In its 35th year, the 2025 semifinalists for the James Beard Foundation Awards were announced on January 22, recognizing the best chefs and restaurateurs in the country. Finalists will be revealed on Wednesday, April 2, and winners will be honored at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony on Monday, June 16, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. In the meantime, explore career opportunities with this year's nominees and/or discover openings with past years' winners.  

Outstanding Restaurateur

• Itai Ben Eli and Itamar Levy - Sof Hospitality Group (Houston, TX)
• Nikki Berglund and Ryan Nitschke - Luna Fargo, Sol Ave. Kitchen, Nova Eatery and others (Fargo, ND)
• Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski - The Anchovy Bar, State Bird Provisions, and The Progress (San Francisco, CA)
• Cara Chigazola-Tobin and Allison Gibson - Honey Road and Grey Jay (Burlington, VT)
• Sue Chin and Jason Chin - Good Salt Restaurant Group (Orlando, FL)
• Gerard Craft - Niche Food Group (St. Louis, MO)
• Scott Crawford - Crawford Hospitality (Raleigh, NC)
• Scott Drewno and Danny Lee - The Fried Rice Collective (Washington, D.C.)
• Benjamin Goldberg, Max Goldberg, and Josh Habiger - Strategic Hospitality (Nashville, TN)
• Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr - Frenchette, Le Veau d’ Or, and Le Rock (New York, NY)
• Mason Hereford - Turkey & the Wolf, Molly’s Rise & Shine, Hungry Eyes, and others (New Orleans, LA)
• Brian Jupiter and Aaron Torricelli - Pioneer Tavern Group (Chicago, IL)
• Douglas Katz - Edgewater Hospitality (Cleveland, OH)
• Simon Kim - Gracious Hospitality Management (New York, NY)
• Lavanya Mahate - Saffron Valley Restaurants (Salt Lake City, UT)
• Elliot Nelson - McNellie’s Group (Tulsa and Oklahoma City, OK)
• Quynh Pham and Yenvy Pham - Phở Bắc Súp Shop, Phởcific Standard Time, and The Boat (Seattle, WA)
• Daisy Ryan and Greg Ryan - Companion Hospitality (Los Alamos, CA)
• Sara Stayer and Martin Stayer - Nobie’s, Toasted Coconut, and Nonno’s (Houston, TX)
• Douglass Williams - MIDA (Boston, MA) 

Outstanding Chef

• Ann Ahmed - Khâluna (Minneapolis, MN)
• Lisa Becklund - FarmBar (Tulsa, OK)
• Amy Brandwein - Centrolina (Washington, D.C.)
• Tavel Bristol-Joseph - Canje (Austin, TX)
• Gilberto Cetina - Holbox (Los Angeles, CA)
• William Dissen - The Market Place (Asheville, NC)
• Suzette Gresham-Tognetti - Acquerello (San Francisco, CA)
• Francis Guzmán - Vianda (San Juan, PR)
• David Kirkland and Ernest Servantes - Burnt Bean Co. (Seguin, TX)
• Gabriel Kreuther - Gabriel Kreuther (New York, NY)
• Gregory León - Amilinda (Milwaukee, WI)
• Sarah Minnick - Lovely's Fifty Fifty (Portland, OR)
• Ricky Moore - Saltbox Seafood Joint (Durham, NC)
• Josh Niernberg - Bin 707 Foodbar (Grand Junction, CO)
• Cassie Piuma - Sarma (Somerville, MA)
• Carlos Portela - Orujo Taller de Gastronomía (San Juan, PR)
• Gabriel Rucker - Le Pigeon (Portland, OR)
• Greg Vernick - Vernick Fish (Philadelphia, PA)
• Lee Wolen - Boka (Chicago, IL)
• Jungsik Yim - Jungsik (New York, NY)

Outstanding Restaurant 

• Benu (San Francisco, CA)

