win for Best Chef — Northwest and Pacific.

• Wastell, who previously worked at Portland's former Old Salt Marketplace, beat out two other Oregon-based contenders: Nodoguro's Ryan Roadhouse and Josh Dorcak of Ashland's MÄS, who have both received nominations in the past.

Fun fact: The James Beard Foundation is named in honor of the iconic Portland-born food writer and chef.

Between the lines: Win or not, being named a finalist is an achievement on its own.

• Judges passed on Mount Tabor's French-inspired bistro Coquine for Frasca Food and Wine, a Boulder, Colorado-based Northern Italian eatery.
• Coquine chef Katy Millard has been recognized by the awards several times in the past for her commitment to seasonality and her signature everyday-style cooking.
• Scotch Lodge, the Central Eastside whisky-focused cocktail bar with a top-shelf food menu to boot, lost out to Chicago-based Kumiko, for Outstanding Bar, one of three new beverage categories that debuted this year.

Find a full list of James Beard Award winners here.

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Outdoor recreation provides so many benefits it should be treated as essential public health infrastructure and access to green spaces should be prioritized for vulnerable populations, researchers say.

Why it matters: The findings from a recent study out of Oregon State highlight how access to parks, greenways and tree-lined streets — an area where Portland excels — buffered Americans' mental health during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

By the numbers: Researchers found that 68% of respondents said "near-home" activities like walking or gardening constituted their most frequent outdoor diversions.

• And walking alone accounted for 57% of all outdoor recreation.

Zoom in: That highlights the importance of access to green spaces, of which Portland has many.

• A recent analysis from the Trust for Public Land (TPL) found that 89% of Portland residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park.

Yes, but: Researchers also found that the pandemic sharply reduced outdoor recreation among adults, particularly among minorities and people worried about their finances.

• The TPL analysis also found Portlanders in neighborhoods with the highest concentrations of people of color have access to 62% less park space than residents of white neighborhoods.

What they're saying: "This raises concerns about the persisting effect of structural inequity in people's ability to engage in outdoor recreation as a health behavior," Xiangyou "Sharon" Shen, lead author of the study, said in a written statement.

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🏊🏼 Portland's beloved public outdoor pools open for the summer on Thursday, each offering a free swim session once a week through August. (KATU)

🤨 Would you wear Nike's new sneaker-loafer combo? (Highsnobiety)

🚧 The Marquam Bridge will be closed every night from 10pm to 5am until Friday for routine overnight inspections, potentially impacting traffic on I-5, I-84 and Hawthorne Boulevard. (KOIN)

🍖 Austin-based pitmaster Ben Vaughan is hoping to bring an offshoot of his cult-favorite barbecue restaurant, La Barbecue, to Portland's east side by late-summer or early fall. (Eater Portland)

The Oregon Legislature passed a bill last week that would allow elected officials to conceal their home addresses from public documents, just hours before two Minnesota lawmakers were shot. (The Oregonian)

Oregon had the highest use of the 988 national suicide prevention hotline among West Coast states, a new analysis finds.

Why it matters: The service was launched nearly three years ago to help address America's mental health crisis.

The big picture: Oregon saw a rate of 31.3 contacts per 1,000 people last year, more than California and Washington and ninth highest in the nation, per new research published in JAMA Network Open.

• The national contact rate was 23.7 in 2024.

The latest: The Trump administration's proposed Health and Human Services budget would cut 988 services specifically tailored for LGBTQ+ youth, Axios' Avery Lotz reports.

If you or someone you know needs support now, call or text 988 or chat with someone at 988lifeline.org. En español.

I decided to celebrate being a dog dad on Sunday by dipping a paddle into the Tualatin River, just south of Portland.

• The waters were calm, our spirits were high and, at many points, it felt like we had the whole river to ourselves.

If you go: The good folks at Alder Creek Rentals supplied the boats ($35 for two hours), the river supplied the serenity I was looking for.