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Tribeca chefs win big at the James Beard Awards
By
Hannah Frishberg
Published Jun 16, 2025
Modified Jun 17, 2025
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Courtesy of Semma
By
Hannah Frishberg
Published Jun 16, 2025
Modified Jun 17, 2025
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The country’s biggest foodie awards were held Monday night in Chicago and Tribeca's chefs took home some top honors.
Chef Jungsik Yim of Jungsik in Tribeca won Outstanding Chef, just months after it became the first Korean restaurant in the country to earn three Michelin stars.
The award for Outstanding Restaurateur went to Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr, who own the French bistro Frenchette in Tribeca. Last year they reopened Le Veau d’ Or in the Upper East Side, and they also run Le Rock at Rockefeller Plaza.
Another big winner of the night was Vijay Kumar of Semma, who won Best Chef for New York state. Last month the New York Times named Semma, which specializes in southern Indian cuisine, the city's top restaurant.
Vijay Kumar (second from left) attends the 2025 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards on June 16, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois.
Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images for James Beard Foundation
On stage, Kumar dedicated the award to chefs whose stories are often overlooked.
“I stand here for everyone who thought their story never belonged on a stage like this,” he reportedly said.
Kumar beat out a field that included Nasim Alikhani of Sofreh, Eiji Ichimura of Sushi Ichimura, Atsushi Kono of Kono and Ryan Fernandez of Southern Junction Barbecue in Buffalo, New York.
The award for Outstanding Restaurant went to Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder, Colorado, which specializes in Northern Italian cuisine. Phila Lorn of Mawn, a BYOB Cambodian noodle house in Philadelphia, was named Best Emerging Chef.
Ignacio "Nacho" Jimenez winner of the Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service award speaks on stage during the 2025 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards on June 16, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois.
Jeff Schear/Getty Images for James Beard Foundation
To better honor the beverage industry, three new categories were introduced this year: Best New Bar, Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service and Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service.
Ignacio Jimenez of the East Village bar Superbueno earned Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service as the city’s only beverage category win.
Known as the Oscars of the food world, the James Beard Foundation Awards have recognized excellence among American chefs and restaurants since 1991.
Winning, or even just being nominated, gives eateries an often business-boosting legitimacy and credibility, and is considered a great honor.
Notably, no New York restaurants were nominated in this year's “Outstanding Restaurant” category.
It’s part of a larger trend of the awards “moving in a very unique direction where there’s recognition for various cuisines” said Roni Mazumdar, founder and CEO of Unapologetic Foods, a restaurant group that includes Semma.
“If you go back in time, there was a very specific, Eurocentric vision that existed in the awards,” Mazumdar said.
He said there’s been a shift “to see food on a level playing field, and that started to change the conversation in many ways.”
Kumar said it was an honor just to be nominated.
“This is such a huge, huge honor,” Kumar said, “The fact that, you know, there’s so many shifts in New York City, and the fact that I got nominated, it’s such a blessing.”
Tagged
food
new york city
Hannah Frishberg
Hannah Frishberg covers New York City arts and culture. Got a tip? Email Hannah at [email protected].
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