Restaurants & Bars
1 FL Chef Named Among 2025 James Beard Winners
The chef of a South Florida Peruvian Japanese restaurant was among the 2025 James Beard winners.
FLORIDA — Nando Chang, chef at South Florida’s Itamae AO, 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.
Chang was recognized as Best Chef: South at the awards. He was the only Floridian to take home an award.
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Itamae AO, a Peruvian Japanese restaurant at 140 NE 39th Street in Miami, offers a $165 multi-course chef tasting menu per person.
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The restaurant was also awarded one Michelin star earlier this year.
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.
In Florida, the following restaurants and chefs were named semifinalists in January for this year’s awards:
- Outstanding Restaurateur: Sue Chin and Jason Chin, Good Salt Restaurant Group (Seito Sushi, Reyes Mezcaleria, The Osprey, and others), Orlando
- Outstanding Restaurant presented by Acqua Panna Natural Spring Water: Ghee Indian Kitchen, Miami
- Emerging Chef presented by S. Pellegrino Sparkling Natural Mineral Water: Kayla Pfeiffer, Bicyclette Cookshop, Naples
- Best New Restaurant: Ômo by Jônt, Winter Park
- Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker: Yohann Le Bescond, Ocala,
- Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program: Macchialina, Miami
- Outstanding Bar: Café La Trova, Miami
- Best New Bar, Vice Versa, Miami
- Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service: Allegra Angelo, Vinya Table, Miami
- Best Chef: South, Nikhil Abuvala, Roux 30a, Santa Rosa Beach
- Best Chef: South, Nando Chang, Itamae AO, Miami
- Best Chef: South, Lordfer Lalicon, Kaya, Orlando
- Best Chef: South, Sean "Sonny" Nguyen, Domu, Orlando
Of these, the following were announced as finalists in April:
- Outstanding Restaurateur, Sue Chin and Jason Chin, Good Salt Restaurant Group (Seito Sushi, Reyes Mezcaleria, The Osprey, and others), Orlando
- Best New Restaurant, Ômo by Jônt, Winter Park
- Best New Bar, ViceVersa, Miami
- Best Chef: South, Nando Chang, Itamae AO, Miami
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