Lagasse’s son gets nod
E.J. Lagasse was named a finalist for Best Emerging Chef at the 2026 James Beard Awards on April 13, marking a national-level recognition for his work (heraldnews.com). The profile notes his culinary pedigree — he is Emeril Lagasse’s son — and stresses his Portuguese‑American roots and ties to Fall River as part of the nomination story (heraldnews.com).
E.J. Lagasse, the chef at Emeril’s in New Orleans, is a 2026 James Beard Award finalist for Best Emerging Chef. (jamesbeard.org) The James Beard Foundation announced its restaurant and chef finalists on March 31, and the Best Emerging Chef list includes Lagasse alongside chefs from Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and other cities. Winners are scheduled to be announced on June 15 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. (jamesbeard.org) (abcnews.com) Lagasse returned to New Orleans in 2022 and now serves as chef and co-owner of Emeril’s, the flagship restaurant founded by his father, Emeril Lagasse. The restaurant reopened in 2023 after a renovation and now serves a refined tasting-menu format built around Louisiana ingredients. (emeril.org) The nomination puts a national awards spotlight on a chef already drawing attention in guidebooks. In November 2025, the Michelin Guide said Emeril’s earned two Michelin stars and named E.J. Lagasse its 2025 American South Young Chef Award winner. (guide.michelin.com) Lagasse is 22, according to Michelin, making him unusually young for this level of recognition at a major fine-dining restaurant. Michelin said he became the youngest chef to lead a two-star Michelin restaurant. (guide.michelin.com 1) (guide.michelin.com 2) His family name is part of the story, but so is the restaurant’s reset. Coverage in Massachusetts tied the nomination to his Portuguese-American background and to Fall River, where the Lagasse family has roots in the Portuguese community. (heraldnews.com) That Portuguese thread has also shown up in the family’s recent restaurant projects. Emeril Lagasse and E.J. Lagasse opened 34 Restaurant & Bar in New Orleans as a Portuguese-inspired concept in 2024, though the restaurant closed on January 31, 2026. (heraldnews.com) For now, the awards race centers on Emeril’s, where E.J. Lagasse has moved from heir apparent to finalist on his own. The next marker is June 15, when the James Beard Foundation names this year’s winners in Chicago. (jamesbeard.org)
