Kumiko and Noah Sandoval of Oriole were announced as 2025 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards winners at the Lyric Opera House in Chicago Monday evening, where the uncertainties of the country’s shifting immigration landscape hung heavy over the ceremonies.

Julia Momosé, who accepted the Outstanding Bar award for Kumiko, spoke of her Japanese heritage, while a representative for Sandoval, who was unable to attend, read his pre-prepared comments, which ended with “(expletive) ICE.”

In 2024, Lula Cafe was the sole winner from Chicago, recognized in the Outstanding Hospitality category.

As celebrity chefs and TV personalities presented the most prestigious awards in the U.S. restaurant industry, there were messages of hope and plenty of first-time winners. Governor J.B. Pritzker also offered remarks.

“Across this nation, we need to celebrate the rich tradition of diversity,” Pritzker said. “At this moment, especially in the world, it seems that we need that togetherness more than ever before.”

Momosé, the creative director and mixologist of Kumiko in the West Loop, took a deep breath at the podium and welcomed others to join her in taking in the moment.

“I don’t feel ready in a lot of ways because there’s so much work to be done, but I am so grateful,” she said while accepting the award.

Momosé, who is half Japanese, said she’s struggled over the years with belonging — sometimes feeling like an outsider despite having U.S. citizenship. She was wearing a dress inspired by her Japanese heritage, which was custom-made in Kyoto out of an old kimono.

“I want to serve Japanese food, but as a mixed person. When thinking about every place I’ve worked, there have been immigrants there, and I don’t know what I am. I don’t know if I deserve to call myself an immigrant because I have U.S. citizenship, but I don’t feel American, because in my heart, I’m Japanese – but maybe I’m not Japanese because I don’t look it on the outside.”

Momosé, who has recently taken over the kitchen side of Kumiko serving Japanese dishes, said she’s finally embraced her perspective. She said she shares the win with her staff of 18 and credited the contributions of everyone from her chef de cuisine, service team members, dishwashers, as well as former team members.

The Best Chef Great Lakes category, which covers Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio, has been won by Chicago chefs more than any other city. In 2022 and 2023, Virtue and Kasama took home the win in the category for the Windy City, respectively, but in 2024, Hajime Sato of Sozai in Clawson, Michigan, which has since closed, won the category.

The Great Lakes category was presented by Chicago celebrity chef and restaurateur Rick Bayless of various restaurants, including Frontera Grill and Topolobampo.

“In spite of all the challenges, the Chicago chef community, my community, has been dedicated to serving our guests and to advocating for what is right,” Bayless said.

Noah Sandoval of Oriole in the West Loop won the category, though he was not at the ceremony to accept the award. Sandoval added his first James Beard win to an already lengthy list of achievements. Oriole is one of only two restaurants in the city to have two Michelin stars and won the 2022 Jean Banchet Restaurant of the Year Award, while Sandoval was named one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs in 2017.

Other Chicago chefs nominated in the Best Chef: Great Lakes category were Chris Jung and Erling Wu-Bower of Maxwell Trading and Thai Dang of HaiSous.

Michelin-starred Galit, located in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood, was also in contention for one of the most sought-after accolades, but the win for Outstanding Restaurant went to Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder, Colorado.

This year commemorates the 35th anniversary of the awards, which have been held in Chicago since 2015. The awards are currently slated to be held in Chicago through 2027, a move that was announced in 2018. There hasn’t been official word if it will stay in the city beyond 2027.

On the red carpet outside the Lyric Opera of Chicago before the awards ceremony began, Kristen Reynolds, the new president and CEO of Choose Chicago, made it loud and clear: Chicago has every intention of keeping the coveted awards in the city.

“We are definitely keeping the James Beard Awards beyond 2027,” Reynolds said while walking the star-studded red carpet. “I mean, we are the host of ‘The Bear'! We have to have the James Beard Awards in Chicago, everybody relates Chicago with cuisine and world-class dining, so it’s a perfect location.”

Mayor Brandon Johnson said he will do everything in his power to prioritize keeping the award show in Chicago as he walked the red carpet.

“I know they can go anywhere else in the world, but I think it’s only fitting here, particularly a city, that a black Haitian immigrant and a Potawatomi woman established — a city of immigrants from around the world have found refuge here in Chicago. The migration from the South, like my family, the 77 unique neighborhoods, it really is the spices and the different seasonings that are not only on the plates across restaurants in Chicago, but it really reflects the beauty of our city as a whole,” Johnson said.

At the Union Station reception following the ceremony, several Chicago chefs served up bites, including 2025 nominee Thai Dang of HaiSous, Sandra Holl of Floriole, Jeffrey Steelman of Wicker Park Seafood & Sushi, Kevin Kelly and Kevin Cavanaugh of J&L Catering, and Jenner Tomaska of Esmé.

The full list of 2025 James Beard Award winners

Emerging Chef: Phila Lorn of Mawn in Philadelphia Outstanding Pastry Chef: Cat Cox of Country Bird Bakery in Tulsa, Oklahoma Outstanding Bakery: JinJu Patisserie in Portland Best New Bar: Identitad Cocktail Bar in San Juan, Puerto Rico Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service: Ignacio “Nacho” Jimenez of Superbueno in New York City Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program: Charleston in Baltimore Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service: Arjav Ezekiel of Birdie’s in Austin, Texas Outstanding Bar: Kumiko in Chicago Humanitarian of the Year Award: Chad Houser of Cafe Momentum in Dallas, Texas Best Chef: California: Jon Yao of Kato Los Angeles Best Chef: Mountain: Salvador Alamilla of Amano in Caldwell, Idaho Best Chef: South: Nando Chang of Itamae AO in Miam iBest Chef: Texas: Thomas Bille of Belly of the Beast in Spring, Texas Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic: Carlos Delgado of Causa and Amazonia in Washington, D.C. Best Chef: New York State: Vijay Kumar of Semma in New York City America’s Classics: Lem’s Bar-B-Q in Chicago; The Pioneer Saloon in Ketchum, Idaho; Sullivan’s Castle Island in Boston; Lucky Wishbone in Anchorage, Alaska; Dooky Chase in New Orleans; and Gaido’s in Galveston, Texas Best Chef: Southwest: Yotaka Martin of Lom Wong in Phoenix Best Chef: Great Lakes: Noah Sandoval of Oriole in Chicago Impact Awards: Angie Craig, U.S. Representative; Brandon Edwin Chrostowski, CEO of EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute; Anthony Edwards Jr., CEO and co-founder of EatOkra Entrepreneur; Seanicaa Edwards Herron, founder and executive director of Freedmen Heirs Foundation; and Dune Lankard, president and founder of Native Conservancy Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific: Timothy Wastell of Antica Terra in Amity, Oregon Best Chef: Northeast: Sky Haneul Kim of Gift Horse in Providence, Rhode Island Best Chef: Midwest: Karyn Tomlinson, Myriel, St. Paul, Minnesota Best Chef: Southeast: Jake Howell of Peninsula in Nashville Best New Restaurant: Bûcheron in Minneapolis Lifetime Achievement Award: Toni Tipton-Martin Outstanding Hospitality: Atomix in New York City Outstanding Restauranteur: Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr of Frenchette, Le Veau d’Or and Le Rock in New York City Outstanding Restaurant: Frasca Food and Wine, Boulder, Colorado Outstanding Chef: Jungsik Yim of Jungsik in New York City

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