What I ate and saw at the 2025 James Beard Awards
The crew from Providence embrace Gift Horse chef Sky Haneul Kim after it was announced that she had won Best Chef: Northeast, a regional chef award, at the 2025 James Beard Awards in Chicago.
Eliesa Johnson
The co-owners of Sullivan's Castle Island in South Boston, Brendan Sullivan and his wife Adrienne Sullivan (fourth and fifth from the right), are honored as "America's Classic" winners at the 2025 James Beard Awards in Chicago.
Eliesa Johnson
The annual awards ceremony takes place at the Lyric Opera House. The biggest chefs, commentators, and members of the food media are decked out in floor-length ballgowns and tuxedos. But that's just the beginning. A post-awards celebration immediately follows at Chicago's Union Station, featuring tastings and beverages from chefs around the country. You either walk or take a limousine from the Opera House to the station, which is decorated with sofas and sparkling objects, and filled with a 'who's who' of
Some of the Beard finalists and previous winners prepared small, delicious bites like an agnolotti pasta with English peas, roasted mushrooms, pistachio, and crème fraîche made by chef Matt Vawter of
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Chef and co-owner Serigne Mbaye of Dakar in New Orleans attends the 2025 James Beard Awards in Chicago.
Clay Williams
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'We were literally slammed with all of the people who wanted a taste,' said Mbaye's business partner and Dakar's managing director Dr. Afua 'Effie' Richardson when I ran into her at the airport the day after the awards. A board-certified pediatric dentist, she sold her practice in order to help fund the opening of Dakar.
The black eyed pea soup at Dakar in New Orleans. A version of this soup was prepared for the 2025 James Beard Awards.
Alexa Gagosz
Alaska chef Beau Schooler served an Alaskan scallop crudo at the 2025 James Beard Awards.
Clay Williams
Anyone who reads this newsletter knows how much I love raw fish, so one of my favorite bites was prepared by chef Jeffrey Steelman of Wicker Park Seafood & Sushi Bar in Chicago, who made
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Chef Varanya Geyoosawat of Kann in Portland, Oregon – a restaurant by the celebrated Haitian-American chef Gregory Gourdet, who is another James Beard award winner – served a delicious Caribbean shrimp curry with jasmine rice at the 2025 James Beard Awards.
Alexa Gagosz
Chef Varanya Geyoosawat of
Big brands were certainly in attendance this year: Wine and tequila producers were providing tastings and bubbles never stopped flowing into flutes, while bartenders were shaking up cocktails using tried and true spirits. Keven Vetter of McCormick for Chefs served tropical esquites with aji amarillo – he also gave out small bottles of the spice bottle for people to bring home.
A bar at the 2025 James Beard Awards in Chicago. (Eliesa Johnson)
Eliesa Johnson
While the awards ceremony recognizes the hard work that America's restaurant workers, chefs, bartenders, sommeliers, and others put in every day, the after party is where people get to let loose. The pressures of business and hierarchies within the industry vanish as the food elite mingles with writers, chefs, and fans. Daniel Boulud, the legendary French chef and restaurateur, hung out and took a photo with a crew from Providence, made up of chefs and owners from Oberlin,
A cut of salmon served at the afterparty of the 2025 James Beard Awards.
Clay Williams
Celebrity chefs, like Marcus Samuelsson (of
And then there were the after-after parties. Along with Providence chef Derek Wagner of Nicks on Broadway (a finalist for Best Chef: Northeast this year) and his crew, we headed to
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Marcus Samuelsson and Daniel Boulud attend the 2025 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards on June 16, 2025 in Chicago.for James Beard Foundation
Moore, who is from the South Side of Chicago, was also named a semifinalist this year for the first time.
'As a Black chef for 25 years, when I look at restaurants and I look at us… many chefs in this room, and a lot of people who won today, it was such an experience for me to see that and for [them] to be here, in my house,' said Moore.
