The James Beard Foundation announced the chef and restaurant winners at its annual awards in Chicago, known as the “Oscars of the food world.”
Sadly, it was another shutout for Atlanta and Georgia this year.
Out of the 11 semifinalists, Chef J. Trent Harris of Mujō and the team from Aria, along with Meherwan and Molly Irani of Chai Pani Restaurant Group (Asheville/Decatur), represented Atlanta and Georgia at the June 15 awards.
Aria was up for Outstanding Hospitality, with Harris nominated for Best Chef: Southeast and the Iranis nominated in the Outstanding Restaurateur category.
In the end, Providence in Los Angeles took home the Outstanding Hospitality award, Taylor Montgomery of Montgomery Sky Farm in Leicester, NC nabbed Best Chef: Southeast, while Dana Street of Fore Street, Scales, and Standard Baking Co. in Portland, ME won Outstanding Restaurateur. (Chai Pani-Asheville won Outstanding Restaurant at the James Beard Awards in 2022.)
Lucky Star, Madeira Park, Taurean Philpott (Avize), Claudia Martinez (Bar Ana), Miles Macquarrie (Kimball House), Freddy Money (Atlas), and Carlo Gan and Mia Orino (Kamayan ATL) were among the semifinalists from Atlanta this year.
Aria returns to the Beards
This was Aria’s second trip in a row to the awards, nominated again for Outstanding Hospitality.
Andrés Loaiza took over ownership of Aria in 2025, after founder Gerry Klaskala retired from the restaurant industry. Days later, Klaskala and Loaiza traveled to Chicago for the awards ceremony. The 2025 award for Outstanding Hospitality ultimately went to Atomix in New York City, but the nomination became a fitting tribute to Klaskala and his 55 years in restaurants.
Loaiza brought on a new executive chef last week to replace Joseph Harrison, who took over for Klaskala. Harrison recently departed Aria for personal reasons. Following Harrison’s departure, Loaiza tapped former Lazy Betty Chef de Cuisine Austin Goetzman to lead the kitchen. The move to Aria brings Goetzman full circle at the critically acclaimed restaurant in Buckhead. He worked under Klaskala as a line cook at Aria nearly a decade ago.
Goetzman left Lazy Betty in April, along with several other staff members, including the Michelin-starred restaurant’s executive chef and co-founder, Aaron Phillips.
Related stories:
• As Chef Gerry Klaskala retires, he talks Aria’s future
• Lazy Betty co-founder no longer executive chef, but retains ownership
• Team behind Mujo opening Japanese supper club in Buckhead
• Avize lands at number 29 on North America’s 50 Best list
J. Trent Harris’ awards debut
This was Harris’ first James Beard Award nomination, vying for Best Chef: Southeast. Harris has worked as a sushi chef for more than 20 years, having trained and worked under master sushi chefs at award-winning restaurants in New York City and Tokyo.
He founded Mujō as a pop-up during the pandemic, operating it in partnership with Castellucci Hospitality Group out of Cooks & Soldiers on Howell Mill Road. Mujō opened as a full-service restaurant next door in 2022, offering an intimate edomae-style omakase experience. Under Harris, Mujō has racked up numerous “best of” awards and garnered a Michelin star in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
This spring, he and Castellucci Hospitality opened Japanese restaurant and bar Koshu Club in Buckhead. While Mujō specializes in edomae-style dishes, Koshu Club leans into Japan’s Shōwa-era cuisine, or a fusion of Western (yoshoku) and traditional Japanese dishes (washoku).
