James Beard timing & names

The 2026 James Beard restaurant and chef winners will be announced on June 15 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. (jamesbeard.org) The James Beard Foundation announced its 2026 restaurant and chef nominees on March 31, after releasing semifinalists on January 21. The foundation’s schedule puts the Media Awards on June 13, the Impact Awards on June 14, and the Restaurant and Chef Awards on June 15. (jamesbeard.org 1) (jamesbeard.org 2) Las Vegas has three finalists in the 2026 restaurant and chef field: Tamba for Best New Restaurant, Brian Howard of Sparrow + Wolf for Best Chef: Southwest, and Sarah Thompson of Casa Playa in the same regional chef category. (lasvegasweekly.com) Washington’s Suresh Sundas is a finalist for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic for Daru and Tapori. WTOP reported on April 24 that Sundas is the first Nepalese chef ever named a James Beard Award finalist. (wtop.com) The awards are split into national categories such as Best New Restaurant and regional chef categories such as Best Chef: Southwest and Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic. The James Beard Foundation describes the program as honoring chefs, restaurateurs, bars, and hospitality professionals across the United States. (jamesbeard.org) This year’s nominee list also includes achievement honorees beyond the competitive categories. The foundation named Nancy Silverton for Lifetime Achievement and scheduled those honorees to be recognized during the Chicago awards weekend. (jamesbeard.org) For Las Vegas, the finalist list puts both a new restaurant and two Strip-adjacent chef names into the national awards conversation before the June ceremony. For Washington, Sundas’s nomination adds Daru and Tapori to a finalist slate that WTOP said includes several D.C.-area contenders this year. (lasvegasweekly.com) (wtop.com) The next date on the calendar is June 15, when the finalists become winners onstage in Chicago. (jamesbeard.org)