James Beard 2026 Awards Highlight Salt Lake Semifinalists

A Brief History of The James Beard Foundation

The James Beard Foundation was founded in 1986 in honor of the champion of the American culinary dream, James Andrew Beard. James Beard, a chef, teacher, writer and culinary icon, created a lasting impact in the American culinary scene through his 50+ year career and dedication to education of the culinary arts. Beard was heralded as the “Dean of American cookery” and following a lifelong culinary career, the foundation began with the purpose of leading chefs and the broader industry towards a new standard of excellence.

The cornerstone of the James Beard Foundation is belief in the vibrant, equitable and sustainable restaurant industry that leads culture, the economy and communities throughout America. The James Beard Awards identify those in the culinary industry with exceptional talent in many arenas, including hospitality and media. There are over 23 categories, including Outstanding Bar, Best New Restaurant, Best Chef and Cookbook of the Year. Some categories have multiple award winners while others are restricted to a solo recipient.

Nick Zocco, Urban Hill

Urban Hill, located in the Post District, an up-and-coming area of Salt Lake is being recognized for the third year in a row. Chef Nick Zocco, well known for beating Bobby Flay on his Food Network Show "Beat Bobby Flay" has now been recognized for three years as Best Chef Semifinalist in the Mountain West.

After working with the owners of Hill Top Hospitality in Park City, he joined Urban Hill from the beginning as an opportunity to build from the ground up. Zocco has centered the menu around seafood, his favorite food to cook. Standout dishes include the Crudo, a light but sensational dish with aguachile, jalapeno, pickled onion, brined cucumber, cilantro and furikake as well as the Lump Crab Chile Relleno (nick’s winning dish that beat Bobby Flay) with New Mexico red chile, black bean purée, pickled onion & chile, crema, and cilantro. 

Pictured: Golden Eagle Black Cod (fregola sarda, delicata squash, smoked dashi, scallion-ginger vinaigrette, gochujang-citrus glaze, benne seed).

Travis Herbert, Felt Bar & Eatery

Located at 341 Main Street, Felt Bar & Eatery, is a warm welcome to the hustle and bustle of Salt Lake City. Head Chef Travis Herbert maintains a constantly changing menu while upholding the restaurant's status as a beacon of hospitality in the downtown area. From experience as a corporate chef with Fleming's Steakhouse, Chef Travis was brought on by the best in the business, Richard Romney, of Takashi and Post Office Place to help open Felt Bar & Eatery.

This 21+ cocktail bar and upscale eatery proves that experience matters. Exceptionally crafted cocktails include the Oaxacan Old Fashioned, made with reposado tequila, mezcal, and agave with chocolate bitters. Another highlight, the Rome, Italy, is a unique cocktail experience made with gin, Aperol, dry vermouth, sundried tamato jam, lemon, burrata cheese foam, basil oil, and aleppo oil. For dinner try the Korean-style BBQ ribs, tender pork ribs with sticky-icky sauce and a miso-corn souffle. From the Raw Bar, try the Hokkaido Scallop Crudo, a raw scallop, zhoug, mango miso, with pickled fresco, aleppo oil and watercress for a bright and colorful dish. 

Pictured: Apricot & Bourbon Glazed Pork Chop (Apricot-bourbon glaze, crushed toasted almonds, blueberry gastrique, fresh watercress, fried red onion). 

Milo Carrier, Arlo

Located on an off-street of the Utah State Capitol, Arlo sits high above the rest. This elevated, chef-driven restaurant is where you'll find all the Salt Lake locals with sophisticated tastes. The menu, crafted by Chef Milo Carrier, is a reflection of his diverse culinary influences. Inspired by his mother and grandmother, as well as the innovative flavors he has discovered through global culinary adventures, the menu showcases Chef Carrier's unique blend of time-honored traditions and international culinary exploration. The honed ingredient-driven menu translates into food that's both technically precise and deeply personal.

