See Which Top Chef Contestants Earned James Beard Award Nominations This Year

In 17 Seasons of Bravo's Top Chef, we've seen some jaw-dropping dishes come out of the kitchen. Cheftestants past and present have inspired us with their kitchen prowess — and they've made a huge impact on the culinary industry at large.

In the past, we've seen Top Chef personalities open successful restaurants, headline major food festivals, and even put out page-turner memoirs. And of course, we've seen several of them take home one of the industry's most prestigious and coveted prizes: a James Beard Award. 

This year's batch of James Beard Award winners may well include some cheftestants as well. The James Beard Foundation has announced its list of 2020 award nominees, and it's filled with names that Top Chef fans will find familiar.

Keep scrolling to see which culinary whizzes are up for awards in categories including Best New Restaurant, Writing, Outstanding Chef, and Best Chef in regions including the South, Mountain, and Northeast. The winners will be announced via press release on May 27, 2020. 

Writing
Notes from a Young Black Chef: A Memoir
Kwame Onwuachi with Joshua David Stein
(Knopf)

Best New Restaurant
Fox & the Knife 
Boston
*Karen Akunowicz is the chef and owner. 

Nightshade
Los Angeles
*Mei Lin is the owner. 

Outstanding Chef (Presented by All-Clad Metalcrafters)
Missy Robbins
Lilia
NYC

Ana Sortun
Oleana
Cambridge, MA

Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (D.C., DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)
Nicholas Elmi
Laurel
Philadelphia

Best Chef: Mountain (CO, ID, MT, UT, WY)
Carrie Baird
Bar Dough
Denver

Best Chef: Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT)
Tiffani Faison
Orfano
Boston

Best Chef: Northwest & Pacific (AK, HI, OR, WA)
Gregory Gourdet
Departure
Portland, OR

Best Chef: South (AL, AR, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, FL, LA, MS)
Isaac Toups
Toups’ Meatery
New Orleans

Want more Top Chef? New episodes air every Thursday at 10/9c or catch up on this season through the Bravo app.