The James Beard Foundation announced the semi-finalists for the 2022 Restaurant & Chef Awards on Wednesday, ahead of the highly anticipated return of the prestigious James Beard Awards – the first in two years.
Bay Area chefs and restaurants make claims in nearly every major category, vying for top honors at the nation’s most prestigious awards gala honoring exceptional talent across a highly competitive culinary scene from coast to coast.
The winners will be honored at the James Beard Restaurant & Chef Awards on June 13 at Lyric Opera Chicago. It’s the first in-person event since the foundation broadcast their concert live on Twitter in 2020 instead Recognized past winners Because of the great impact of the epidemic on the restaurant industry. Founded in 1991, the James Beard Foundation Restaurant & Chef Awards are one of five separate award recognition programs, which also include Books, Broadcasting, Journalism, and Leadership.
Look for upcoming announcements for the Restaurant and Chef Awards nominees, honorees for leadership, lifetime achievement award, and Humanitarian of the Year awards to be revealed on March 16th in Scottsdale, Arizona. The nominees for the James Beard Foundation Media Awards were announced on April 27 in New York City.
Without further ado, here are the nominees who have identified some of the Bay Area’s sharpest knives in nine categories, including “Top Chef: California,” with eight chefs from San Francisco represented:
great restaurant
Willie Ng, Koi Palace, Dragon Beaux and Palette T House, San Francisco
Outstanding Chef
Reem Asil, Reims, Oakland and San Francisco
great restaurant
no one
budding chef
Crystal Wahbiba, Wahbiba Kitchen, Auckland
David Yoshimura, Nessie, San Francisco
Best new restaurant
Abaco, San Francisco
Horn BBQ, Auckland
Outstanding Pastry Chef
no one
Outstanding baker
Clement Hsu, Catherine Campisino Wong and James Wong, Bridbeley, San Francisco
Premium Hospitality (Provided by American Airlines)
Prime Rib House, San Francisco
Premium Wine Program
The Punchdown, Auckland
Premium Bar Program
Friends and family, Auckland
Best Chef: California
Sylvain Mishima Brackett, Rentaro, San Francisco
Val M Canto, California, San Francisco
Srijith Gopinathan, Eitan, Palo Alto
Brandon Geo, Mister Geo, San Francisco
Hina Patel, Bashram, San Francisco
Melissa Perello, Octavia, San Francisco
James Seahabot, Commis, Auckland
Pim Techamuanvivit, Fireworks, San Francisco
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