The James Beard Foundation Awards finalists have been announced. | Illustration by Nat Belkov On Tuesday, March 31, the James Beard Foundation announced finalists for its restaurant and chef awards categories, whose winners will be announced on June 15 at the awards ceremony in Chicago. Of t he three San Diego semifinalists announced on January 21, no chef, bar, or restaurant made the cut this year. Back in January 2026, one San Diego bar received recognition in the Outstanding Bar category, while two chefs received a semifinalist nod for the Best Chef: California race: Realm of the 52 Remedies made the list for Outstanding Bar; Eric Bost of Lilo and Tara Monson of Animae became semifinalists for Best Chef: California. Tara Monson had previously been a Best Chef: California nominee in 2025. The James Beard Foundation Awards have run since 1991 as a program that recognizes and celebrates exceptional talent within the food and hospitality industry (a separate Media awards ceremony is typically held ahead of the Restaurants and Chefs program). After the cancellation of its 2020 and 2021 ceremonies, which included an internal audit to make its voting processes more inclusive and equitable, the awards returned in 2022. This year’s awards ceremony takes place amid more heightened scrutiny for fine dining restaurants and the institutions that power them, following the recent controversy surrounding Noma’s residency in Los Angeles. (The restaurant and its embattled chef René Redzepi were the subject of a New York Times investigation in early March.) The main organizer for the Noma Abuse campaign, Jason Ignacio White, has also called for people to come forward if they have experiences to share from Michelin and James Beard Foundation–recognized restaurants.  San Diego has also been overlooked in the last week by Michelin: the tire company recently announced new Michelin Guide: California entrants, including restaurants from Los Angeles, Montecito, San Francisco, and Menlo Park; no San Diego or North County restaurants made the list. Disclosure: Some Vox Media staff members are part of the voting body for the James Beard Foundation Awards. ...read more read less