First Nepalese James Beard finalist
- James Beard named Suresh Sundas of Tapori in Washington a 2026 Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic finalist, and local coverage says he is the first Nepalese-born chef to reach finalist status. - Sundas runs Tapori in Washington’s H Street corridor, where he serves dishes shaped by Nepali street food and his years working at 7-Eleven before cooking professionally. - Tapori’s rise follows national notice from Eater’s best new restaurants list, putting Nepali food into a major U.S. awards conversation. (wtop.com)
Suresh Sundas of Tapori in Washington is a 2026 James Beard Award finalist for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic, and local reports say he is the first Nepalese-born chef to reach that stage. (jamesbeard.org) (wtop.com) The James Beard Foundation released its 2026 restaurant and chef finalists in April, and Sundas was listed in the Mid-Atlantic chef category for Tapori. (jamesbeard.org) Tapori is in Washington’s H Street area, and Sundas told WTOP he came to the United States from Nepal in 2015 and worked at 7-Eleven before moving into restaurant kitchens. (wtop.com) American Bazaar reported that Sundas is Nepalese American and framed the nomination as a first for a Nepalese-born chef in the Beard finalists lineup. (americanbazaaronline.com) Tapori had already broken through before the Beard announcement. Eater included the restaurant on its 2025 best new restaurants in America list. (eater.com) That combination — a national media nod and a Beard finalist slot — has put a restaurant centered on Nepali flavors into one of the most closely watched U.S. dining awards cycles. (eater.com) (jamesbeard.org) WTOP said Sundas built Tapori around food tied to Nepali street cooking, a style less visible in top-tier U.S. restaurant awards than Indian tasting menus or broader South Asian concepts. (wtop.com) The Beard Awards ceremony is scheduled for June in Chicago, where Sundas will compete with the other Mid-Atlantic finalists for the regional chef prize. (jamesbeard.org) For now, the clearest fact is the one on the finalists list: Tapori, a Washington restaurant led by a chef from Nepal, is now in the James Beard awards field. (jamesbeard.org)
