3 Chicago Chefs From 2 Restaurants Win James Beard Awards

CHICAGO — Three Chicago chefs from two restaurants walked away with James Beard Awards, which were handed out on Monday night in New York.

Tim Flores and Genie Kwon from Kasama in Chicago won Best Chef for the Great Lakes Region, which includes Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. Meanwhile, Damarr Brown of Virtue in Hyde Park won Best Emerging Chef at Monday’s prestigious culinary awards ceremony.

Kasama, which is located in Chicago’s Ukrainian Village neighborhood, is a bakery and modern Filipino restaurant. Virtue is a Southern American restaurant that also won a James Beard Award in 2022 when chef Erick Williams captured the Best Chef honor for the Great Lakes Region.

Flores, Kwon and Brown were among five Chicago finalists for James Beard honors. The 2023 James Beard Awards ceremony ended with eight of the finalists falling just short of the foundation's highest honor, widely considered to be the "Oscars of culinary arts."

But, just like the Oscars, it's an honor just to be nominated.

“As we celebrate, it's important to acknowledge the significant work that these accomplished restaurants and chefs have done to push American food culture forward—using their immense creativity, passion, and talent to create extraordinary experiences on behalf of others," Clare Reichenbach, CEO of the James Beard Foundation, said in a statement.