Nightshade, Pasjoli, and Auburn Are LA’s James Beard Foundation 2020 Finalists
A somber setting as multiple newly-closed Los Angeles restaurants have been nominated for the industry’s most prestigious award
It was a much quieter, slightly more somber affair, but Los Angeles has officially received its finalist nominations for James Beard Foundation restaurant, chef, and design awards this year.
Normally the Beards would be a boisterous in-person party, where restaurant operators and chefs hand out handshakes and the JBFA hands out hardware from the city of Chicago, but those plans were scuttled months ago as a result of the then-growing coronavirus pandemic. Now the restaurant award winners won’t be revealed until a ceremony in Chicago on September 25, but the finalists have been announced.
Here’s who made the shortlist(s) out of Los Angeles.
Restaurant Design, 76 Seats and Over
Auburn, Los Angeles (Klein Agency/ORA, now closed)
Outstanding Wine Program
Night + Market Sahm, Los Angeles
Outstanding Pastry Chef
Lincoln Carson, Bon Temps, Los Angeles (now closed)
Margarita Manzke, Republique, Los Angeles
Rising Star Chef of the Year
Jon Yao, Kato, Los Angeles
Best New Restaurant
Nightshade, Los Angeles
Pasjoli, Santa Monica, CA
Best Chef: California
Jeremy Fox, Birdie G’s, Santa Monica, CA
Jessica Koslow, Sqirl, Los Angeles
Source: Eater LA