What Was Said — And What Wasn’t — at the 2025 James Beard Awards
The 2025 James Beard Awards ceremony wasn’t just a celebration of culinary excellence — it was also a fun, glitzy evening and a good excuse to throw on our Sunday best. Held at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the event also cast a spotlight on where the industry stands in a much larger — and much more difficult — conversation.
It’s impossible to talk about food in this country without acknowledging the physical, emotional and intellectual contributions of countless immigrant communities. And yet, the backdrop was jarring: headlines blaring anti-immigrant rhetoric, immigration raids sweeping the country.
The ceremony was nothing short of emotional and stirring. So much so, I needed time to process it.
From the stage, several voices cut through with messages of courage and solidarity. But what struck me most wasn’t just who spoke up — or how — it was who didn’t.
Here are 10 moments that have stayed with me long after the curtain fell:
1.“Restaurant workers are the best of humanity.” — Arjav Ezekiel, Birdie’s
Just ask Arjav Ezekiel of Birdie’s in Austin, Texas, who took home Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service — one of three new categories introduced this year, and long-overdue recognition for the people who shape how and what we drink. When the ending music tried to cut him off, he waved it off with quiet defiance: “I’m finishing my speech, guys.” His story? It’s the story of an immigrant who stared down fear and cynicism. Of growing up with the constant, gnawing fear that his family could be ripped away at any moment. But his message wasn’t bitterness — it was hope: “For all the bad people in this world, my life has taught me there are far more good ones.”
2. “So much of what we call success is shaped by things we did not choose — where we were born or what passports we carry.” — Julia Momosé, Kumiko
This year, Kumiko, the intimate Chicago cocktail bar, took home Best Cocktail Bar at the 2025 James Beard Awards.
Kumiko’s story is layered into every detail — in its polished glassware, its precise pours, its quiet confidence and great food, but at its core, it’s a story about identity.
“At Kumiko, we remember every day that we are a team of immigrants, we are children of immigrants,” Momosé said.
3. The Flags that Spoke
When Identidad’s Edrick Colón and Stephen Alonso took the stage to accept the award for Best New Bar — one of the newly minted categories — they brought more than a speech. They raised the island’s colors high.
Puerto Rico has been emerging as a serious culinary destination. From chefs reimagining island ingredients to cocktail bars like Identidad making waves on the national stage, this wasn’t just a win for a bar — it was a win for a place reclaiming its space in the global food conversation.
Throughout the night, other flags shared the stage, alongside a chorus of languages — from Spanish to Tamil to Korean — and a patchwork of folk sartorial choices reflecting the cross-section of cultures shaping American food. A reminder that the food world knows no borders, and it is precisely the collision of worlds that makes it fun, unique and delicious.
4. “¡A Huevo!” : A Win for Superbueno
Watching Superbueno’s Ignacio “Nacho” Jiménez take home the Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service award was pure joy. “¡A huevo!” — that cheeky, unmistakable way of saying “hell yeah” — rang out, drawing laughter from the crowd. But behind the humor was something deeper: a Mexican immigrant claiming his space, his recognition, on one of the country’s most prestigious culinary stages.
5. Chef Jon Yao’s Call to Action
Kato’s Jon Yao, representing Los Angeles and his Taiwanese American roots, used his moment as Best Chef: California to do more than celebrate.
In a city still grappling with raids and protests, Yao — who tells his immigrant story through food — made an urgent plea:
“We all deserve the freedom to pursue our dreams, to determine our own futures and to be treated with equal dignity and respect. And everyone in this room tonight has the ability and the voice to amplify that message through their own stories in their own communities. I urge all of us to please use that voice and platform.”
6.“Be who you say you are.” — Tahiira Habibi, The Hue Society
Tahiirah Habibi isn’t just changing the wine world — she’s rewriting the guest list. As founder of The Hue Society, she’s built a movement that makes space for Black, brown and indigenous voices in the wine industry. On stage at the 2025 James Beard Awards, she kept it simple, sharp, and impossible to ignore: “Don’t let fear decide what side of history you land on.” And maybe her most important reminder — for herself, for the room, for all of us: “Be who you say you are.”
7. Vijay Kumar’s Humble Triumph for New York
Vijay Kumar of New York’s Semma took home Best Chef: New York State — and with it, brought Tamil food — in his words, a food of celebration, survival, fire, and soul — onto one of the biggest stages in the world.
Kumar’s was a win for anyone who’s ever been told their food — their story — doesn’t belong here.
“I stand here for everyone who never thought their food belonged on a stage like this,” Kumar said.
8. “All food is immigrant.” — Nando Chang, Itamae AO
A Peruvian American of Chinese descent, Nando Chang of Itamae AO took home Best Chef: South for his Japanese restaurant in Miami.
Chang’s family fled the chaos of their home country and came to the U.S., and it was in the kitchen that he found identity and belonging.
“All different types of people from all different types of backgrounds work together toward the same goal,” he said.
He closed with a truth that struck deep: “All food is immigrant.”
9. Amano’s Salvador Alamilla Honors the Women Who Shape It
Salvador Alamilla’s win at the James Beard Awards for Best Chef: Mountain was a quiet, powerful reminder of how Mexican food continues to shape and surprise American dining far beyond the expected streets of Los Angeles, Chicago, or New York.
Alamilla’s acceptance speech carried more than pride. It carried perspective. In a stage often dominated by men from major cities, he used his moment to acknowledge the team at his restaurant tucked away in Caldwell, Idaho — a place “built by strong, smart women.”
He also spoke with raw honesty about the bittersweet reality behind his success. While his story, that of an immigrant building a life and a restaurant, was being celebrated on one of the industry’s biggest stages, countless others are being silenced. Their stories may never be told.
Amano, tucked into a ruby-red corner of Idaho, has become more than a restaurant, he said: “It’s a beacon of hope for kids that look like me.”
10. A Surprising Silence
This one hit hard. A place built on Mexican food and immigrant labor took the stage — and said nothing. No acknowledgment. Silence. Disorienting. Telling.
Food has always been political. Who gets to cook it. Who gets to write about it. Who profits from it.
One truth threaded through the event’s every moment: immigrants aren’t just part of the food world — they are the food world. From farms to plates, they build it, they preserve it, and carry it forward.
And in rooms like this, and in extraordinary moments like this, silence speaks just as loudly as words.