• Chubby Fish (Charleston, SC)
• Coquine (Portland, OR)
• The Dabney (Washington, D.C.)
• Don Angie (New York, NY)
• ELEMI (El Paso, TX)
• The Four Horsemen (Brooklyn, NY)
• Frasca Food and Wine (Boulder, CO)
• Galit (Chicago, IL)
• Georges French Bistro (Wichita, KS)
• Ghee Indian Kitchen (Miami, FL)
• GW Fins (New Orleans, LA)
• Havana (Bar Harbor, ME)
• Kalaya (Philadelphia, PA)
• Kimball House (Decatur, GA)
• Nonesuch (Oklahoma City, OK)
• Oberlin (Providence, RI)
• Pasjoli (Santa Monica, CA)
• Selden Standard (Detroit, MI)
• Spoon and Stable (Minneapolis, MN)

Emerging Chef

• Jordan Anthony-Brown - The Aperture (Cincinnati, OH)
• Jesus "Chuy" Cervantes - Damian (Los Angeles, CA)
• Bhavin Chhatwani - Tamasha Modern Indian (Raleigh, NC)
• Paolo Dungca - Hiraya (Washington, D.C.)
• Jason Eckerson and Kate Hamm - Fish & Whistle (Biddeford, ME)
• Danny Garcia - Time & Tide (New York, NY)
• Daniel Garwood - Acru (New York, NY)
• Kaitlin Guerin - Lagniappe Bakehouse (New Orleans, LA)
• Spencer Horovitz - Hadeem (San Francisco, CA)
• Suu Khin - Burmalicious (Houston, TX)
• Phila Lorn - Mawn (Philadelphia, PA)
• Nikhil Naiker - NIMKI (Providence, RI)
• Anna Nguyen and Ni Nguyen - Sắp Sửa (Denver, CO)
• Kayla Pfeiffer - Bicyclette Cookshop (Naples, FL)
• Jacob Potashnick - Feld (Chicago, IL)
• Keoni Regidor - Lehua (Hilo, HI)
• Jane Sacro Chatham - Vicia (St Louis, MO)
• Marcela Salas - BibiSol (Sioux Falls, SD)
• Lawrence "LT" Smith - Chilte (Phoenix, AZ)
• RJ Yoakum - Georgie (Dallas, TX)

Best New Restaurant

• Alma Fonda Fina (Denver, CO)
• Atoma (Seattle, WA)
• Bad Idea (Nashville, TN)
• Bridgetown Roti (Los Angeles, CA)
• Bûcheron (Minneapolis, MN)
• Café Carmellini (New York, NY)
• Cariño (Chicago, IL)
• Casa Balam (Decatur, GA)
• Corima (New York, NY)
• Ema (Houston, TX)
• Family Friend (Seattle, WA)
• Fet-Fisk (Pittsburgh, PA)
• Figulina (Raleigh, NC)
• Four Kings (San Francisco, CA)
• Kisa (New York, NY)
• Lao’d Bar (Austin, TX)
• Le Rêve Restaurant & Raw Bar (Sheridan, WY)
• LUNE (Dennis Port, MA)
• Mābo (Dallas, TX)
• Maude & the Bear (Staunton, VA)
• Mita (Washington, D.C.)
• Noche (Tulsa, OK)
• Ômo by Jônt (Winter Park, FL)
• Penny (New York, NY)
• Porgy's Seafood Market (New Orleans, LA)
• Santo Arcadia (Phoenix, AZ)
• Somaek (Boston, MA)
• The Union (Helena, MT)
• Vecino (Detroit, MI)
• Vinai (Minneapolis, MN)

Best New Bar

• The Abbey (Brunswick, ME)
• Agency (Milwaukee, WI)
• The Bar Beej (Durham, NC)
• Bar Cana (Washington, D.C.)
• Bar Colette (Dallas, TX)
• Bar Contra (New York, NY)
• Bisous (Chicago, IL)
• Equal Measure (Boston, MA)
• The Halfway Club (San Francisco, CA)
• Identidad Cocktail Bar (San Juan, PR)
• Kampar Kongsi (Philadelphia, PA)
• Kid Sister (Phoenix, AZ)
• Marietta Proper (Marietta, GA)
• Merai (Brookline, MA)
• Roma Norte (San Diego, CA)
• Sip & Guzzle (New York, NY)
• Sophon (Seattle, WA)
• Traveling Mercies (Aurora, CO)
• Truce (Chicago, IL)
• ViceVersa (Miami, FL)

