Los Angeles Won Big at the 2026 James Beard Awards

Key Points:

• Los Angeles had a successful night at the 2026 James Beard Awards in Chicago, winning Best Chef: California (Dave Beran of Seline), Outstanding Hospitality (Providence), and Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program (Kato).
• Dave Beran of Seline was recognized for his innovative tasting menu, while Kato’s beverage program, led by Ryan Bailey and Austin Hennelly, was honored for its complement to chef Jon Yao’s Taiwanese-influenced cuisine.
• Providence, a three-Michelin-starred seafood restaurant by Michael Cimarusti and Donato Poto, won Outstanding Hospitality, highlighting its reputation for exceptional service since opening in 2005.
• The James Beard Foundation also honored The Serving Spoon in Inglewood with an America’s Classics award, recognizing its longstanding role in Los Angeles’s Black community and its Southern breakfast and comfort food offerings.
• Additional honors included Humanitarian of the Year awarded to No Us Without You founders Damián Diaz and Othón Nolasco, the Impact Award to CHIRLA, and the Lifetime Achievement Award to Nancy Silverton for her influential culinary career.