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10 hours ago
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Nezza's national anthem in Spanish at Dodger Stadium ignites debate over team's immigrant support
LOS ANGELES — As fans removed their caps and stood for the national anthem Saturday night at Dodger Stadium, they were met with a surprising rendition of 'The Star-Spangled Banner.' Latin pop and R&B singer Nezza stood in front of the crowd, closed her eyes and belted the song out — in Spanish. Her 90-second rendition, and a behind-the-scenes video she shared on social media of team representatives discouraging it beforehand, quickly went viral and have become a flashpoint for Dodgers fans frustrated by the team's lack of vocal support for immigrant communities impacted by the deportation raids across the U.S., including numerous neighborhoods in and around Los Angeles. Protests over the arrests made by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have captured international attention and mostly been held in areas a short drive from Dodger Stadium. Nezza says even after the discouragement from the team's representative, she hadn't yet decided whether to sing in English or Spanish until she walked out onto the field and saw the stands filled with Latino families in Dodger blue. 'This is my moment to show everyone that I am with them that we have a voice and with everything that's happening it's not OK. I'm super proud that I did it. No regrets,' the 30-year-old singer told The Associated Press. The team has yet to make a statement on the record regarding the arrests and raids. Manager Dave Roberts has said he doesn't know enough about the issue to comment, but Dodgers hitter Kiké Hernández separately spoke out on Instagram over the weekend. 'I am saddened and infuriated by what's happening in our country and our city,' he said in a post in English and Spanish. 'I cannot stand to see our community being violated, profiled, abused and ripped apart. ALL people deserve to be treated with respect, dignity and human rights.' In her viral TikTok video, Nezza is shown speaking with an off-camera Dodgers employee who tells her, 'We are going to do the song in English today, so I'm not sure if that wasn't transferred or if that wasn't relayed.' She's received an outpouring of support since Saturday from celebrities like Jason Mraz, Kehlani, Chiquis, Ava DuVernay, The Kid Mero, Becky G and more. 'Don't you dare turn your backs on us now. We, as a city, have embraced you and need your support more than ever. Think about who fills up your stadium,' said Becky G, addressing the Dodgers in her Instagram story. The Spanish-language version Nezza sang, 'El Pendón Estrellado,' is the official translation of the national anthem and was commissioned in 1945 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt from Peruvian-American composer Clotilde Arias. Column: Pride and community at Chicago White Sox's Mexican Heritage Night game amid immigration crackdownsNezza says her manager immediately received a call from an unidentified Dodgers employee saying their clients were not welcome at the stadium again, but the baseball team said in a statement to the AP: 'There were no consequences or hard feelings from the Dodgers regarding her performance. She was not asked to leave. We would be happy to have her back.' Dodger Stadium has a long history with immigrant communities in Los Angeles. Many proudly wear Dodger blue jerseys and merchandise as an extension of their love for the city — the team still sells special 'Los Dodgers' jerseys on its official website — and attend the stadium's multiple heritage nights honoring Mexican, Salvadoran, Guatemalan and more immigrant communities, including those from outside Latin America. The Dodgers' fan base is heavily Latino, and the team is among the select few to offer Spanish-language television broadcasts. The franchise is also frequently praised for its history seeking out diverse talent, including Jackie Robinson (baseball's first Black player), Fernando Valenzuela (a Mexican icon who transcended baseball) and Chan Ho Park (the first Korean in the big leagues). But the relationship is not without tension, with some Mexican American and Latino residents resentful of the team's forceful eviction of Latino families in the 1950s to build Dodger Stadium in what is popularly known as Chavez Ravine. Fans have since called for a boycott online, while others say they'd be willing to return if the team spoke out. 'We love you. You've been so much a big part of our lives. … We would like to understand that you love us just the same. Or are we just money to you?' asked Power 106's Brown Bag Mornings host Letty Peniche in an Instagram video. Los Angeles resident Alora Murray is considering a temporary boycott. 'Nobody is messing around about this,' said Murray. 'Los Angeles is built upon the Dodgers. For them to not kind of be with us, I feel like us boycotting or not going to games will send that message.' Many in the Latino community have been sharing videos of stadium security confronting fans who have political signs or messages on their clothing. Longtime Dodger fan Emeli Avalos says she doesn't believe the team is apolitical since they released a statement to condemn Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. 'If it's really about staying out of politics, then why do they support that? But when people down the street from them are getting taken, kidnapped, why do they stay silent?' she said. Avalos attended Pride Night on June 13 wearing a shirt that said 'Abolish ICE' on the front and 'FDT' — an acronym for an expletive directed at President Donald Trump — on the back. In a popular TikTok video, Avalos is seen speaking with Dodgers security. She says she thought she was going to be asked to leave but was instead asked to cover the back of her shirt with her jersey. 'They told me, 'The front is fine, you just gotta cover the back,'' said Avalos, who said she will not be returning to the stadium. Another video of a fan being confronted by security for holding a banner with 'ICE' crossed out circulated online over the weekend, furthering criticism of the team. When asked about the incidents, a Dodgers spokesperson pointed to the team's stadium guidelines, which state the team 'does not allow signs or banners of any kind.' Also prohibited is any attire the Dodgers deem — at their sole discretion — to be obscene, profane, vulgar, indecent, violent, threatening, abusive or prejudiced against any individual or group. Nezza does not think she will return to the stadium, despite the Dodgers' statement, but says she hopes her performance will inspire others to use their voice and speak out. 'It's just shown me like how much power there is in the Latin community,' she said. 'We gotta be the voice right now.'
