James Beard Award 2022 winner's full list: 'Chai Pani', Mumbai-born chef among awardees

Every year, the James Beard Foundation acknowledges exceptional culinary talents in the United States with the James Beard Foundation Awards. This year, a wide variety of restaurants, eateries as well as chefs have bagged the honours in different categories in the fields of culinary arts. The title of the best restaurant in America was given to 'Chai Pani,' an Indian cuisine eatery renowned for delivering economical and exquisite Indian street foods. The joint won the James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurant. Apart from Chai Pani, Mumbai-born chef Chintan Pandya was another Indian-origin name that made headlines by taking home the Best Chef in New York award.

According to the James Beard Foundation, the primary objective of the James Beard Awards is to recognise extraordinary talent and accomplishment in the domains of culinary arts, hospitality, media, as well as the larger food system, along with a demonstrated commitment to racial and gender equality, society, sustainability, and a culture that encourages everyone to succeed. 

Apart from the best American restaurant given to ‘Chai Pani’, on Monday, two of the biggest honours in the American food community went to an indigenous eatery in Minneapolis and an African American chef at a restaurant in Savannah, Georgia. Mashama Bailey, the chef of 'Savannah's The Grey', won the James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef in 2022 while Owamni led by Dana Thompson and chef Sean Sherman was adjudged as the Best New Restaurant.

While delivering a speech during the award ceremony, Bailey said, “and today a little Black girl or a little Black boy can see themselves as a future Outstanding Chef".  

Due to the industry's COVID pandemic instability and the organisation's development of a new framework, the awards were unexpectedly halted in several significant categories in 2020, and they stayed on hold in 2021. Further, on Monday night, the Lyric Opera in Chicago hosted the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards 2022. As per a CNN report, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot praised the award ceremony, saying it enhanced the city's culinary credentials. She was one of numerous presenters who spoke about the issues caused by COVID-19. 

Take a look at the full list of winners below: 

Outstanding Restaurateur - Chris Bianco, Tratto, Pane Bianco, and Pizzeria Bianco, Phoenix 

Outstanding Chef - Mashama Bailey, The Grey, Savannah,  

Outstanding Restaurant - Chai Pani, Asheville, North Carolina 

Emerging Chef- Edgar Rico, Nixta Taqueria, Austin 

Best New Restaurant Owamni, Minneapolis 

Outstanding Pastry Chef- Warda Bouguettaya, Warda Pâtisserie, Detroit 

Outstanding Baker- Don Guerra, Barrio Bread, Tucson 

Outstanding Hospitality- Cúrate, Asheville, North Carolina 

Outstanding Wine Program- The Four Horsemen, New York City 

Outstanding Bar Program- Julep, Houston 

Best Chef: California- Brandon Jew, Mister Jiu's, San Francisco 

Best Chef: Great Lakes- Erick Williams, Virtue Restaurant & Bar, Chicago 

Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic- Cristina Martinez, South Philly Barbacoa, Philadelphia 

Best Chef: Midwest-  Dane Baldwin, The Diplomat, Milwaukee 

Best Chef: Mountain- Caroline Glover, Annette, Aurora 

Best Chef: New York State - Chintan Pandya, Dhamaka

Best Chef: Northeast- Nisachon Morgan, Saap, Randolph, VT 

Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific- Robynne Maii, Fête, Honolulu 

Best Chef: Southeast- Ricky Moore, SALTBOX Seafood Joint, Durham, NC 

Best Chef: South- Adam Evans, Automatic Seafood and Oysters, Birmingham, AL 

Best Chef: Southwest- Fernando Olea, Sazón, Santa Fe 

Best Chef: Texas- Iliana de la Vega, El Naranjo, Austin