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New England nominees for James Beard Awards 2026: See chefs, restaurants who made the cut
Not one restaurant, chef, or bartender from Massachusetts was announced as a nominee, but all other New England states are represented.
The James Beard Foundation announced its 2026 Restaurant and Chef Award nominees Tuesday, a reduced list from their semifinalists recognized in January. Restaurants, bartenders, and chefs from all but one New England state — Massachusetts, which saw multiple semifinalists announced in January — made the cut.
Since the first year of James Beard Awards in 1991, Boston area restaurants have shown up in some form, either as a semifinalist, nominee, or winner, every year except for the canceled 2021 ceremony. Most years saw at least one area restaurant or chef make it as a nominee, and Boston has cheered on many winners in the award’s 35-year history.
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The news comes after a big year of food recognition for Boston and Massachusetts. As of last year, the region’s restaurants are now on the esteemed Michelin Guide — but to Boston’s disappointment, only one restaurant earned a coveted star.
There was some overlap between the the James Beard semifinalist list and the Michelin Guide with Lenox Sophia and La Padrona.
As for the New England restaurants and chefs who made it as finalists this year, the winners for each category will be announced June 15 during the annual gala in Chicago.
How did our region fare this year? See the 2026 nominees in New England below:
Outstanding Restaurateur
Dana Street, Fore Street, Scales, Standard Baking Co., and others, Portland, ME
Outstanding Chef
David Standridge, The Shipwright’s Daughter, Mystic, CT
Outstanding Bakery
Super Secret Ice Cream, Bethlehem, NH
Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
The Port of Call, Mystic, CT
Best New Bar
Loma, Providence, RI
Best Chef: Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT)
- David DiStasi, Materia Ristorante, Bantam, CT
- Evan Hennessey, Stages, Dover, NH
- Thomas Takashi Cooke, Izakaya Minato, Portland, ME
- Paul Trombly, Fancy’s, Burlington, VT
- Derek Wagner, Nicks on Broadway, Providence, RI
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