The 2026 James Beard Award Nominations Completely Skip Boston
No Massachusetts restaurants remain in the running for the annual restaurant-industry prizes, but a few spots elsewhere in New England are nominees.
A spread of food at Izakaya Minato, where chef/co-owner Thomas Takashi Cooke is nominated for a 2026 James Beard Award in the Best Chef: Northeast category. / Photo by Caroline Alden
James Beard Awards season continues today with the announcement of the 2026 restaurant and chef nominees across the United States—a pared-down selection that follows January’s broader semifinalists list. (Winners will be announced at a Chicago gala on June 15.) Zero Massachusetts chefs or restaurants made the cut. What gives, James Beard Foundation? There’s an extra sting to the omission given the Boston area’s mixed feelings around its first inclusion in the Michelin Guide just a few months ago, yielding a single Michelin star. Other parts of New England fared a bit better in today’s Beard announcement, with the region as a whole landing 10 nominees across six categories; more on those below, but first, a refresher on the James Beard Awards.
The annual awards are a big deal in the U.S. restaurant world, recognizing talent across the food, beverage, and hospitality industry. From promising newcomers to industry veterans, a variety of chefs, bakers, beverage professionals, and more are granted awards across about two dozen categories under the “restaurant and chef awards” umbrella. Additionally, there are food media awards, lifetime achievement recognition, and other honors, some of which are announced on a different schedule throughout the year.
The announcement of the closely watched restaurant and chef awards is a multi-step process, with the long list of semifinalists dropping early in the year, followed by the nominees in the early spring (that’s what happened today), and finally the winners at a big event in June. At the start of the process, there’s a public open call for recommendations, while decisions are made by a voting body of Beard Foundation subcommittee members and appointed judges around the U.S.
Super Secret Ice Cream. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal
Here are the 2026 nominees around New England:
- Dana Street of Fore Street, Scales, Standard Baking Co., and others (Portland, ME)—Outstanding Restaurateur nominee
- David Standridge, The Shipwright’s Daughter (Mystic, CT)—Outstanding Chef semifinalist
- Loma (Providence, RI)—Best New Bar nominee
- The Port of Call (Mystic, CT)—Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program nominee
- Super Secret Ice Cream (Bethlehem, NH)—Outstanding Bakery nominee
- David DiStasi of Materia Ristorante (Bantam, CT)—Best Chef: Northeast nominee
- Evan Hennessey of Stages (Dover, NH)—Best Chef: Northeast nominee
- Thomas Takashi Cooke of Izakaya Minato (Portland, ME)—Best Chef: Northeast nominee
- Paul Trombly of Fancy’s (Burlington, VT)—Best Chef: Northeast nominee
- Derek Wagner of Nicks on Broadway (Providence, RI)—Best Chef: Northeast nominee