Outstanding Bakery

• 17 Berkshire (Memphis, TN)
• Atelier Ortega (Jackson Hole, WY)
• Bellegarde Bakery (New Orleans, LA)
• Carissa's the Bakery (Easthampton, NY)
• Coda (Albuquerque, NM)
• Dan The Baker (Columbus, OH)
• Fan Fan Doughnuts (Brooklyn, NY)
• Gusto Bread (Long Beach, CA)
• JinJu Patisserie (Portland, OR)
• Koffeteria (Houston, TX)
• The Local General Store (Honolulu, HI)
• Machine Shop (Philadelphia, PA)
• Nathaniel Reid Bakery (Kirkwood, MO)
• Patisserie Jacqui (Bisbee, AZ)
• Quail and Condor (Healdsburg, CA)
• Saint Bread (Seattle, WA)
• Secret Bakery (Ferndale, MI)
• Starship Bagel (Lewisville, TX)
• Super Secret Ice Cream (Bethlehem, NH)
• Vienne (Bozeman, MT)

Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker 

• Susan Bae - Moon Rabbit (Washington, D.C.)
• Cat Cox - Country Bird Bakery (Tulsa, OK)
• Brant Dadaleares - Gross Confection Bar (Portland, ME)
• Abigail Dahan - Provenance (Philadelphia, PA)
• Adalberto Diaz - Fillings and Emulsions (Salt Lake City, UT)
• Monique Feybesse - Tarts de Feybesse (Oakland, CA)
• April Franqueza - The Dining Room at High Hampton (Cashiers, NC)
• Chris Hanmer - CH Patisserie (Sioux Falls, SD)
• Mateo Herrera - La Puerta del Sol (El Paso, TX)
• Antonia Kane - Course (Scottsdale, AZ)
• Crystal Kass - Valentine (Phoenix, AZ)
• Alexandra La Valle - Larder (Cleveland, OH)
• Yohann Le Bescond - Yohann Le Bescond (Ocala, FL)
• Helen Jo Leach - The Town Company (Kansas City, MO)
• Lucia Merino - Lucia Patisserie (San Juan, PR)
• Camari Mick - Raf's (New York, NY)
• Carolyn Nugent and Alen Ramos - Poulette Bakeshop (Parker, CO)
• Leigh Omilinsky - Daisies (Chicago, IL)
• Hana Quon - Patisserie HQ (Honolulu, HI)
• Nicole Rucker - Fat + Flour (Los Angeles, CA) 

Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service

• Allegra Angelo - Vinya Table (Miami, FL)
• Natasha Bahrami - The Gin Room (St. Louis, MO)
• Christopher Bates - F.L.X. Table (Geneva, NY)
• Ian Bennett - The Study (Oklahoma City, OK)
• Alisha Blackwell-Calvert - Madrina (Webster Groves, MO)
• Andres Blanco - Le Jardinier (Houston, TX)
• Jacob Brown - Lazy Bear (San Francisco, CA)
• Jose Medina Camacho - Adios (Birmingham, AL)
• Arjav Ezekiel - Birdie's (Austin, TX)
• Cassandra Felix - Daniel (New York, NY)
• Joel Gunderson - Heavenly Creatures (Portland, OR)
• Marika Josephson and Aaron Kleidon - Scratch Brewing (Ava, IL)
• Thomas Kakalios - Asador Bastian (Chicago, IL)
• Mary Allen Lindemann - Coffee By Design (Portland, ME)
• Alyssa Mikiko DiPasquale - The Koji Club (Brighton, MA)
• Cristie Norman - Delilah (Las Vegas, NV)
• Michael Ochsner - PLONK (Bozeman & Missoula, MT)
• Femi Oyediran and Miles White - Graft Wine Shop (Charleston, SC)
• Tonya Pitts - One Market (San Francisco, CA)
• Linda Milagros Violago - Canlis (Seattle, WA)

Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service

• Anu Apte - Rob Roy (Seattle, WA)
• Kursten Berry - Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours (Atlanta, GA)
• Jax Donahue - Carry On (Phoenix, AZ)
• Kate Gerwin - Happy Accidents (Albuquerque, NM)
• Abigail Gullo - LOA Bar (New Orleans, LA)
• McLain Hedges and Mary Allison Wright - Yacht Club (Denver, CO)
• Colleen Hughes - Supperland (Charlotte, NC)
• Ignacio Jimenez - Superbueno (New York, NY)
• Andra "AJ" Johnson - Serenata (Washington, D.C.)
• Dre Levon - Clavel (Baltimore, MD)
• Danny Louie - KAIYŌ (San Francisco, CA)
• Christopher Marty - Best Intentions (Chicago, IL)
• Nathaniel Meiklejohn - The Jewel Box (Portland, ME)
• Dave Newman - Pint + Jigger (Honolulu, HI)
• Jay Sanders - Wild Child (Shawnee, KS)
• Tobin Shea - Redbird (Los Angeles, CA)
• Oscar Simoza - The Wig Shop (Boston, MA)
• Mike Stankovich - Longfellow (Cincinnati, OH)
• Alan Walter - The Brakes Bar (Baton Rouge, LA)
• Takuma Watanabe - Martiny’s (New York, NY)

Oustanding Hospitality

• Archipelago (Seattle, WA)
• Aria (Atlanta, GA)
• Atomix (New York, NY)
• Baobab Fare (Detroit, MI)
• Bluebeard (Indianapolis, IN)
• Compère Lapin (New Orleans, LA)
• Harbor House Inn (Elk, CA)
• Holly Hill Inn (Midway, KY)
• Kai (Gila River Indian Community, AZ)
• Little Fish (Philadelphia, PA)
• Manoli's (Salt Lake City, UT)
• Melba's (New York, NY)
• Mixtli (San Antonio, TX)
• Mucci's (Saint Paul, MN)
• Persimmon (Providence, RI)
• République (Los Angeles, CA)
• Simon's (Des Moines, IA)
• Tail Up Goat (Washington, D.C.)
• Taj Indian Cuisine (South Portland, ME)
• Vestige (Ocean Springs, MS)

Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program

• Bar Brava (Minneapolis, MN)
• Campo at Los Poblanos (Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, NM)
• Càphê Roasters (Philadelphia, PA)
• Charleston (Baltimore, MD)
• Elske (Chicago, IL)
• Hawksmoor (New York, NY)
• Hop Alley (Denver, CO)
• JJ's Restaurant (Kansas City, MO)
• Kitchen Istanbul (San Francisco, CA)
• Leo's House of Thirst (Asheville, NC)
• Ltd Edition Sushi (Seattle, WA)
• Lucian Books and Wine (Buckhead, GA)
• Macchialina (Miami, FL)
• March (Houston, TX)
• Oyster Club (Mystic, CT)
• Pluck Wine Bar and Restaurant (New Orleans, LA)
• Spencer (Ann Arbor, MI)
• Strong Water (Anaheim, CA)
• Taconeta (El Paso, TX)
• Waxlight Bar à Vin (Buffalo, NY)

Outstanding Bar

• Apothecary (Dallas, TX)
• Bryant's Cocktail Lounge (Milwaukee, WI)
• Café La Trova (Miami, FL)
• Chandelier Bar (New Orleans, LA)
• Devil’s Toboggan (Bozeman, MT)
• John Brown's Underground (Lawrence, KS)
• Kumiko (Chicago, IL)
• Law Bird (Columbus, OH)
• Leyenda (Brooklyn, NY)
• Little Rituals (Phoenix, AZ)
• Lone Wolf Lounge (Savannah, GA)
• Roquette (Seattle, WA)
• Scotch Lodge (Portland, OR)
• Techo Mezcaleria & Agave Bar (Austin, TX)
• The Bar at Willett (Bardstown, KY)
• The Lovers Bar at Friday Saturday Sunday (Philadelphia, PA)
• Thunderbolt (Los Angeles, CA)
• True Laurel (San Francisco, CA)
• Water Witch (Salt Lake City, UT)
• Wolf Tree (White River Junction, VT) 

