JBF announces 2023 Restaurant and Chef Awards semifinalists

Yesterday the James Beard Foundation announced its slate of semifinalists for the 2023 Restaurant and Chef Awards. Nominees will be announced on March 29, with the winners feted at a gala event in Chicago on June 5. (The cookbook award winners will be announced on June 3.)

If you live in the US, chances are you within driving distance of at least one of the semifinalists, especially since the Best Chef awards are broken up by region (Midwest, Mountain, Great Lakes, Mid-Atlantic, California, New York State, Northeast, Northwest and Pacific, Southeast, South, Southwest, and Texas). The list also provides great incentive when making your travel plans, although now that the secret’s out, expect longer wait times for reservations.

The Restaurant and Chef Awards are one of five distinct awards programs of the JBF (naturally, we always report heavily on the cookbook and food writing awards). There are some changes to this year’s Restaurant and Chef Awards, with the addition of a new Award for Outstanding Bakery. You can see the entire list of semifinalists on the James Beard Foundation’s website.