A number of Las Vegas chefs and restaurateurs are among the 2026 James Beard Awards semifinalists, announced Wednesday, January 21. The initial list will be narrowed to nominees on March 31, 2026, before winners are revealed on June 15 at the awards ceremony in Chicago. This year, Las Vegas saw representation across a handful of categories on the semifinalists list, including Outstanding Restaurateur, Emerging Chef, and Best New Restaurant.
The James Beard Awards are among the most prestigious awards in the food and hospitality industry. Each year, the James Beard Foundation taps outstanding restaurants and chefs from across the country for awards, including Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker, Outstanding Restaurateur, Emerging Chef, and Outstanding Hospitality. In recent years, the awards have been under increased scrutiny after canceling its programming in 2020 and 2021 due to allegations of misconduct and abuse against nominated chefs, as well as a lack of nominated and winning Black chefs in the categories. In response, the James Beard Foundation conducted an internal audit to make its voting processes more inclusive and equitable, and returned in 2022.
Here is the list of 2026 James Beard Foundation Awards semifinalists from Las Vegas.
Oulay Ceesay Fisher, Calabash African Kitchen, Las Vegas, Nevada
Brian Howard, Sparrow + Wolf, Las Vegas, Nevada
Yuri Szarzewski, Partage, Las Vegas, Nevada
Sarah Thompson, Casa Playa, Las Vegas, Nevada
Jamie Tran, Black Sheep, Las Vegas, Nevada
James Trees, Bar Bohème, Las Vegas, Nevada
Elizabeth Blau, Blau + Associates (Buddy V’s and Honeysalt), Las Vegas, Nevada
Ellie Parker, Main Street Provisions, Las Vegas, Nevada
Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker
Kimberly Mcintosh, Milkfish Bakeshop, Las Vegas, Nevada
Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
Ada’s Wine Bar, Las Vegas, Nevada
Nocturno, Las Vegas, Nevada
Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service
Bank Atcharawan, Jipata, Las Vegas, Nevada
Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service
Mariena Mercer Boarini, Aft Cocktail Deck, Las Vegas, Nevada
