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Chicago Tribune
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
James Beard Foundation announces 2025 media award nominees, next cohort of Taste America chefs
The James Beard Foundation announced on Wednesday its list of book and media nominees for the James Beard Awards, which included Chicago native Ashok Selvam, regional editor for Eater Midwest. The nominees for its book, broadcast media and journalism awards celebrate digital and traditional media — radio, television broadcasts, podcasts, documentaries, online sites, social media — covering food and beverage topics published or self-published in 2024. Selvam was nominated for the Jonathan Gold Local Voice Award for his work published in 2024, including an article titled 'Namasteak, USA.' Selvam said that story in particular was a significant one for him, highlighting the growing South Asian food scene in Chicago. 'I've been quietly doing stories about South Asian food for some time, and it's kind of my mile mark, and for that particular story, I think it was kind of about time,' Selvam told the Tribune. '(As we saw) so many Chicago restaurants and chefs that were popping up, becoming the epicenter. And not a lot of people consider Chicago when they think of South Asian 一 and there are (South Asian chefs) who have contributed to the cultural fabric of the city for years, but have not necessarily gotten the recognition for whatever reasons.' The James Beard nomination was a first for Selvam, who joked about the early days of working for Eater, where they were paid a flat rate of $25 per story, regardless of the complexity or sources involved. Winners will be honored at a ceremony June 14 at the Columbia College Chicago Student Center. The Tribune covets two nominees and one James Beard Award winner on its Dining staff. Reporter Ahmed Ali Akbar received a James Beard Award in 2022 for Feature Reporting. Last year, Tribune food critic Louisa Kung Liu Chu was one of three James Beard Foundation finalists for the Craig Claiborne Distinguished Criticism Award. A few days before the foundation announced the media awards, it revealed the 2025-2026 lineup of TasteTwenty chefs, its annual selection of 'ones to watch' in the industry. The cohort includes Jacqueline Hernandez of Bar Sótano, the Rick Bayless-owned lounge in River North. Hernandez will represent Chicago throughout the national Taste America series. Other cities being represented include: Asheville, North Carolina, Boston, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami Nashville, Tennessee, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, Portland, Oregon, San Francisco, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Sante Fe, New Mexico, Seattle and Washington, D.C. 'Each chef of the TasteTwenty cohort is chosen not only for their exceptional culinary talent but also for their meaningful contributions beyond the kitchen. They're champions of positive change — from investing in their teams, supporting sustainable agriculture, advocating for a more resilient food system, and more,' the foundation said in a release. 'These chefs represent the future of American dining.' The cohort is part of the Foundation's ongoing commitment to identifying and elevating the outstanding chefs who are at the forefront of American food culture, said Clare Reichenbach, chief executive officer of the James Beard Foundation. In February, the James Beard Foundation announced the winners of its America's Classics award, which recognizes six 'locally owned restaurants that have timeless appeal' across the country. Among this year's honorees is the oldest Black-owned barbecue restaurant in Chicago, Lem's Bar-B-Q. The foundation also released its annual list of semifinalists from across the United States. The final winners in the restaurant and chef Awards categories will be announced on June 16, during a ceremony at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. The April 2 announcement included nominees for Outstanding Restaurateur, Best New Restaurant, and the regional Best Chef awards, as well as finalists for three new categories: Best New Bar, Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service and Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service. Among the finalists vying for its coveted Restaurant and Chef awards are five Chicago chefs and restaurants, including first-time nominees Galit and Kumiko. Kumiko was nominated for Outstanding Bar, Galit for Outstanding Restaurant and three Chicago finalists are in the Best Chef: Great Lakes category: Thai Dang of HaiSous; Chris Jung and Erling Wu-Bower of Maxwells Trading; and Noah Sandoval of Oriole. The James Beard Awards are considered to be among the nation's most prestigious honors for the culinary industry. This year will also commemorate the 35th anniversary of the awards and celebrate what the foundation calls the 'transformative role the awards have played in honoring culinary excellence and shaping the evolution of American food culture.' Last year, Chicago saw just one local winner at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards, with Lula Cafe winning for Outstanding Hospitality.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Free Press dining critic Lyndsay Green earns another James Beard Award nomination
Detroit Free Press restaurant and dining critic Lyndsay C. Green is in the running for another highly coveted James Beard Media Award. The award nominees, announced Wednesday, were revealed ahead of the James Beard Foundation's annual Media Awards ceremonies taking place June 14 in Chicago. Green is nominated for her 2024 series on urban farming, titled 'As Detroit sees a future in urban agriculture, some pushback harkens to a dark past.' "Being in this James Beard conversation for the past three years now feels like a true blessing," Green said. "I still consider myself a new food writer, so this recognition is a real honor. Being a nominee in two different categories at this point also shows a range of food writing. I'm so grateful that I'm able to explore food in so many ways at the Free Press." In 2024, Green was nominated for the prestigious Jonathan Gold Local Voice Award, named after the late Los Angeles Times restaurant critic, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2018. The award last year ultimately went to Mike Jordan of Atlanta Magazine. Green's reporting explored the progress and potential of farming efforts in Detroit as a pioneering city for urban agriculture. She said the project allowed her to dig into tensions between generations of Detroiters. 'As the city leaned into more urban farming initiatives, I noticed that many of those Great Migration-era Detroiters and the generation that followed them were pushing back,' she said. She explored the forces behind those tensions in the thought-provoking package while painting a picture of the city's overall agricultural landscape. Others nominated in the same category are Robert Kunzig of the Food & Environment Reporting Network and Switchyard for 'Transforming the Delta: Climate change is creating opportunities to turn America's poorest region into a fruit- and vegetable-growing hub;' and Eater's Nylah Iqbal Muhammad for 'Grief, Solidarity, and Molokhia.' In 2023, Green was the recipient of a James Beard Journalism Award for Emerging Voice. It was the same year that the Free Press' documentary film "Coldwater Kitchen," took home a James Beard Foundation media award for best documentary. That same year, Green was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for criticism. More: Pulitzer Prize panel at Michigan Central Station explores importance of criticism in news Local freelance writer Mickey Lyons, was also nominated this year in the foundation's Media Award Beverage category. This award recognizes "distinctive style, thorough knowledge, plainspoken prose, and innovative approach in a single article on alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages," according to the foundation. Lyons piece 'Detroit's Third-Shift Bars Were a Lifeline. Now They're a Dying Breed' for Punch earned him the nomination. 'Congratulations to our 2025 Media Award nominees, whose exceptional storytelling deserves celebration,' said Beard Foundation CEO Clare Reichenbach in a news release. 'Through their work, they inspire us to reflect on the profound ways food touches and shapes our lives, society and culture.' A James Beard Award is considered one of the most prestigious honors in the culinary industry. Contact Detroit Free Press food and restaurant writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news and tips to: sselasky@ Follow @SusanMariecooks on Twitter. Subscribe to the Free Press. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Free Press dining critic Lyndsay Green nominated for James Beard Award