Best Chef: California

• Roberto Alcocer - Valle (Oceanside, CA)
• Evan Algorri - Etra (Los Angeles, CA)
• Darryl Bell - Stateline Road Smokehouse (Napa, CA)
• Jonny Black - Chez Noir (Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA)
• Val Cantu - Californios (San Francisco, CA)
• Daniel Castillo - Heritage Barbeque (San Juan Capistrano, CA)
• Danielle Duran Zecca - Amiga Amore (Los Angeles, CA)
• Elvia Garcia and Alex Garcia - Evil Cooks (Los Angeles, CA)
• Richard Lee - Saison (San Francisco, CA)
• Melissa López - Barra Santos (Los Angeles, CA)
• Gaby Maeda - Friends & Family (Oakland, CA)
• Jordan Makableh and Saif Makableh - Mazra (Redwood City, CA)
• Tara Monsod - ANIMAE (San Diego, CA)
• Charles Namba - Camélia (Los Angeles, CA)
• Laura Ozyilmaz and Sayat Ozyilmaz - Dalida (San Francisco, CA)
• Kosuke Tada - Mijote (San Francisco, CA)
• Kwang Uh - Baroo (Los Angeles, CA)
• Ari Weiswasser - Glen Ellen Star (Glen Ellen, CA)
• Jon Yao - Kato (Los Angeles, CA)
• Nite Yun - Lunette (San Francisco, CA)

Best Chef: Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH)

• Marcos Ascencio - Mariscos San Pedro (Chicago, IL)
• Javier Bardauil - Barda (Detroit, MI)
• Avishar Barua - Agni (Columbus, OH)
• Jennifer Blakeslee and Eric Patterson - The Cooks' House (Traverse City, MI)
• Jonathan Brooks - Beholder (Indianapolis, IN)
• Vinnie Cimino - Cordelia (Cleveland, OH)
• Missy Corey - Pennyroyal Cafe and Provisions (Saugatuck, MI)
• Thai Dang - HaiSous (Chicago, IL)
• Diana Davila - Mi Tocaya Antojería (Chicago, IL)
• Bo Fowler - BiXi Beer (Chicago, IL)
• Joe Frillman - Daisies (Chicago, IL)
• David Jackman - Wildweed (Cincinnati, OH)
• Chris Jung and Erling Wu-Bower - Maxwells Trading (Chicago, IL)
• Ji Hye Kim - Miss Kim (Ann Arbor, MI)
• Lamar Moore - ETC. (Chicago, IL)
• Noah Sandoval - Oriole (Chicago, IL)
• Sujan Sarkar - Indienne (Chicago, IL)
• Zeeshan Shah and Yoshi Yamada - Superkhana International (Chicago, IL)
• Jeremy Umansky - Larder (Cleveland, OH)
• John Yelinek - Ladder 4 Wine Bar (Detroit, MI)

Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)

• Matt Adler - Cucina Morini (Washington, D.C.)
• Anthony Andiario - Andiario (West Chester, PA)
• Juan Carlos Aparicio - El Chingon (Philadelphia, PA)
• Henji Cheung - Queen's English (Washington, D.C.)
• Matt Conroy and Isabel Coss - Pascual (Washington, D.C.)
• Michael Correll - Ruse (St. Michaels, MD)
• Carlos Delgado - Causa and Amazonia (Washington, D.C.)
• Antimo DiMeo - Bardea Food & Drink (Wilmington, DE)
• Yun Fuentes - Bolo (Philadelphia, PA)
• Ruben Garcia - Casa Teresa (Washington, D.C.)
• Fernando Gonzalez - 2Fifty Barbeque (Riverdale, MD and Washington, DC)
• Jesse Ito - Royal Sushi & Izakaya (Philadelphia, PA)
• Kate Lasky and Tomasz Skowronski - Apteka (Pittsburgh, PA)
• Jasmine Norton - The Urban Oyster (Baltimore, MD)
• Cagla Onal Urel - Green Almond Pantry (Washington, D.C.)
• Dan Richer - Razza (Jersey City, NJ)
• Amanda Shulman - Her Place Supper Club (Philadelphia, PA)
• Jarad Slipp - Tremolo (Middleburg, VA)
• David Viana - Lita (Aberdeen, NJ)
• Wei Zhu - Chengdu Gourmet (Pittsburgh, PA)

Best Chef: Midwest (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI)

