Three Chicago restaurants are finalists for this year’s prestigious James Beard Awards. And, the food industry’s highest honor announced Tuesday that the ceremony will remain in Chicago at least through 2028 — a one-year extension from what had been previously announced.
Bailey Sullivan, of West Loop’s Monteverde Restaurant & Pastificio, is a finalist in the emerging chef category. Plus, Norman Fenton of Cariño in Uptown and Jacob Potashnick of Feld in Ukrainian Village are among this year’s finalists in the best chef Great Lakes category, the James Beard Foundation announced Tuesday from The Wellsley, a private event space in Chicago’s River North, owned by the Boka Restaurant Group.
“Because it’s a time of real challenge and uncertainty, it’s important to say this with certainty: Independent restaurants are not just businesses, you are the very fabric of American culture,” said Clare Reichenbach, CEO of the Beard Foundation. “You fuel economies and ecosystems. You tell the story of where we come from, who we are today and who we are becoming.”
Bailey Sullivan, of Monteverde Restaurant & Pastificio at 1020 W. Madison St. in the West Loop, is a finalist for emerging chef.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
The Beards, often dubbed “the Oscars of the food world,” have been hosted in Chicago since 2015, after moving from New York. In 2018, former Mayor Rahm Emanuel spearheaded an effort to keep the ceremony in Chicago an additional nine years — through 2027. With that deadline now approaching, the foundation and Choose Chicago announced an additional extension on the Beard’s time in Chicago, although, this time, by just one year. Still, city and state leaders heralded it as a win.
“This extension is a recognition of Chicago’s extraordinary culinary community and the chefs, restaurateurs, and hospitality professionals who make our city one of the great food destinations in the world,” Kristen Reynolds, Choose’s president and CEO, said in a statement.
The Beards previously named 23 Chicago restaurants among this year’s semifinalists.
Last year, five Chicago restaurants were Beard finalists, while two — Kumiko and Oriole — took home medals. South Side staple Lem’s Bar-B-Q also earned a 2025 honor as an “America’s Classics” awardee.
This year’s James Beard Awards will be held on June 15 at Chicago’s Lyric Opera House.
Here are the Chicago chefs and restaurants named 2026 James Beard Award finalists:
Emerging Chef
- Bailey Sullivan, Monteverde Restaurant & Pastificio
Best Chef: Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH)
- Norman Fenton, Cariño
- Jacob Potashnick, Feld
Courtney Kueppers is an arts and culture reporter at WBEZ.