The St. Louis dining scene is seeing some major national recognition courtesy of the James Beard Foundation.
Five St. Louis chefs and restaurateurs have advanced to the finalist round of the Foundation’s 2026 Restaurant and Chef Awards in the following categories:
- Best Chef: Midwest
- Loryn Nalic, Balkan Treat Box
- Nick Bognar, Sado, Pavilion
- Best New Restaurant
- Robin
- Outstanding Hospitality
- Louie
- Best Restaurant
- Vicia
The winners will be announced at the annual James Beard Awards gala in Chicago on June 15.
In addition to the finalists, St. Louis boasted two other semifinalists this year. In the “Best Chef: Midwest” category, Phillip Day of Root Food + Wine and Alex Henry of El Molino del Sureste were both honored in the awards’ first round.
Reached for comment, Nalic expressed her gratitude and sense of being overwhelmed by both her own finalist turn and those of her fellow finalists. “You feel so much gratitude,” Nalic says. “We all work so hard, and it’s never not shocking, because there are so many talented and amazing human beings out there doing this work. To be somebody that is recognized for their work is overwhelming.”
The James Beard Awards have largely eluded St. Louis for quite some time: There hasn’t been a local chef winner since 2017, when Sidney Street Café chef/owner Kevin Nashan took home the honors for “Best Chef: Midwest.” Gerard Craft won the award for Niche in 2015.
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