• Ross Bachhuber and Samuel Ek - Odd Duck (Milwaukee, WI)
• Nick Bognar - Sado (St. Louis, MO)
• Jamie Brown-Soukaseume and Chuckie Brown-Soukaseume - Ahan (Madison, WI)
• Linda Duerr - The Restaurant at 1900 (Mission Woods, KS)
• Shigeyuki Furukawa - Kado no Mise (Minneapolis, MN)
• Abraham Gessesse - Hyacinth (St. Paul, MN)
• Dan Jacobs and Dan Van Rite - EsterEv (Milwaukee, WI)
• Kyle Knall - Birch (Milwaukee, WI)
• Johnny Leach - The Town Company (Kansas City, MO)
• Katie Liu-Sung - Chewology (Kansas City, MO)
• Mateo Mackbee - Krewe (Saint Joseph, MN)
• Cody Monson - Huckleberry House (Bismarck, ND)
• Diane Moua - Diane's Place (Minneapolis, MN)
• Loryn Nalic - Balkan Treat Box (Webster Groves, MO)
• Tim Nicholson - The Boiler Room (Omaha, NE)
• Rozz Petrozz - Saltwell Farm Kitchen (Overbrook, KS)
• Joseph Raney - Skogen Kitchen (Custer, SD)
• Andy Schumacher - Cobble Hill (Cedar Rapids, IA)
• Karyn Tomlinson - Myriel (St. Paul, MN)
• David Utterback - Ota and Yoshitomo (Omaha, NE)

Best Chef: Mountain (CO, ID, MT, UT, WY) 

• Joshua Adams - Campione (Livingston, MT)
• Salvador Alamilla - Amano (Caldwell, ID)
• Benjamin Barlow - Stanley Supper Club (Stanley, ID)
• Mike Blocher and Nick Fahs - Table X (Salt Lake City, UT)
• Erasmo Casiano and Diego Coconati - Lucina Eatery & Bar (Denver, CO)
• Rémi Courcenet and Nathan Whitley - Terroir (Boise, ID)
• Brandon Cunningham - The Social Haus (Greenough, MT)
• Cal Elliott - The Avery (Boise, ID)
• Andrew Fuller - Oquirrh (Salt Lake City, UT)
• Matthew Harris - tupelo Park City (Park City, UT)
• Linda Huang - Hummingbird’s Kitchen (Bozeman, MT)
• Porter Koury and Jacob Scott - Sitti's Table (Cody, WY)
• Bo Porytko - Molotov Kitschen + Cocktails (Denver, CO)
• Paul C. Reilly - Coperta (Denver, CO)
• Hosea Rosenberg - Blackbelly (Boulder, CO)
• Nick Steen Gullings - Walkers Grill (Billings, MT)
• Kenneth Wan - MAKFam (Denver, CO)
• David Wells - The Tasting Room at Chico Hot Springs Resort & Day Spa (Pray, MT)
• Penelope Wong - Yuan Wonton (Denver, CO)
• Nick Zocco - Urban Hill (Salt Lake City, UT)

Best Chef: New York State

• Fariyal Abdullahi - Hav & Mar (New York, NY)
• Nasim Alikhani - Sofreh (Brooklyn, NY)
• Ayo Balogun - Dept of Culture (Brooklyn, NY)
• Giovanni Cervantes - Carnitas Ramirez (New York, NY)
• Chris Cipollone - Francie (Brooklyn, NY)
• Suzanne Cupps - Lola's (New York, NY)
• Clare de Boer - Stissing House (Pine Plains, NY)
• Aretah Ettarh - Gramercy Tavern (New York, NY)
• Ryan Fernandez - Southern Junction (Buffalo, NY)
• Markus Glocker - Koloman (New York, NY)
• Efrén Hernández - Casa Susanna (Leeds, NY)
• Eiji Ichimura - Ichimura (New York, NY)
• Brian Kim - Oiji Mi (New York, NY)
• Hooni Kim - Meju (Queens, NY)
• Atsushi Kono - Kono (New York, NY)
• Vijay Kumar - Semma (New York, NY)
• Shaina Loew-Banayan - Café Mutton (Hudson, NY)
• Kwame Onwuachi - Tatiana (New York, NY)
• Hillary Sterling - Ci Siamo (New York, NY)
• Emily Yuen - Lingo (Brooklyn, NY)

Best Chef: Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT)