Boston Globe
14 hours ago
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What I ate and saw at the 2025 James Beard Awards
The crew from Providence embrace Gift Horse chef Sky Haneul Kim after it was announced that she had won Best Chef: Northeast, a regional chef award, at the 2025 James Beard Awards in Chicago. Eliesa Johnson The co-owners of Sullivan's Castle Island in South Boston, Brendan Sullivan and his wife Adrienne Sullivan (fourth and fifth from the right), are honored as "America's Classic" winners at the 2025 James Beard Awards in Chicago. Eliesa Johnson The annual awards ceremony takes place at the Lyric Opera House. The biggest chefs, commentators, and members of the food media are decked out in floor-length ballgowns and tuxedos. But that's just the beginning. A post-awards celebration immediately follows at Chicago's Union Station, featuring tastings and beverages from chefs around the country. You either walk or take a limousine from the Opera House to the station, which is decorated with sofas and sparkling objects, and filled with a 'who's who' of Some of the Beard finalists and previous winners prepared small, delicious bites like an agnolotti pasta with English peas, roasted mushrooms, pistachio, and crème fraîche made by chef Matt Vawter of Advertisement Chef and co-owner Serigne Mbaye of Dakar in New Orleans attends the 2025 James Beard Awards in Chicago. Clay Williams Advertisement 'We were literally slammed with all of the people who wanted a taste,' said Mbaye's business partner and Dakar's managing director Dr. Afua 'Effie' Richardson when I ran into her at the airport the day after the awards. A board-certified pediatric dentist, she sold her practice in order to help fund the opening of Dakar. The black eyed pea soup at Dakar in New Orleans. A version of this soup was prepared for the 2025 James Beard Awards. Alexa Gagosz Alaska chef Beau Schooler served an Alaskan scallop crudo at the 2025 James Beard Awards. Clay Williams Anyone who reads this newsletter knows how much I love raw fish, so one of my favorite bites was prepared by chef Jeffrey Steelman of Wicker Park Seafood & Sushi Bar in Chicago, who made Advertisement Chef Varanya Geyoosawat of Kann in Portland, Oregon – a restaurant by the celebrated Haitian-American chef Gregory Gourdet, who is another James Beard award winner – served a delicious Caribbean shrimp curry with jasmine rice at the 2025 James Beard Awards. Alexa Gagosz Chef Varanya Geyoosawat of Big brands were certainly in attendance this year: Wine and tequila producers were providing tastings and bubbles never stopped flowing into flutes, while bartenders were shaking up cocktails using tried and true spirits. Keven Vetter of McCormick for Chefs served tropical esquites with aji amarillo – he also gave out small bottles of the spice bottle for people to bring home. A bar at the 2025 James Beard Awards in Chicago. (Eliesa Johnson) Eliesa Johnson While the awards ceremony recognizes the hard work that America's restaurant workers, chefs, bartenders, sommeliers, and others put in every day, the after party is where people get to let loose. The pressures of business and hierarchies within the industry vanish as the food elite mingles with writers, chefs, and fans. Daniel Boulud, the legendary French chef and restaurateur, hung out and took a photo with a crew from Providence, made up of chefs and owners from Oberlin, A cut of salmon served at the afterparty of the 2025 James Beard Awards. Clay Williams Celebrity chefs, like Marcus Samuelsson (of And then there were the after-after parties. Along with Providence chef Derek Wagner of Nicks on Broadway (a finalist for Best Chef: Northeast this year) and his crew, we headed to Advertisement Marcus Samuelsson and Daniel Boulud attend the 2025 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards on June 16, 2025 in James Beard Foundation Moore, who is from the South Side of Chicago, was also named a semifinalist this year for the first time. 'As a Black chef for 25 years, when I look at restaurants and I look at us… many chefs in this room, and a lot of people who won today, it was such an experience for me to see that and for [them] to be here, in my house,' said Moore. Thanks for reading The Food Club. ✍️ This newsletter is written and produced by ✉️ Send comments, suggestions, and story tips to 📧 Did someone forward this newsletter to you? 📱 Delivered every Thursday. Alexa Gagosz can be reached at
Yahoo
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