The James Beard Foundation has released its 2025 nominations for the prestigious awards, with several local chefs and restaurants making the cut. Fried Rice Collective’s Danny Lee and Scott Drewno are among the Outstanding Restaurateur nominees, while Mita takes top honors as Best New Restaurant. Susan Bae of Moon Rabbit is a double nominee, earning her second consecutive nomination as Outstanding Pastry Chef. Carlos Delgado of Causa & Amazonia also earns recognition for his work at the Shaw restaurant.
This year’s nominations are somewhat quieter than last year’s, which saw DC restaurants dominate the national awards scene with Albi’s Michael Rafidi and Perry’s Masako Morishita taking home top prizes. Still, several local chefs and restaurants made significant strides in the competition. The full list of nominees can be found online, with winners to be announced on June 16 at Chicago’s Lyric Opera.
Source: https://www.washingtonian.com/2025/04/02/dc-chef-and-restaurant-nominees-for-the-2025-james-beard-awards