Playlist James Beard

James Beard

Chef Erick Williams of Virtue restaurant in Hyde Park is one of six Chicago finalists for Best Chef: Great Lakes. Photo: Gary Adcock/Studio37

Chicago's 2020 James Beard Award Finalists

Daniel Hautzinger
May 4, 2020

The United States' most-watched food industry awards have announced their finalists at a time of great uncertainty for the restaurant industry, in an effort to offer a "glimmer of hope to an industry looking for light in a very dark time." Here are the Chicago finalists.

Monteverde's Sarah Grueneberg, seen her with her 2017 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Great Lakes, is up for Outstanding Chef

Chicago's James Beard Award Semifinalists

Daniel Hautzinger
February 26, 2020

The semifinalists for the James Beard Awards, the Oscars of the food industry, have been announced, and, as usual, Chicago is well-represented on the list. Find all the Chicago semifinalists here, as well as times they have been featured by WTTW.

Beverly Kim and Johnny Clark at the James Beard Awards. Photo: Galdo Photography

Chicago's 2019 James Beard Awards Winners

Daniel Hautzinger
May 6, 2019

The James Beard Awards, a coveted achievement among America's chefs and food industry, were held tonight. Out of fourteen Chicago finalists, four took home an Award.

Chicago's 2019 James Beard Award Finalists

Daniel Hautzinger
March 27, 2019

This year's finalists for the James Beard Awards, often called the Oscars of Food, have been announced. As usual, Chicago has its fair share of nominees: fourteen, in eight distinct categories, plus two more for cookbooks. Find the list, plus reviews, interviews, and recipes from the finalists here.

A laser pie from Brown Sugar Bakery in Chicago's Chatham/Grand Crossing

Representing Her Community Through Baking: Stephanie Hart's Southern Desserts at Brown Sugar Bakery

Daniel Hautzinger
March 18, 2019

Stephanie Hart, a semifinalist for the national James Beard Award for Outstanding Baker, conjures up childhood memories with her luscious cakes at Brown Sugar Bakery – and she's trying to use her success as a prominent African American bakery to revitalize neighborhoods.

Rick Bayless accepting the award for Outstanding Restaurant at the James Beard Awards in 2017. Photo: James Beard Foundation

Chicago's 2018 James Beard Finalists

Daniel Hautzinger
March 14, 2018

Finalists for the James Beard Awards, often called the Oscars of the food world, have been announced, and Chicago has ten nominees up for prizes. Watch interviews and Check, Please! reviews, get recipes, and learn a bit about them here.

James Beard, Julia Child ,Jacques Pépin, and Alice Waters

All of Playlist's Chef's Flight Content

Daniel Hautzinger
June 1, 2017

American Masters Chef's Flight is over, but you can still stream the documentaries and catch up on our posts with recipes, interviews, features and more about these four icons of American cuisine.

Chicago Chefs on the Influence of James Beard

Daniel Hautzinger
May 19, 2017

The American Masters documentary James Beard: America's First Foodie explores the life of one of the most important figures in America's culinary revolution. A James Beard Award winner and nominee share Beard's influence on them and their favorite Beard recipe.

James Beard: America's First Foodie

Daniel Hautzinger
May 18, 2017

Enjoy recipes and witty quotes from James Beard: a pioneer of American cuisine and farm-to-table cooking, an influential teacher and cookbook author, the host of the first nationally televised cooking show, and a jovial, insatiable gourmand.

A spread of black seasame kouign-amann, lychee-coconut tapioca, and chocolate-raspberry sablés by San Francisco baker Belinda Leong.

What the Culinary Elite Eats at the James Beard Awards

Daniel Hautzinger
May 2, 2017

The James Beard Awards, held last night in Chicago, are often called the Oscars of Food. If you're one of the acclaimed chefs serving food at the gala, what do you serve? We talked to three of the exceptional chefs at the gala while they prepared their dishes.

Clockwise from top left: Abraham Conlon of Fat Rice, Beverly Kim and Johnny Clark of Parachute, Rick Bayless of Topolobampo, and Erling Wu-Bower of Nico Osteria.

Chicago James Beard Finalists on WTTW

Daniel Hautzinger
March 16, 2017

Tonight at 5:00 pm, we're streaming live from the red carpet of the "Oscars of Food" via our Facebook page. Meet some of the Chicago nominees here, and sample their appearances on WTTW.