• Robert Andreozzi - Pizza Marvin (Providence, RI)
• Avery Buck - May Day (Burlington, VT)
• John DaSilva - Chickadee (Boston, MA)
• Conor Dennehy - Tallula (Cambridge, MA)
• Subat Dilmurat - Jahunger (Providence, RI)
• Lee Frank - Lee Frank's (South Berwick, ME)
• Michelle Greenfield - Allium Eatery (Westport, CT)
• Sky Haneul Kim - Gift Horse (Providence, RI)
• Valentine Howell - Black Cat (Jamaica Plain, MA)
• Kwasi Kwaa - Comfort Kitchen (Boston, MA)
• Brian Lewis - The Cottage (Westport, CT)
• Charlie Menard - Canteen Creemee (Waitsfield, VT)
• Rachel Miller - Nightshade Noodle Bar (Lynn, MA)
• Erin Miller - Urban Hearth (Cambridge, MA)
• Nicole Nocella - Stalk (Dover, NH)
• Nick Rabar - Honeybird Kitchen & Cocktails (East Providence, RI)
• Jordan Rubin - Mr. Tuna (Portland, ME)
• Michael Serpa - Select Oyster (Boston, MA)
• Jake Stevens - Leeward (Portland, ME)
• Derek Wagner - Nicks on Broadway (Providence, RI)

 Best Chef: Northwest & Pacific (AK, HI, OR, WA)

• Janet Becerra - Pancita (Seattle, WA)
• Jay Blackinton - Houlme (Orcas Island, WA)
• Ki Chung - Bar Māze (Honolulu, HI)
• Logan Cox - Homer (Seattle, WA)
• Joshua Dorcak - MÄS (Ashland, OR)
• Aisha Ibrahim - Canlis (Seattle, WA)
• Ed Kenney - Mud Hen Water (Honolulu, HI)
• Hyun Kim - O'Kims (Honolulu, HI)
• Kevin Lane - The Cookery (Seward, AK)
• Andrew Le - The Pig and the Lady (Honolulu, HI)
• Isaiah Martinez - Yardy Rum Bar (Eugene, OR)
• Ajay Panicker - Kathakali, An Indian Eatery (Kirkland, WA)
• Thomas Pisha-Duffly - Gado Gado (Portland, OR)
• Ryan Roadhouse - Nodoguro (Portland, OR)
• Sarah Schafer - Humble Spirit (McMinnville, OR)
• Beau Schooler - In Bocca Al Lupo (Juneau, AK)
• Kari Shaughnessy - Hayward (McMinnville, OR)
• Sheldon Simeon - Tiffany's (Wailuku, HI)
• Jun Takai - Takai by Kashiba (Bellevue, WA)
• Timothy Wastell - Antica Terra (Amity, OR)

Best Chef: South (AL, AR, FL, LA, MS, PR)

• Nikhil Abuvala - Roux 30a (Santa Rosa Beach, FL)
• Melissa Araujo - Alma Cafe (New Orleans, LA)
• David Bancroft - Acre (Auburn, AL)
• Madonna Broussard - Laura's II (Lafayette, LA)
• Ana Castro - Acamaya (New Orleans, LA)
• Nando Chang - Itamae AO (Miami, FL)
• Matthew Cooper - Conifer (Bentonville, AR)
• Hunter Evans - Elvie's (Jackson, MS)
• Kevin Garcia - La Faena AgroCocina (Guaynabo, PR)
• Gabriel Hernandez - Verde Mesa (San Juan, PR)
• Lordfer Lalicon - Kaya (Orlando, FL)
• Nicole Cabrera Mills - Pêche Seafood Grill (New Orleans, LA)
• Angel David Moreno Zayas - El Gallo Pinto (Guayama, PR)
• Sean "Sonny" Nguyen - Domu (Orlando, FL)
• Carol Reyes - Bóveda (San Juan, PR)
• Arwen Rice - Red or White (Mobile, AL)
• Rafael Rios - Yeyo's El Alma de Mexico (Bentonville, AR)
• Tresse Sumrall and Austin Sumrall - White Pillars (Biloxi, MS)
• Arvinder Vilkhu and Ashwin Vilkhu - Saffron Nola (New Orleans, LA)
• Jordan Wright - Wright's Barbecue (Johnson, AR)

Best Chef: Southeast (GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV)