Drawing on his Utah roots, Chef Milo highlights seasonal, locally grown vegetables. With a seasonal menu, Chef Milo brings out the freshness and flavors that make Arlo's dishes so special. Menu highlights include the vegetable tart, a baked goat cheese custard with parmesan and caramelized onion, buttermilk vinaigrette and frisee along with the duck (or short rib) ravioli, with porcini mushroom, gouda and as described in the menu, "and other things". 

Pictured: The Duck Ravioli (confit duck with porcini mushrooms, gouda, and other things. celery root and orange, a bit of endive).

Andrew Fuller, Oquirrh

Two blocks east of the Eccles Theater, Oquirrh, provides one of the finest food and dining experiences in Salt Lake City. Chef Andrew Fuller, nominated in 2023, 2025 and now in 2026 possesses a passion for supporting local artisans and incorporating this into the menu.

Named for the Oquirrh mountain range to the west of the city, Chef Andrew prepares artistic and reimagined dishes, updated seasonally and refined with precision. These dishes include creative takes such as the charred savoy cabbage with cabbage puree, marmalade vinaigrette and brown butter breadcrumbs, and the confit chicken pot pie with fennel, mushroom, puff pastry and thyme or the steamed mussels + bone marrow with PEI mussels, chicken broth, fennel pollen and confit garlic. 

Pictured: The Wagyu Eye of Ribeye (Sunchoke and Potato Gratin, Rapini, Kale Chip, with Natural Jus).

Tommy Nguyen, The Pearl

Located within the food-centric neighborhood of central 9th is the renowned Vietnamese kitchen and cocktail bar, The Pearl. The menu, designed by the James Beard Nominated Chef, Tommy Nguyen, is inspired by his family heritage and multi-decade career in iconic Salt Lake eateries including Takashi and The Post Office Place (also nominated for a James Beard award). Perfecting these Vietnamese recipes has taken Chef Nguyen a lifetime, and this dedication is clearly represented in the presentation and taste.

Standout items include the Caramel Pork Belly, a braised pork belly in coconut caramel sauce with quail eggs and cilantro leaves. If you are looking for an expertly crafted cocktail on the sweeter side, try the You and Qua Me with aged rum, coconut, pandan, lime, meletti amaro, and brown sugar boba. The Pearl also specializes in the famous Vietnamese dish, Pho, exclusively on Sunday nights, that sells from 6pm until sold-out.

Pictured: Blue Mussels and Toast (dashi Beurre monte, Chinese sausage, chives with baguette). 

Junah

In spring of 2025, the first Japanese & Italian fusion restaurant opened in Salt Lake and this unique cuisine has made quite the impression. Junah, a semifinalist for Best New Restaurant is tucked away in the central 9th neighborhood and is packing the punch. The name for the cuisine, tagged "Itameshi" translates to "Italy" and "food" in Japanese and is the first of its kind to come to Utah. 

The menu is constantly changing making each new visit an interesting new exploration of this revitalized cuisine, though you can count on a few staples. The Tagliolino al Mentaiko is a refined take on Japanese-Italian fusion, featuring housemade tagliolino rolled thin and cooked to a silky al dente, coated in a creamy sauce that brings subtle brininess and umami depth. The Tagliata di Bosco is a classic Italian preparation done with precision, highlighting a tender, medium-rare grilled steak with a caramelized exterior, sliced tagliata-style and paired with earthy, forest-inspired elements that complement the natural richness of the beef. Junah’s Arancini offers a thoughtful twist on the traditional, with a crisp golden exterior and a creamy rice interior, elevated by a light seafood component that introduces a subtle salinity and balance, making the dish feel both familiar and unexpectedly refined.

Pictured: Pancetta Brasata con Polenta (red wine glaze, polenta, string sautéed spinach). 

