Chicago chefs – Chicago’s James Beard Awards night landed with one big win and a long, celebratory stretch of food: Jacob Potashnick of Feld took home Best Chef: Great Lakes, while local finalist Bailey Sullivan of Monteverde Restaurant & Pastificio walked the red carpet. Pho
On the red carpet at the Lyric Opera House, Chicago chefs kept showing up—smiling, posing, and taking in the room where the country’s most influential food figures gather once a year.
Since Chicago nabbed the James Beard Awards from New York in 2015. the prize has carried an extra kind of local pride. The event brings top chefs and food personalities to town for a few days of eating. drinking. and honoring one another. capped by a gastronomic afterparty loaded with booze. a caviar table. and adventurous miniplates.
This year, the city had several nominees in the mix, but only one Chicagoan walked away with a major award. Jacob Potashnick of Feld in Ukrainian Village won Best Chef: Great Lakes, recognized for his comeback year.
Plenty of Chicago talent still looked right at home among the broader roster. Chefs and winners from across the country were also in attendance. including New York wine bar Lei. the winner of the Best New Restaurant; San Francisco hotspot Quince. where Michael Tusk received the evening’s outstanding chef award; and Philadelphia’s Kalaya. which won outstanding restaurant of the year.
Bailey Sullivan of Monteverde Restaurant & Pastificio was a finalist on Monday in the emerging chef category. That award ultimately went to Adrian Torres of the restaurant Maximo in West University Place, Texas, in the Houston area.
For Sullivan, standing in the spotlight for a hometown night meant more than a nomination. On the red carpet. she said she was “beyond ecstatic” to help represent her hometown at the awards. adding. “I just couldn’t be more proud of being a Chicago native and supporting this town and just bringing a little life to the city.”.
Among the faces captured during the evening were chefs and food figures including Rick Bayless; Norman Fenton of Cariño and family; sommelier Belinda Chang; El-P and Killer Mike of Run The Jewels; as well as Sarah Grueneberg and Sullivan. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson also walked the red carpet at the James Beard Awards.
The celebration didn’t end with the ceremony. After the awards, the post-ceremony reception took place at Union Station, turning the focus from speeches and spotlights to the kind of food that makes people lean in and slow down.
The afterparty menu in the photos ran from comforting to daring. Lordfer Lalicon of Kaya in Orlando. Florida prepped oxtail terrine with roasted peanut jus. bagoong caramel. soy-pickled eggplant. long bean relish. and sourdough pumpernickel pandesal. La Brea Bakery of Los Angeles served french onion grilled cheese.
In Savannah, Georgia, Brandon Carter of Common Thread served May River blue crab with carolina gold rice, sofrito, tiger salad, habanero, and crispy bits. Eleazar Villanueva of Joël Robuchon in Las Vegas, Nevada presented le caviar en infusion de corail—anise in surprise caviar with fennel cream.
Other plates shown included a baja kanpachi tostada with avocado by Thomas Bille of Belly of the Beast in Spring, Texas, and brisket biryani served by Ryan Fernandez of Southern Junction in Buffalo, New York.
Chicago’s night at the 2026 James Beard Awards looked like a mix of recognition and momentum: one hometown victory for Potashnick, one emerging-chef run for Sullivan, and a cityful of chefs continuing the real work of eating, trading ideas, and turning awards energy into something more lasting.
2026 James Beard Awards Chicago chefs Jacob Potashnick Feld Bailey Sullivan Monteverde Restaurant & Pastificio Lyric Opera House Union Station afterparty
So wait, Chicago got the award from New York in 2015 like… permanently? Or is it just bragging rights? Either way congrats I guess.
Beard Awards always sound expensive as hell. Caviar table and mini plates and booze… meanwhile my rent went up again. Like good for the chefs but can someone explain why the afterparty needs that much stuff?
Bailey Sullivan was the finalist right? I thought she won best chef or maybe I saw the wrong post. Also “Great Lakes” makes me think like, Detroit area? Chicago still counts though, obviously.
My uncle said these awards are rigged because it’s all networking at the Lyric Opera House. Like Jacob Potashnick “comeback year” yeah sure, but the real win is being invited to the caviar table lol. And Adrian Torres in Texas winning emerging chef… does that mean the new restaurant is always in Houston area or what? I’m confused.