James Beard Award Winners Include D.C. Restaurant, Chef

WASHINGTON, DC — Carlos Delgado of D.C. restaurant Causa and Amazonia was honored at Monday’s James Beard Foundation Awards ceremony at the Lyric Opera in Chicago.

The awards, regarded as the Academy Awards of the U.S. restaurant industry, honor excellence across a range of categories, from fine dining to casual gems.

Causa and Amazonia is a Michelin-starred and James Beard award-winning restaurant with a focus on coastal Peruvian and Andean cuisine. The restaurant includes two experiences — tastings at Causa and upstairs bar and rooftop at Amazonia. Delgado leads the restaurant as chef. The restaurant is also nominated for three RAMMY awards for the DC region's restaurant industry — Chef of the Year for Chef Carlos Delgado, Restaurant Employee of the Year for Kristen Wilson and Cocktail Program of the Year for Amazonia.

2025 is the 35th anniversary of the prestigious culinary awards that recognize eateries and chefs who create exceptional food, food media content, and better food systems, according to the James Beard Foundation. Awards also recognize a demonstrated commitment to racial and gender equity, community, sustainability, and a culture where all can thrive.

This year in celebration of the pivotal anniversary, the 2025 Restaurant and Chef Awards were presented across 25 categories, with an expanded focus on beverages, introducing three new categories: Best New Bar, Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service, and Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service.

Other categories include outstanding restaurateur, outstanding chef, outstanding restaurant, emerging chef, best new restaurant, outstanding bakery, outstanding pastry chef or baker, outstanding hospitality, outstanding wine and other beverages program, outstanding bar and best chef.

DC and Virginia restaurants that had been named James Beard finalists were:

• Scott Drewno and Danny Lee, The Fried Rice Collective (Anju, Chiko, and I Egg You), Washington, D.C. Outstanding Restaurateur
• Mita, Washington, D.C., Best New Restaurant
• Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker, Susan Bae, Moon Rabbit, Washington, D.C.
• Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA), Henji Cheung, Queen's English, Washington, D.C.

Other DC and Virginia restaurants and chefs were named semifinalists earlier this year were:

• Amy Brandwein, Centrolina, Washington, D.C., Outstanding Chef presented by Hilton
• The Dabney, Washington, D.C., Outstanding Restaurant presented by Acqua Panna Natural Spring Water
• Paolo Dungca, Hiraya, Washington, D.C., Emerging Chef presented by S.Pellegrino Sparkling Natural Mineral Water
• Maude & the Bear, Staunton, VA, Best New Restaurant
• Tail Up Goat, Washington, D.C., Outstanding Hospitality presented by American Airlines
• Bar Cana, Washington, D.C., Best New Bar
• Andra "AJ" Johnson, Serenata, Washington, D.C., Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service
• Matt Adler, Cucina Morini, Washington, D.C., Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)
• Matt Conroy and Isabel Coss, Pascual, Washington, D.C, Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)
• Ruben Garcia, Casa Teresa, Washington, D.C., Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)
• Fernando Gonzalez, 2Fifty Barbeque, Riverdale, MD and Washington, DC, Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)
• Cagla Onal Urel, Green Almond Pantry, Washington, D.C., Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)
• Jarad Slipp, Tremolo, Middleburg, VA, Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)