Introduction to the James Beard Awards
CHICAGO — Five Chicago chefs and restaurants are up for this year’s James Beard Awards, often referred to as “the Oscars of the culinary world.” The James Beard Foundation, named for pioneering American chef James Beard, announced the finalists Wednesday. Local finalists were selected from a pool of 22 Chicago semifinalists announced in January.
Previous James Beard Awards
One beloved Chicago eatery, Lem’s Bar-B-Q in Chatham, was already bestowed a James Beard “America’s Classic” Award in February. “Signature flavors, a lasting legacy, and a deep commitment to their community are what make Lem’s Bar-B-Q truly special,” the foundation said of the South Side barbecue staple.
Upcoming Awards Ceremony
The rest of the James Beard winners will be honored in a June 16 awards ceremony at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, 20 N. Wacker Drive, its home of 10 years. The awards box office opens at 2 p.m. today. Learn more here.
Last Year’s Finalists
You can also read about last year’s four Chicago finalists here, including Logan Square’s Lula Cafe, which won Outstanding Hospitality honors.
Meet this Year’s Local James Beard Award Finalists
Chefs from HaiSous (left), Maxwells Trading (top right) and Oriole (bottom right) are finalists for Best Chef: Great Lakes for the 2025 James Beard Awards. Credit: Provided/Facebook
Best Chef: Great Lakes
Best Chef: Great Lakes
Chefs from three Chicago restaurants are up for the Best Chef: Great Lakes category.
Thai Dang is the executive chef and owner of HaiSous, a Vietnamese restaurant in Pilsen. He’s been cooking for more than 20 years and started off as a classically trained fine-dining chef. After moving to Chicago in 2008, he worked under chef Laurent Gras at L2O, a now-closed seafood restaurant, where helped the team earn three Michelin stars.
Before opening HaiSous in 2017, Dang opened West Loop Asian restaurant Embeya in 2012. It “went downhill,” Dang said, and closed in 2016.
Two chefs from the Asian-Midwestern grill concept Maxwells Trading, Chris Jung and Erling Wu-Bower, are also nominated. Wu-Bower, a four-time James Beard Award finalist who has worked at Pacific Standard Time and Nico Osteria, opened Maxwells Trading in December 2023. He’s inspired by what he ate “growing up half Chinese and half Cajun in Chicago,” he told Block Club.
Virginia-native Jung studied at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, before moving to Chicago to join the Pacific Standard Time team and then Maxwells Trading, according to his Star Chefs profile.
Noah Sandoval, chef and partner at Oriole, a fine-dining establishment in West Loop, is also up for the award. A former punk guitarist, Sandoval made a name for himself at Senza in Lakeview, which earned a star before closing in 2015, according to the Michelin Guide. Sandoval has received two Michelin stars and a Jean Banchet Award for Restaurant of the Year, according to Oriole’s website.
Outstanding Restaurant
<img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" width="1024" height="666" onerror="if (typeof newspackHandleImageError === ‘function’) newspackHandleImageError(this);" src="https://i0.wp.com/bcc-newspack.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2025/04/Galit-1024×666.png?resize=1024%2C666&quality=80&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-859319" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/bcc-newspack.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2025/04/Galit.png?resize=1024%2C666&quality=80&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/bcc-newspack.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2025/04/Galit.png?resize=300%2C195&quality=80&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/bcc-newspack.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2025/04/Galit.png?resize=768%2C499&quality=80&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/bcc-newspack.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2025/04/Galit.png?resize=1536%2C998&quality=80&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/bcc-newspack.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2025/04/Galit.png?resize=1200%2C780&quality=80&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/bcc-newspack.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2025/04/Galit.png?resize=780%2C507&quality=80&ssl=1 780w, https://i0.wp.com/bcc-newspack.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2025/04/Galit.png?resize=400%2C260&quality=80&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/bcc-newspack.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2025/04/Galit.png?resize=706%2C459&quality=80&ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/bcc-newspack.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2025/04/Galit.png?w=2000&quality=80&ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/bcc-newspack.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2025/04/Galit-1024×666.png?w=370&
