Historic James Beard nod
- A D.C. chef became the first Nepalese-born finalist for the 2026 James Beard Awards. - Local reporting highlights his unlikely path, including a stint working at 7‑Eleven before rising in DC kitchens. - The story sits inside a finalist list that emphasizes immigrant pathways and strong local restaurant ecosystems. (wtop.com)
Suresh Sundas of Daru and Tapori in Washington became the first Nepalese-born finalist for a 2026 James Beard Award. (wtop.com) The James Beard Foundation named Sundas a nominee for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic on March 31, and winners are scheduled to be announced June 15 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. (jamesbeard.org) Washingtonian reported Sundas was the only non-Pennsylvania chef in the 2026 Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic field, a regional category that also covers Washington. Last year, D.C.’s only James Beard win came from Causa chef Carlos Delgado. (washingtonian.com) Sundas’s route into D.C. kitchens did not start in culinary school. He told WTOP he moved from southeastern Nepal to the United States at 24, worked at a 7-Eleven in Northern Virginia, and changed course after a roommate’s guest praised his chicken curry and told him to try restaurant work. (wtop.com) He later worked at Rasika in D.C.’s West End, where he met business partner Dante Datta. The pair opened Daru in August 2021 and opened Tapori on H Street Northeast on March 7, 2025. (wtop.com) (restaurantbusinessonline.com) (washingtonian.com) Tapori’s menu pulls from Kerala, Mumbai, the Himalayan border region, and Nepal, which Washingtonian said is Sundas’s native country. WTOP said Sundas describes Nepalese chicken curry as built around a thinner jhol, or broth-like sauce, rather than the thicker gravies more common in many Indian versions. (washingtonian.com) (wtop.com) The nomination also lands in a year when D.C. placed several names on the James Beard finalist list, including Moon Rabbit pastry chef Susan Bae, Maxwell Park’s Brent Kroll, Maison Bar a Vins, and Chai Pani’s Meherwan and Molly Irani. (washingtonian.com) Nationally, the James Beard Foundation said its 2026 restaurant and chef nominees reflect the independent restaurant industry and tied the awards to equity, sustainability, and economic viability. In D.C., Sundas’s nomination adds a Nepal-born chef to a finalist slate built around immigrant-run kitchens and a local dining scene that keeps producing national contenders. (jamesbeard.org) (washingtonian.com) For Sundas, the milestone is now attached to two restaurants a few blocks apart on H Street. For the James Beard judges, the next date is June 15; for D.C., the story is already on the board. (wtop.com) (jamesbeard.org)
