Tonight, Monday, June 15, the James Beard Foundation announced the restaurant and chef finalists for the 36th annual James Beard Awards. The annual honors, widely known as the “Oscars” of the food world, are considered one of the top acknowledgments in the restaurant industry.
In all, D.C. punched a ticket to the 2026 awards ceremony in just five categories this year, and winners were unveiled during a glitzy gala hosted by cookbook author and Top Chef host Gail Simmons at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
For the first award of the evening, Moon Rabbit’s talented Susan Bae — up for the country’s Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker for the second time in a row — finally clinched the coveted medallion this year. And there’s additional swag bragging rights for all winners this year: a snazzy square plaque.
During a heartfelt, teary speech, Bae thanked her “friends and partners” at Moon Rabbit (chef Kevin Tien and Judy Beltrano), plus family members she’s lost and the new ones she’s made along the way for “believing in the work that we do.”
“As a Korean American chef, this recognition means something bigger than myself. It reflects the communities that shaped me, the generations that came before me, and the young chefs who are still searching for a place where they can fully belong,” she said onstage, continuing, “I hope we continue moving toward a future where underrepresented chefs are not only welcomed and celebrated, but supported.”
Maison Bar à Vins, Adams Morgan’s French-themed offshoot of neo-bistro Lutèce, was a finalist for the coveted national title of Best New Restaurant in America — a stacked category with 10 contestants. That award tonight, however, went to NYC’s Chinatown wine bar Lei. While Maison Bar à Vins is also described as a wine bar by the Popal Group, chef Matt Conroy’s menu includes bites that range from marinated octopus and olives to a full meal of pasta with rabbit ragu, with a newer late-night bar menu now in the fold.
D.C. only had one 2026 finalist for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic — a highly competitive category that considers chefs from Virginia all the way up to New Jersey — and it’s Suresh Sundas of Tapori, one of Eater’s Best New Restaurants in America last year. The four other finalists up for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic were all from Pennsylvania, and the award went to eight-time James Beard-nominated chef Jesse Ito of Philly’s ultra-hot Royal Sushi & Izakaya.
Along with Maison Bar à Vins, previously announced local finalists who didn’t make the cut include Field & Main in Marshall, Virginia (Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program); Brent Kroll, D.C.’s vet sommelier behind Shaw’s Maxwell Park and Pop Fizz Bar (Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service), the latter of which hosted a watch party tonight.
Here’s the only winner from the region this year:
Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker
- Susan Bae, Moon Rabbit, Washington, D.C.
Disclosure: Some Vox Media staff members are part of the voting body for the James Beard Foundation Awards.
