10 NYC Restaurants And Chefs Are James Beard Award Nominees

NEW YORK CITY — The culinary scene in New York City is well-represented in the 2025 Restaurant and Chef Awards nominees announced Wednesday by the James Beard Foundation.

This year is an important milestone for the James Beard Foundation: It’s the 35th anniversary of the awards, considered to be among the nation’s most prestigious honors. Awards will be presented in 25 categories this year with an expanded focus on cocktail and beverage service.

The New York City nominees are:

• For Outstanding Restaurateur: Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr, Frenchette, Le Veau d'Or, andLe Rock
• For Outstanding Chef Presented by Hilton: Jungsik Yim, Jungsik
• For Best New Restaurant: Penny
• For Outstanding Hospitality (Presented by American Airlines): Atomix
• For Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service: Cassandra Felix, Daniel
• Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service: Ignacio "Nacho" Jimenez, Superbueno

The James Beard Awards also include a New York State Best Chef award. For that award, the New York City nominees are:

• Nasim Alikhani, Sofreh
• Eiji Ichimura, Sushi Ichimura
• Atsushi Kono, Kono
• Vijay Kumar, Semma

The James Beard Awards, first presented in 1991, recognize exceptional talent in the culinary and food media industries and are often regarded as the “Oscars of culinary arts.”

They recognize a range of experiences, from fine-dining restaurants to casual gems, in 22 categories.

Winners will be announced Monday, June 16, in a ceremony at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

See the full list of nominations here.

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