Lagasse’s son nominated

E.J. Lagasse is now a finalist for the 2026 James Beard Award for Emerging Chef, one of the restaurant industry’s top national honors. (jamesbeard.org) The James Beard Foundation announced its restaurant and chef nominees on March 31, and winners are scheduled to be named on June 15 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. (jamesbeard.org 1) (jamesbeard.org 2) Lagasse is the chef at Emeril’s in New Orleans, the flagship restaurant founded by his father, Emeril Lagasse, and the 2026 finalist list identifies him in the Emerging Chef category with that restaurant. (abcnews.com) (emeril.org) His nomination comes after a January run to the semifinal round, when the James Beard Foundation listed him among the 2026 Emerging Chef semifinalists before narrowing the field to finalists in late March. (jamesbeard.org 1) (jamesbeard.org 2) Lagasse returned to New Orleans in 2022 to take over day-to-day leadership at Emeril’s, according to the restaurant group, and the restaurant reopened in 2023 after a renovation with a tasting-menu format. (emeril.org) That timeline helps explain why the nomination landed now: the Emerging Chef award recognizes rising talent, and Lagasse’s national profile has grown as he has led a remade version of one of New Orleans’ best-known dining rooms. (eater.com) (emeril.org) The local angle runs through Fall River, Massachusetts, where a report in The Herald News described Lagasse as a Portuguese American chef with family roots in the city through his father’s side. (heraldnews.com) That Portuguese connection also shaped a separate family project in New Orleans: 34 Restaurant & Bar, a Portuguese-inspired restaurant opened by Emeril and E.J. Lagasse, closed on January 31 after about a year in business. (neworleanscitybusiness.com) (heraldnews.com) The finalist nod keeps Lagasse in the national awards conversation even after that closure, with the next milestone set for the June 15 ceremony in Chicago. (jamesbeard.org)