Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
James Beard Award Foundation announces best chef in New York
By
Kerry Shaw
Published Jun 6, 2023
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Kerry Shaw
Published Jun 6, 2023
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Chef Junghyun Park of Atomix in Murray Hill took home the honor for best chef in the state, but the city's culinary talent was iced out of national prizes at this year’s James Beard Awards, held Monday night in Chicago.
The awards, sometimes called the “Foodie Oscars,” are overseen by the James Beard Foundation and honor American food culture.
Nationally, a big winner was the city of Philadelphia, which took two top honors: for outstanding restaurant, Friday Saturday Sunday; also, Ellen Yin, of High Street Hospitality Group (which includes Fork and High Street Hoagies, among other venues) was named outstanding restaurateur.
“Philly’s a destination that has long been ignored by awards in general,” said Rick Camac, executive director of industry relations for the Institute of Culinary Education, who said the James Beard Foundation was “getting away from being a New York City club.”
He said he could not remember a year when the Big Apple was shut out of every national award and called the results a “big surprise,” though he supports the new direction.
“I think it's great,” said Camac. “I'm a lifetime New Yorker, so I guess I should be grumbling about that, but I think everyone should get a shot.”
“It’s important for the industry that people are recognized outside of the major metropolitan areas,” added Camac.
New York City took top honors in one local category, best chef in New York state, which went to Junghyun Park of Atomix restaurant in Murray Hill.
Park, along with his wife Ellia, runs the Michelin-starred Korean restaurant out of a Murray Hill brownstone.
The dining room at Atomix.
He beat out a field that included Amanda Cohen of Dirt Candy, Nasim Alikhani of Sofreh, Mary Attea of the Musket Room, and Shaina Loew-Banayan, of Cafe Mutton, in Hudson, New York.
“It was an incredible ceremony,” said finalist Alikhani of Sofreh, adding it was one of her favorite experiences since entering the industry. “I was just blown away.”
She said the audience was moved to tears at various points, including when Natalia Vallejo, of Cocina al Fondo in San Juan, made history as the first Puerto Rican chef to win a James Beard award. She was named best chef: South.
“This is a very hard industry and people come with their own heart,” said Alikhani. “It reminded me once again, that it’s about so much [more than] food and feeding people. It’s just so much more.”
Among other national awards, outstanding chef went to Rob Rubba, of Oyster Oyster in Washington, D.C.
Best new restaurant was kann, in Portland, Oregon.
The award for outstanding bakery went to Yoli Tortilleria, in Kansas City, Missouri.
And best emerging chef went to Damarr Brown, of Virtue in Chicago, beating out a field that included Charlie Mitchell of Clover Hill in Brooklyn Heights.
The awards were paused for two years amid concerns over a lack of diversity and abusive workplaces, and returned in 2022 with new rules.
Still, they were not without controversy this year: One chef was disqualified after reports surfaced that he’d yelled at workers and guests, while several judges resigned shortly before the ceremony in protest over how allegations against chefs were handled.
Kerry Shaw
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Will Barnes and Noble in the East Village spell doom for smaller shops? It's complicated.
Independent booksellers are grappling with whether the big-box chain is a threat or an ally in the fight against Amazon.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Oct 16, 2026 at 12:55 p.m. ET
Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?
We went to the Spiciest Supper Club singles night to take the temperature of New York City's dating scene.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
Arts & Entertainment
Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?
We went to the Spiciest Supper Club singles night to take the temperature of New York City's dating scene.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
How the NYC Marathon has changed in the last 50 years
By
Hannah Frishberg
A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson
By
Sonia Rao
The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?
By
Lindsay Lee Wallace
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .