Two James Beard names to note
E.J. Lagasse, son of Emeril Lagasse and a Portuguese‑American chef with Fall River roots, is a 2026 James Beard finalist for Best Emerging Chef. (heraldnews.com). In Montana, Whitefish native Earl Reynolds was named a James Beard finalist for Best Chef — the second time in his career he's reached finalist status. (kpax.com).
Two chefs from very different food scenes — New Orleans and Whitefish, Montana — are now on the 2026 James Beard finalist list. (jamesbeard.org) The James Beard Foundation announced its 2026 restaurant and chef nominees on March 31, with winners set for June 15 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. The awards are presented by Capital One and cover national and regional restaurant categories. (jamesbeard.org) E.J. Lagasse is one of five finalists for Emerging Chef, a national award that spotlights rising talent. The Foundation’s 2026 nominee list names him alongside chefs from Texas, California, Washington, District of Columbia, and Louisiana. (jamesbeard.org) Lagasse is chef and co-owner of Emeril’s in New Orleans, and a USA Today Network report said he became the youngest chef to lead a two-Michelin-star kitchen there at age 22. That report also identified him as the son of Emeril Lagasse and noted his family roots in Fall River’s Portuguese community. (witness.usatoday.com) In Montana, Earl Reynolds is a finalist for Best Chef: Mountain, the regional category covering Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming. The James Beard Foundation’s nominee list places him among five finalists in that region. (jamesbeard.org) KPAX reported Reynolds is a Whitefish native and that this is the second time in his career he has reached James Beard finalist status. The station also reported that Reynolds previously earned a James Beard nomination before this year’s finalist run. (kpax.com) The split between the categories helps explain why both names stand out. Emerging Chef is a national award for newer breakout figures, while Best Chef: Mountain is a regional race built around place-based restaurant leadership in the interior West. (jamesbeard.org) The Foundation says the Restaurant and Chef Awards have been part of the program since 1990 and are meant to recognize excellence in food, drink, and hospitality. In practice, a finalist slot can raise a chef’s profile far beyond a local dining market. (jamesbeard.org) For now, the headline is simple: one finalist comes from a famous New Orleans restaurant family, and the other from a hometown Montana kitchen with repeat James Beard recognition. The next date that matters is June 15 in Chicago. (jamesbeard.org)
