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Awards season returns for another round, including for the restaurant industry’s biggest night of the year: the James Beard Awards, known as the “Oscars of the food world.”
The James Beard Foundation just announced the semifinalists in the chef and restaurant categories for the prestigious awards. Pastry chef Claudia Martinez, Sommelier Taurean Philpott, the Kamayan ATL owners, Aria, and Madeira Park are among the semifinalists from Atlanta.
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Presented annually, the awards cover categories like Best Chef: Southeast, Outstanding Restaurant, Best New Restaurant, and Emerging Chef.
Last year, the James Beard Foundation added three new categories: Best New Bar, Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service, and Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service. Marietta Proper nabbed a semifinalist nod for Best New Bar, while Kursten Berry of Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours was named a semifinalist in the Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service category.
The foundation also honors a handful of restaurants from around the country with its America’s Classic award, given to independent and family-owned restaurants deemed community cornerstones. Busy Bee Cafe, a soul food institution in Atlanta’s Vine City neighborhood, won the award in 2022. Two new locations of the Vine City restaurant will open this year at Atlantic Station and Centennial Yards in South Downtown.
Despite having 12 strong semifinalist restaurant and chef contenders in 2025, including Aria and Lucian Books & Wine and chefs like Bruce Logue (BoccaLupo), Brian So (Spring), and Rod Lassiter and Parnass Savang (Talat Market), Atlanta and Georgia walked away with no awards. Aria was the lone finalist at the awards last year, nominated for Outstanding Hospitality. The award went to Atomix in New York City.
In 2024, a similar scenario occurred when Savang and Lassiter wound up being the only Georgia finalists at the awards ceremony. The Talat Market owners were up for Best Chef: Southeast, which went to Paul Smith of 1010 Bridge in Charleston, West Virginia. Chef Terry Koval of The Deer and The Dove and Fawn in Decatur won the award for Best Chef: Southeast in 2023.
Check out the complete list of chefs and restaurants from Atlanta and Georgia named semifinalists for the 2026 James Beard Awards. Finalists are announced on March 31, with the winners announced during an awards ceremony in Chicago on June 15.
Outstanding Hospitality
Aria, Buckhead
Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service
Taurean Philpott, Avize, Westside
Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service
Miles Macquarrie, Kimball House, Decatur
Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker
Claudia Martinez, Bar ANA, Poncey-Highland
Best Chef: Southeast
- Carlo Gan and Mia Orino, Kamayan ATL, Chamblee
- J. Trent Harris, Mujō, Howell Mill Road
- Freddy Money, Atlas, Buckhead
- Todd Schafer, Abel Brown, Augusta
Best New Bar
- Lucky Star, Star Metals
- Madeira Park, Poncey-Highland
Outstanding Restaurateur
Meherwan Irani and Molly Irani, Chai Pani Restaurant Group (Chai Pani and Botiwalla), Asheville, Charlotte, Atlanta, and Decatur