D.C.'s Own Carlos Delgado of Causa Wins a James Beard Award for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic
The James Beard Foundation announced the winners of its 35th-annual Restaurant and Chef Awards during a glitzy Monday night gala at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Well-dressed hospitality professionals were crowned coveted medals across dozens of categories in what is largely considered the Oscars of the food world. Read the full list of winners here. In nearby Baltimore, fine dining American stalwart Charleston received the James Beard Award for Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program in the country.
Delgado, who oversees two Peruvian restaurants in D.C. — tasting menu-centric Causa and the pisco-fueled standout Bar Amazonia located upstairs — was one of five finalists for the city, though others did not advance to the final award.
With a Peruvian flag in tow, Delgado brought his chef de cuisine Alex Lazo onstage, calling him his 'right-hand man' who 'works with me every day.' Pulling off two restaurants in one space 'is a lot of hard work,' he notes, especially since both debuted at once during the pandemic.
'This whole thing is an immigrant's dream of mine since I was a little kid,' says Delgado, noting it's his grandmother who taught him how to cook.
Presenter Marcus Samuelsson, the celebrity chef who just opened his first D.C. restaurant (Marcus DC) in NoMa, handed Delgado the award. Just like when Causa was a best new restaurant finalist at the Chicago ceremony in 2023, Delgado admits he 'didn't write a speech' for last night's win.
Delgado faced impressive competition in his category, from nominees such as fellow D.C. chef Henji Cheung of Queen's English, Philly's Jesse Ito of Royal Sushi & Izakaya and Amanda Shulman of Her Place Supper Club, and Dan Richer of Razza in Jersey City, N.J. It wasn't a total loss for Philadelphia, which saw Phila Lorn of stunner Cambodian restaurant Mawn win in the Emerging Chef category. A D.C.-proper chef hasn't won the Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic award since 2019, when Filipino chef Tom Cunanan took the title for (now-closed) Bad Saint.
Last evening also marked a huge win for Charleston's vet chef Cindy Wolf, who was a James Beard finalist for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic in 2006, 2008; and every year from 2014 to 2019. Around since 1997 in Harbor East, this was the first time Charleston won for its wine program. Wine director Lindsay Willey oversees the 1,100-bottle list.
Meanwhile, every other D.C. finalist for 2025 ultimately didn't take home a medal. That included Moon Rabbit's Susan Bae, who was up for Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker for the second year in a row; Fried Rice Collective's Scott Drewno and Danny Lee of Anju, Chiko, and I Egg You (Outstanding Restaurateur); and Mita in Shaw (Best New Restaurant).
D.C. chefs took home big nationwide accolades in 2024, with Perry's Masako Morishita winning Emerging Chef of the Year and Albi's Michael Rafidi named Outstanding Chef (a title that went to Oyster Oyster's Rob Rubba in 2023).
Soon after opening, Causa was named one of Eater's Best New Restaurants in America and earned its first Michelin star. Lima-born Delgado previously honed his craft under José Andrés as the longtime executive chef at Penn Quarter's China Chilcano. He's busier than ever these days, as the newly named culinary director of the Wharf's sparkling Mediterranean restaurant La Vie.
During a post-awards segment – the first of its kind during the VIP after-party at Chicago's Union Station – a medal-donning Delgado was pulled aside to recap his win. He thanked his daughter Sophia and son Matteo for the honor, and says he's already picked out a spot at Causa for the award (which is where he also keeps Eater's tomato can).
The Media Awards hosted by Padma Lakshmi took place on Saturday, June 14 — read the full winners list here .
Disclosure: Some Vox Media staff members are part of the voting body for the James Beard Awards. Eater is partnering with the James Beard Foundation to livestream the awards in 2025. All editorial content is produced independently of the James Beard Foundation. See More:
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