Philadelphia-area chefs, restaurants named semifinalists for 2026 James Beard Awards
Philadelphia's thriving restaurant scene continues to receive national attention, including from the prestigious James Beard Foundation.
More than a dozen people, restaurants and bars in the Philadelphia area are semifinalists for the James Beard Awards in 2026.
Greg Vernick is a semifinalist for Outstanding Restaurateur for his three restaurants, and Amá's Frankie Ramirez is on the list for the Emerging Chef Award.
Royal Sushi & Izakaya owner Jesse Ito is a semifinalist for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic. Ito recently opened a second restaurant in Philly called Dancerobot.
The final list of nominees will be announced March 31, and the awards ceremony is slated for June 15 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
In November, three Philadelphia restaurants earned the city's first Michelin stars — Her Place Supper Club, Friday Saturday Sunday and Provenance — and several others got nods from the prestigious travel guide.
Pietramala, a vegan restaurant in Philadelphia, earned a Green star award from Michelin for its dedication to sustainability. Now chef Ian Graye is a semifinalist for a James Beard Award.
Phila Lorn, the chef at Mawn in Philadelphia, won the Emerging Chef Award from the James Beard Foundation in 2025, and Vietnam Restaurant was among the winners of the America's Classics Award in 2024.
These are the Philadelphia-area people and places on the list of semifinalists:
Outstanding Restaurateur
Greg Vernick, Vernick Philadelphia (Vernick Food & Drink, Vernick Fish, and Vernick Coffee Bar), Philadelphia
Outstanding Restaurant presented by Acqua Panna Natural Spring Water
Kalaya, Philadelphia
Emerging Chef presented by S.Pellegrino Sparkling Natural Mineral Water
Frankie Ramirez, Amá, Philadelphia
Best New Restaurant
Emmett, Philadelphia
Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker
Justine MacNeil, Fiore, Philadelphia
Outstanding Bar
Lovers Bar at Friday Saturday Sunday, Philadelphia
Best New Bar
Almanac, Philadelphia
Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service
Dan Suro-Cipolloni and David Suro-Piñera, Tequilas and La Jefa, Philadelphia
Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)
Russ Cowan, Radin's Delicatessen, Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Ian Graye, Pietramala, Philadelphia
Jesse Ito, Royal Sushi & Izakaya, Philadelphia
Dwain Kalup, La Fia, Wilmington, Delaware
Randy Rucker, Little Water, Philadelphia
Amanda Shulman, Her Place Supper Club, Philadelphia
Omar Tate and Cybille St. Aude-Tate, Honeysuckle, Philadelphia