Post Office Place

This hidden gem off Market Street in downtown Salt Lake City proudly serves some of the finest cocktails in the Mountain West. Contemporary in design, Post Office Place offers one of the largest selections of Japanese whisky and is the “little brother” of neighboring Takashi, a staple sushi restaurant in the Salt Lake food scene. 

Diners can anticipate a unique Asian fusion cuisine highlighted by exquisitely crafted cocktails. Standout cocktails include the Eco Aero, a light, easy-drinking cocktail made with Mikibito "gin," a shochu-based spirit infused with Japanese botanicals like yuzu and sansho, along with acid-adjusted cucumber juice, shiso, basil, and a rice-based "vermouth" called Japanese Dry Bermutto, topped with soda water. Make sure to try their Seabream Ceviche, a classic ceviche with innovative Japanese-Peruvian fusion ingredients, including diced madai (Japanese snapper), a creamy yet bright cashew leche de tigre, red onion, jalapeño, cilantro oil, and a cashew furikake, served with plantain chips. The Post Office Place is now offering Omakase nights, bringing a high level of creativity and innovation that blends traditional omakase with modern flavors. 

Recognized by James Beard in 2023, and now again in 2026, the Post Office Place, is a standout worthy of its praise. 

Pictured: Wabi Sabi (an "old fashioned" style cocktail with rye whisky, Fukano Select, which is a Japanese rice-based whisky, and a clarified pistachio-walnut orgeat on the side). 

Water Witch

Located in the heart of the central 9th neighborhood, Water Witch is a well-known Salt Lake establishment that stands out for its eccentric atmosphere and surprising alcoholic concoctions. With fresh takes on the classics, as well as bartender's choice, a roulette of sorts, you'll never grow bored at Water Witch. Come for the curated drinks, stay for the great music and local crowd. 

Table X Bread

Located in Millcreek, Table X and Table X Bread are in a category of their own. Created due to the demand of sourdough from Table X and other local restaurant patrons, Table X Bread sources flour from Central Milling, a local milling company in Logan, Utah. The perfected and daily hand-made final products are astounding. With interchanging pastries, croissants and over a dozen types of sourdough loafs, Table X Bread continues to outshine as one of the best bakeries in Utah.

Bar Nohm

Bar Nohm, located in the central 9th neighborhood, next door to Water Witch, led by Chef David Chon, is an Izakaya restaurant and bar that emphasizes David’s Korean heritage, with Japanese, American and French influences. Partnering with Water Witch, Chon brings a precise vision that mixes high quality cocktails with meticulously crafted recipes for a combination worthy of the recognition. 

Valter's Osteria

Established in 2012, following the opening of Il Sansovino and Cucina Toscana, Valter's Osteria was made with a simple philosophy: everyone deserves to feel special. Valter Nassi's philosophy continues on today, through his hard-working team that upholds a commitment of kindness, precision and joy with every shift. Awarded in 2024 for Outstanding Hospitality, Valter's Osteria focuses on specialty ingredients, daily specials rooted in Italian countryside flavors and table-side presentations. As Valter would say, "Hospitality is not a job. It is a way of life". 

The Angry Korean

Converting from a food truck to a brick-and-mortar in 2019, The Angry Korean is Young-Ho Kang and Peter Kim’s spin on modern Korean cuisine. Located in South Jordan, a south central suburb of Salt Lake, their doors are open seven days a week. These contenders for Best Chef offer popular dishes like the Korean junkyard fries served with Bulgogi gravy, melted cheese, and topped with Bulgogi and pickled jalapenos.

Mazza

For over two decades, Ali Sabbah at Mazza has proudly served authentic Middle Eastern cuisine in Salt Lake while using the highest quality ingredients and offering an expansive variety of menu items. One dish that has garnered high praise is the Mazza lamb shank served bone-in and braised with their special blend of spice, aromatics, wines, and liqueurs and served with fragrant rice and a side salad. Mazza prides themselves in serving all-natural lamb, beef, and chicken as well as providing the largest selection of Middle Eastern beer and wine in the United States.