Monday night in Chicago, the James Beard Foundation announced the winners for its 2023 Restaurant and Chef Awards. The nominees included nine Southern California contenders, three of whom took home awards.
Justin Pichetrungsi of Anajak Thai in Sherman Oaks won Best Chef: California. In 2021, he told Good Food about how he gave up his career as a Disney concept artist to take over the restaurant, which his father had opened in 1981. Pichetrungsi beat Gilberto Cetina Jr. of Holbox, Brandon Hayato Go of Hayato and Carlos Salgado of Taco María. (On a side note, it was nice to see that four of the five finalists in the Best Chef: California category came from Southern California, since the Beards have historically tended to under-recognize Los Angeles and Southern California talent.)
On the sweet side, Margarita Manzke of République (and Manzke and Bicyclette and Sari Sari Store) won Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker.
And lifting a glass, Echo Park sake bar OTOTO won Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program.
An assortment of sakes on display at OTOTO in Echo Park. Photo by Wyatt Conlon
Kudos to perennial nominee Niki Nakayama of the two Michelin-starred n/naka (and n/soto), who was nominated for Outstanding Chef; Rashida Holmes of Bridgetown Roti who earned a nod as Emerging Chef; and Greg Dulan of Dulan's Soul Food Kitchen who was nominated for Outstanding Restaurateur.
Often called "the Oscars of food," this year's awards were marked by controversy after Timothy Hontzas was disqualified in the Best Chef: South category. Then, chef Sam Fore, who runs Tuk Tuk, a Lexington, Kentucky pop-up that serves Sri Lankan-inspired cuisine, complained she was interrogated by investigators after an anonymous complaint about social media posts she made supporting a domestic violence awareness campaign.
Click here for a full list of the 2023 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards, regardless of provenance.
(L-R) James Beard winner Diep Tran, chef Nicole Rucker of Fat & Flour, Good Food Host Evan Kleiman, James Beard Committee Member Gustavo Arellano, Good Food producer Laryl Garcia and KCRW Dj and producer Tyler Boudreaux. Photo by Elina Shatkin/KCRW
As for the James Beard Media Awards, which were held on Saturday, June 3, several Southern California writers, creatives, and media outlets earned nominations, including KCRW. "The Blacker the Cherry: The abolitionist history of the Black Republican Cherry," written and reported by KCRW DJ and contributor Tyler Boudreaux, was nominated in the Audio Reporting category. The Good Food episode "Maíz is life' — the history, science, and politics of masa," written and produced by Elina Shatkin and hosted by Evan Kleiman, received a nod in the Audio Programming category.
The badge all nominees received at the James Beard Media Awards. Photo by Elina Shatkin/KCRW
Here are a few other Southern California writers who earned James Beard Media nominations for their work. Click here for full list of 2023 Media Awards winners.
Cathy Chaplin — Jonathan Gold Local Voice Award Recognizes
-"The Doughnut Kids Are All Right"
-"The Subtle Brilliance of Pijja Palace, Silver Lake's Indian Sports Bar"
-"A Soul-Crushing Work of Staggering Genius"
Jean Trinh — Personal Essay without Recipes
-"How These Chinese Doughnuts Helped Save My Refugee Family"
(Click here to hear Jean talk about her essay on Good Food.)
Rax Will — Health and Wellness
-"When 'Sir' and 'Ma'am' Miss the Mark: Restaurants Rethink Gender's Role in Service"
In the end, many Angelenos discovered the joys of a late-night char dog at the Wieners Circle, and isn't that the most important thing?
Evan Kleiman (left) and Gustavo Arellano wait for their hot dogs at The Wieners Circle, where a handful of James Beard Media Award winners and nominees held an impromptu after-party. Photo by Elina Shatkin/KCRW