The James Beard Foundation has officially announced that two chefs based in Dallas, along with a Dallas restaurant, have progressed to the subsequent round of the 2024 James Beard Awards. This announcement, made on Wednesday, highlights the notable achievements within the culinary industry in Dallas.
Established in 1990, the James Beard Foundation’s Restaurant and Chef Awards serve as a prestigious recognition in the culinary world. The awards are designed to honor excellence in 22 distinct categories, which encompass a wide range of achievements, including those in regional cooking across the United States. The inclusion of both the chefs and the restaurant from Dallas in the next round of these awards underscores the city’s significant contributions and growing prominence in the national gastronomical landscape.
Semifinalists were announced in January, the finalists were announced Wednesday, and the winners will be announced June 10 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
“Despite so many ongoing challenges, this list is a positive reminder of the exceptional talent and dynamism of our industry—it gives me hope for the future of independent restaurants,” said Tanya Holland, chair of the James Beard Awards Committee and member of the James Beard Foundation Board of Trustees.
Dallas reportedly was last recognized with a James Beard Award when Dean Fearing won in the Best Chefs category in 1994 when he was at the Mansion on Turtle Creek.
Here are the North Texas restaurants and chefs still in the running this year:
Outstanding Chef
- David Uygur, Lucia, Dallas, Texas
Outstanding Hospitality
- Gemma, Dallas, Texas
Best Chef: Texas
- Misti Norris, Petra and the Beast, Dallas, Texas
La Casita Bakeshop, which began in Richardson and has expanded in the DFW area, was named a semifinalist in the Outstanding Bakery category in January but was not named a finalist. Anastacia Quiñones-Pittman of José, Regino Rojas of Purépecha, Arnulfo Sánchez III of Vaqueros Texas Bar-B-Q, and Rich Vana of The Heritage Table were also semifinalists in the Best Chef: Texas category but didn’t advance to finalists.
Other Best Chef: Texas finalists:
- Emmanuel Chavez, Tatemó, Houston, Texas
- Christopher Cullum, Cullum’s Attaboy, San Antonio, Texas
- Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel, Birdie’s, Austin, Texas
- Ana Liz Pulido, Ana Liz Taqueria, Mission, Texas