• Andrew Adams and Wally Joe - Acre (Memphis, TN)
• Noam Bilitzer - MeeshMeesh Mediterranean (Louisville, KY)
• Sara Bradley - Freight House (Paducah, KY)
• Brandon Carter and Joseph Harrison - Common Thread (Savannah, GA)
• Chase Collier - Ristorante Abruzzi (Charleston, WV)
• Sam Diminich - Restaurant Constance (Charlotte, NC)
• Sunny Gerhart and Lauren Krall Ivey - Olivero (Wilmington, NC)
• Julio Hernandez - Maíz de la Vida (Nashville, TN)
• Jake Howell - Peninsula (Nashville, TN)
• Silver Iocovozzi - Neng Jr.'s (Asheville, NC)
• Chayil Johnson - Community Matters Cafe (Charlotte, NC)
• Rod Lassiter and Parnass Savang - Talat Market (Atlanta, GA)
• Bruce Logue - BoccaLupo (Atlanta, GA)
• Christopher Prieto - Prime Barbecue (Knightsdale, NC)
• Robbie Robinson - City Limits Barbeque (West Columbia, SC)
• Drew Bryan - Blue Honey Bistro (Germantown, TN)
• Ashleigh Shanti - Good Hot Fish (Asheville, NC)
• Brian So - Spring (Marietta, GA)
• Dung "Junior" Vo - Noko (Nashville, TN)
• Fu Li Zhang - LanZhou Ramen (Doraville, GA)

Best Chef: Southwest (AZ, NM, NV, OK)

• Olivier Bouzerand - Fait Maison (Edmond, OK)
• Jose Contreras - Amelia's Mexican Kitchen (Tucson, AZ)
• DJ Flores - Milpa (Las Vegas, NV)
• Tahnee Francis - Naija Wife Kitchen (Oklahoma City, OK)
• Donald Hawk - Valentine (Phoenix, AZ)
• Stephen Jones - The Larder & The Delta (Phoenix, AZ)
• Bernie Kantak - Beginners Luck (Scottsdale, AZ)
• Kevin Lee - Birdie's (Edmond, OK)
• Yotaka Martin - Lom Wong (Phoenix, AZ)
• Cory Oppold - COURSE (Scottsdale, AZ)
• Cristian Pontiggia - Sassella (Santa Fe, NM)
• Kattia Rojas - Buen Provecho (Albuquerque, NM)
• Fernando Ruiz - Escondido (Santa Fe, NM)
• Sean Sinclair - Level 5 (Albuquerque, NM)
• Eric Smith - The Crown (Oklahoma City, OK)
• Sarah Thompson - Casa Playa (Las Vegas, NV)
• Michael Vakneen - Double Zero Pie & Pub (Las Vegas, NV)
• Eleazar Villanueva - Restaurant de Joël Robuchon (Las Vegas, NV)
• Zack Walters - Sedalia's (Oklahoma City, OK)
• Joseph Wrede - Joseph's Culinary Pub (Santa Fe, NM)

Best Chef: Texas

• Ope Amosu - ChòpnBlọk (Houston, TX)
• Takéhiro Asazu and Masazumi Saio - Uroko (Austin, TX)
• Thomas Bille - Belly of the Beast (Spring, TX)
• Emmanuel Chavez - Tatemó (Houston, TX)
• Leo Davila - Stixs & Stone (San Antonio, TX)
• Evelyn Garcia - Jūn (Houston, TX)
• Alexandra Gates - Cochineal (Marfa, TX)
• Fasicka Hicks and Patrick Hicks - Smoke'N Ash BBQ (Arlington, TX)
• Jennifer Hwa Dobbertin - Best Quality Daughter (San Antonio, TX)
• Grey Hwang - Shiro Japanese Bistro (San Antonio, TX)
• Evan LeRoy - LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue (Austin, TX)
• Beatriz Martines - Xalisko (The Woodlands, TX)
• Emil Oliva - Leche de Tigre (San Antonio, TX)
• Anais Paniagua and Iris Rojas - Doña Maria (Irving, TX)
• John Ramos and Jonathan Reyes - Chika (San Antonio, TX)
• Regino Rojas - Purépecha (Dallas, TX)
• Alex Sarmiento and Brenda Sarmiento - El Pastor Es Mi Señor (San Antonio, TX)
• Michael Anthony Serva - Bordo (Marfa, TX)
• David Skinner - Ishtia (Kemah, TX)
• Eugenio Uribe - Le Rêve (Brownsville, TX)