Chicago’s Erick Williams wins best chef Great Lakes region at James Beard Awards
The James Beard Awards gala returned to Chicago on Monday night, with plenty of black-tie glitz and glamour after a pandemic-forced two-year hiatus and time spent by the James Beard Foundation reexamining the issues of diversity and inclusion among the awards process.
Considered to be the Oscars of the culinary industry, the coveted awards each year honor the nation’s best chefs, restaurants, restaurateurs, mixologists, bakers, cookbook authors, food writers and more.
Though Chicago had nominees in six categories, on this night, only one local recipient would be named.
Chicago chefs took four of five nominations in the category of best chef Great Lakes region, with Erick Williams of Virtue Restaurant & Bar in Hyde Park emerging victorious.
The award medallion was presented to Williams in the opera house by actor Jeremy Allen White, star of the upcoming Chicagocentric FX series “The Bear,” with an assist from Jeremiah Paprocki at Wrigley Field, whose announcer voice was put to good use reading off the nominees in the category.
“I thank God. I’m very thankful for my ancestors, who worked tirelessly to create opportunities for equity and inclusion way before that was a trending topic,” Williams said in accepting the award medallion. “I didn’t get here of myself or by myself. I got here by way of my community, my culture and the many trailblazers that were looked over and discarded and discounted, that allowed me to have a path and recipes and ingenuity and the confidence to create food day in and day out that feeds the heart, mind, spirit and soul.”
His Chicago competition in the category came from Jason Hammel of Lula Cafe, Noah Sandoval of Oriole, and John Shields and Karen Urie Shields of Smyth. The category recognizes chefs from Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan.
The event at Lyric Opera House got off to a humorous start, courtesy of host Kwame Onwuachi and his opening monologue.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to host [the James Beard Awards] until I saw Chris Rock,” said the actor-chef.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot was in attendance. “This year’s award’s theme is ‘Gather for Good,’ which is particularly fitting for our city,” Lightfoot said. “Every day our food community gathers to bring good to their patrons ... to spread good through food or acts of service.”
In the category of outstanding chef, the award went to Mashama Bailey of The Grey restaurant in Savannah, Georgia, besting nominee Jason Vincent of the Logan Square restaurant Giant. Bailey took home the award in 2019 as well.
In the category of outstanding restaurant, the Chicago contemporary Korean icon and Michelin-starred Parachute, helmed by chefs Beverly Kim and her husband Johnny Clark, was bested by the Asheville, North Carolina, eatery Chai Pani.
Chicago’s Kasama, specializing in elevated Filipino cuisine, lost out to the Minneapolis-based Owamni in the category of best new restaurant.
The Edgewater queer cocktail bar Nobody’s Darling was shut out in the category of outstanding bar program. The Black womenowned, women-forward bar was a nominee in its first year of operation. Julep of Houston, Texas, took the top honors in the category.
Chicago’s Maya-Camille Broussard of Justice of the Pies was bested by Don Guerra of Tucson’s Barrio Bread in the category of outstanding baker.