2026 James Beard Awards Highlight JWU Alumni Excellence

For the culinary industry, the annual James Beard Awards® list is up there with the Oscar nominations in terms of excitement, influence and social media buzz. The 2026 list has just been announced, and JWU alumni are well represented in most of the major categories, including a Best Restaurant nod for Oberlin, the Providence hotspot helmed by Ben Sukle ’08 — and currently celebrating its 10th anniversary.

Other nominations of note: the Emerging Chef category highlights Jasmine Watson ’16, chef of Audette, a nouvelle French bistro in Newport, RI, that’s become Instagram-famous for its viral Caesar salad. Also honored in this category: Anthony Jones ’10, executive chef at Marcus Samuelsson’s Marcus DC.

This Restaurant and Chef nominees list will be narrowed down to a selection of semifinalists on Tuesday, March 31; the winners will be celebrated at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards Ceremony on June 15, 2026 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

We’re so proud of every one of these talented alums and can’t wait to see what they do next!

Note: Two of the Best Chef nominations include multiple chefs within a single listing. JWU alums are denoted in bold text with their graduation year.

Best Chef: California

• Brian Dunsmoor ’04, Dunsmoor, Los Angeles, California

Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic

• Leah Branch ’09, The Roosevelt, Richmond, Virginia

Best Chef: Midwest

• Jason Rickard and Jordan Rickard ’15, FioRito, Wichita, Kansas

Best Chef: Northeast

• Derek Wagner ’99, ’19 Hon., Nicks on Broadway, Providence, Rhode Island
• Shi Mei ’10, Lenox Sophia, Boston, Massachusetts
• Tiara Adorno ’12, The Crooked Ram, Manchester, Vermont

Best Chef: South

• Raúl Correa, René Marichal and Xavier Pacheco ’05, Bacoa Finca + Fogón, Juncos, Puerto Rico

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Aldeana (@aldeana_pr)

Best Chef: Southeast

• Jimmy Gentry ’98, The Lobbyist, Memphis, Tennessee
• Matt Dawes ’03, The Bull and Beggar, Asheville, North Carolina
• Noam Bilitzer ’12, MeeshMeesh, Louisville, Kentucky

Best Chef: Texas

• George Watts III ’17, GW’s BBQ Catering Co, San Juan, Texas

Emerging Chef

Presented by S.Pellegrino® Sparkling Natural Mineral Water

• Anthony Jones ’10, Marcus DC, Washington, D.C.
• Jasmine Watson ’16, Audette, Newport, RI

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by MARCUS DC (@dinemarcusdc)

Outstanding Chef

• Joseph Lenn ’01, J.C. Holdway, Knoxville, Tennessee

Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker

• Claudia Martinez ’15, Bar ANA, Atlanta, Georgia
• Courtney Kenyon-Snider ’15, Obélix, Chicago, Illinois
• Emily Thompson ’16, The Wolf’s Tailor, Denver, Colorado
• Lucia Merino ’09, Lucia Patisserie, San Juan, Puerto Rico
• Whitney Stancil ’14, Cuvée at Chatham Inn, Chatham, Massachusetts
  
  

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Bar ANA (@barana.atl)

Outstanding Restaurant

Presented by Acqua Panna® Natural Spring Water

• Oberlin, Providence, RI
  Benjamin J. Sukle ’08, Owner/Restaurateur