The 2026 Chefs of the Year

Key Points:

• The 2026 Eater Awards honor five influential chefs who are shaping their local food scenes and the broader culinary landscape, highlighting their unique backgrounds and recent projects.
• Laura Ozyilmaz of San Francisco’s Maria Isabel celebrates Mexican matriarchy and indigenous ingredients, blending her Guerrero and Sinaloan heritage into a vibrant menu that expands on her Mediterranean-Mexican culinary identity.
• Washington, D.C.’s Carlos Delgado gained acclaim with Peruvian-inspired Causa and Bar Amazonia, and his new Nikkei-style seafood restaurant Maru San has become a sought-after dining destination, with plans for expansion in the city.
• Amir Hajimaleki’s Austin restaurant Roya offers an immersive Persian dining experience through a prix fixe sofreh menu, reflecting his Iranian roots and Texas upbringing in a richly designed space.
• Philadelphia chef Phila Lorn leads the innovative Southeast Asian restaurants Mawn and Sao, blending Cambodian flavors with Philadelphia influences to energize the city’s evolving culinary scene.
• Tucson’s Aaron Lopez at Ursa crafts a refined tasting menu inspired by Sonoran Desert ingredients and Indigenous techniques, emphasizing the natural beauty and cultural significance of the American Southwest’s landscape.