It’s January, so you know what that means: The 2026 James Beard Award semifinalists long list is here, celebrating the hospitality industry across the United States. In our pocket of Northern California, the Bay Area’s bars, restaurants, and chefs were heartily represented on the list that dropped on Wednesday, January 21, with a mix of new and familiar faces.
The Best Chef: California list is packed with local chefs, garnering half the nomination slots. In San Francisco, the nominees include chef Kim Alter of Nightbird; Harrison Cheney of Sons & Daughters; Brandon Rice of Ernest; and Kosuke Tada of Mijoté. Out of Oakland, Sarah Cooper and Alan Hsu of Sun Moon Studio received a semifinalist nod, as did Geoff Davis of Burdell, plus Fik Saleh and Reka Saleh of Fikscue Craft BBQ in Alameda and San Francisco, and Zareen Khan of Zareen’s in Palo Alto. Rounding out the list are Emma Lipp and Stephanie Reagor of Valley Bar & Bottle in Sonoma, as well as Eric Alexander and Courtney McDonald of Restaurant Josephine in Auburn (it’s not quite Bay Area, but we’ll spread the love).
In the Outstanding Restaurateur category, chefs Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski of the Progress, State Bird Provisions, and the Anchovy Bar are semifinalists again, after being nominated in the same category in 2025. Joining them this year in that same category, are chef Srijith Gopinathan and partner Ayesha Thapar for their restaurants Ettan, Copra, and Eylan. That duo opened their latest restaurant, Eylan, in Menlo Park in January 2025, highlighting live-fire Indian cooking. Meanwhile, chef Michael Tusk of three-Michelin-starred Quince was the only Bay Area nominee in the Outstanding Chef category, going up against the likes of chef Gilberto Cetina of Holbox in Los Angeles and Kwame Onwuachi of Tatiana in New York, among others. For the Emerging Chef award, Steve Joo of Oakland’s Joodooboo received a nod from the committee. Chefs Monique Feybesse and Paul Feybesse were also recognized in the Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker category for their work at Tarts de Feybesse in Oakland, whose permanent bakery opened in November 2024.
Anyone who’s ever enjoyed being crowded into the House of Prime Rib for a King Henry VIII cut and a generous martini will not be surprised to see that storied restaurant land in the Outstanding Hospitality category; the restaurant takes its spot alongside others like Providence in Los Angeles and Red Hook Tavern in Brooklyn. San Francisco’s Foreign Cinema is also getting its flowers, popping up in the Outstanding Restaurant category just after hitting its 26th anniversary in 2025. The Happy Crane, a 2025 Eater SF Award winner, also picked up a semifinalist nomination in the Best New Restaurant category.
Last year, the James Beard Foundation added three new categories to the program, and they continue on in 2026 with new nominees from the Bay Area. San Francisco bar (and, ahem, another 2025 Eater SF Award winner) the Valley Club was placed on the long list, while Kevin Diedrich of Pacific Cocktail Haven placed in the Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service category. The Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service garnered two Bay Area semifinalists, with Paul Einbund of the Morris and Derek Stevenson of Auro. The Progress and Smuggler’s Cove are also semifinalists for Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program and Outstanding Bar, respectively.
Finalists will be announced on Tuesday, March 31. The winners will be announced at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards Ceremony, which will be held on Monday, June 15, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
This is the full list of nominees from the Bay Area in the 2026 James Beard Awards:
2026 James Beard Foundation Awards Restaurant and Chef Bay Area Semifinalists
Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski, Atomic Workshop (The Anchovy Bar, The Progress, and State Bird Provisions), San FranciscoSrijith Gopinathan and Ayesha Thapar, Ettan, Copra, and Eylan, Palo Alto, San Francisco, Los Altos, and Menlo ParkMichael Tusk, Quince, San FranciscoForeign Cinema, San FranciscoSteve Joo, Joodooboo, OaklandThe Happy Crane, San Francisco
Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker
Monique Feybesse and Paul Feybesse, Tarts de Feybesse, OaklandHouse of Prime Rib, San Francisco
Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
The Progress, San FranciscoSmuggler’s Cove, San FranciscoThe Valley Club, San Francisco
Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service
Paul Einbund, The Morris, San FranciscoDerek Stevenson, Auro, Calistoga
Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service
Kevin Diedrich, Pacific Cocktail Haven, San FranciscoEric Alexander and Courtney McDonald, Restaurant Josephine, AuburnKim Alter, Nightbird, San FranciscoHarrison Cheney, Sons & Daughters, San FranciscoSarah Cooper and Alan Hsu, Sun Moon Studio, OaklandGeoff Davis, Burdell, OaklandZareen Khan, Zareen’s, Palo AltoEmma Lipp and Stephanie Reagor, Valley Bar & Bottle, SonomaBrandon Rice, Ernest, San FranciscoFik Saleh and Rachel Saleh, Fikscue Craft BBQ, AlamedaKosuke Tada, Mijoté, San Francisco
Disclosure: Some Vox Media staff members are part of the voting body for the James Beard Awards.
Dining and Cooking