Illinois Flexes Big With 5 Finalists for 2025 James Beard Awards

Great news if you like awesome food and the people who make that tasty stuff.

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The 2025 James Beard Award nominees were just announced, and many of the best in the US are in Illinois.

What Are the James Beard Awards?

Each year, the James Beard Foundation recognizes talent and achievement in culinary arts, hospitality, and media, including chefs and restaurateurs, who bring it all together.

If you watch the Emmy-winning TV show The Bear, you should know a thing or two about the James Beard Awards.

In fact, if you look closely, you'll notice Carmen's James Beard Award inside one of his cookbooks.

It's not a coincidence that The Bear is set in Chicago. It's one of the best food cities in the world, and just about every year, you know someone from some restaurant in the Windy City is getting nominated for some hardware.

Who Got Nominated in Illinois?

This year is no different, as five Chicago restaurants and chefs have been nominated for the 2025 James Beard Awards:

• Galit for Outstanding Restaurant
• Kumiko for Outstanding Bar
• Thai Dang, for Best Chef at HaiSous
• Chris Jung and Erling Wu-Bower for Best Chef at Maxwell's Trading
• Noah Sandoval for Best Chef at Oriole

These five places and their chefs and bartenders are some of the best, not only in Chicago, Illinois, or the Midwest. They are some of the best joints on the planet, and scoring nominations for the James Beard Awards proves it.

Where Will the Ceremony Happen?

The James Beard Award winners will be announced on June 16, 2025, at the Lyric Opera House in Chicago.

From Michelin stars to Beard Awards, Chicago continues to prove it's not just a great food city, it's the food city.