James Beard nominee

Neale Asato of Honolulu’s Asato Family Shop is one of five national finalists for the 2026 James Beard Award for Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker. (jamesbeard.org) The James Beard Foundation announced this year’s restaurant and chef nominees on March 31, and the winners are scheduled to be named June 15 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. (jamesbeard.org 1) (jamesbeard.org 2) Asato is the owner of Asato Family Shop, a Honolulu business known for sherbet, and Honolulu Magazine reported he also expanded this year with an omakase-style dessert bar in Waikīkī. (honolulumagazine.com) The nomination puts a Hawaiʻi dessert maker into one of the foundation’s national restaurant-and-chef categories, which recognize work across the independent restaurant industry rather than a local or regional field. The foundation said this year’s nominees “embody exceptional talent and leadership” in that industry. (alohastatedaily.com) (jamesbeard.org) The James Beard Awards are among the best-known honors in American dining, and the foundation says the Restaurant and Chef Awards have been presented since 1990. In 2026, the group is also marking 40 years of the James Beard Foundation. (jamesbeard.org 1) (jamesbeard.org 2) Asato first appeared on the James Beard list as a semifinalist announced Jan. 21, before advancing to the final nominee list released at the end of March. That two-step process narrows a longer field into five finalists in categories such as Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker. (jamesbeard.org 1) (jamesbeard.org 2) (bakemag.com) In an interview with Aloha State Daily, Asato said the nomination was “surreal” and tied the recognition back to the family roots of the shop. He told the outlet the business drew inspiration from his grandparents and from sherbet sold in Hawaiʻi plantation-era communities. (alohastatedaily.com) The next marker is straightforward: Asato’s name is already on the national shortlist, and the final result comes in Chicago on June 15. (jamesbeard.org)