The James Beard Foundation Awards are annual awards presented by the James Beard Foundation to recognize culinary professionals in the United States. The awards recognize chefs, restaurateurs, authors and journalists each year, and are generally scheduled around James Beard's May birthday.
The foundation also awards annually since 1998 the designation of America's Classic for local independently-owned restaurants that reflect the character of the community.
2020 awards
The 2020 chef and restaurant awards were canceled, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The book and media awards were announced online on May 27, 2020. A virtual event was broadcast from Chicago on September 25, 2020.
Lifetime Achievement and Humanitarian Award
Lifetime Achievement Award: Jessica B. Harris
Humanitarian of the Year: Zero Foodprint
Restaurant Design Awards
75 Seats and Under: Heliotrope Architects, Rupee Bar, Seattle, Washington
76 Seats and Over: ORA and Klein Agency, Auburn, Los Angeles, California
Design Icon: Chez Panisse, Berkeley, California
Book Awards
The 2020 James Beard Foundation Book Awards were as follows:
American Cooking: Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking by Toni Tipton-Martin (Clarkson Potter) Baking and Dessert: Living Bread: Tradition and Innovation in Artisan Bread Making by Daniel Leader and Lauren Chattman (Avery) Beverage with Recipes: The NoMad Cocktail Book by Leo Robitschek (Ten Speed Press) Beverage without Recipes: World Atlas of Wine 8th Edition by Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson (Mitchell Beazley) General Cooking: Where Cooking Begins: Uncomplicated Recipes to Make You a Great Cook by Carla Lalli Music (Clarkson Potter) Health and Special Diets: Gluten-Free Baking at Home: 102 Foolproof Recipes for Delicious Breads, Cakes, Cookies, and More by Jeffrey Larsen (Ten Speed Press) International: Ethiopia: Recipes and Traditions from the Horn of Africa by Yohanis Gebreyesus with Jeff Koehler (Interlink Publishing) Photography: American Sfoglino: A Master Class in Handmade Pasta by Eric Wolfinger (Chronicle Books) Reference, History, and Scholarship: The Whole Okra: A Seed to Stem Celebration by Chris Smith (Chelsea Green Publishing) Restaurant and Professional: The Whole Fish Cookbook: New Ways to Cook, Eat and Think by Josh Niland (Hardie Grant Books) Single Subject: Pasta Grannies: The Official Cookbook: The Secrets of Italy's Best Home Cooks by Vicky Bennison (Hardie Grant Books) Vegetable-Focused Cooking: Whole Food Cooking Every Day: Transform the Way You Eat with 250 Vegetarian Recipes Free of Gluten, Dairy, and Refined Sugar by Amy Chaplin (Artisan Books) Writing: Eat Like a Fish: My Adventures as a Fisherman Turned Restorative Ocean Farmer by Bren Smith (Knopf) Book of the Year: The Whole Fish Cookbook: New Ways to Cook, Eat and Think by Josh Niland (Hardie Grant Books) Cookbook Hall of Fame: Jancis Robinson
Broadcast Media Awards
The 2020 James Beard Foundation Broadcast Media Awards were as follows:
Audio Program: It Burns: The Scandal-Plagued Race to Breed the World’s Hottest Chili, Audible Audio Reporting: Gravy – Mahalia Jackson’s Glori-Fried Chicken, Betsy Sheperd, southernfoodways.org Documentary: That's My Jazz, Vimeo Online Video, Fixed Location and/or Instructional: Grace Young – Wok Therapist, YouTube Online Video, on Location: Handmade – How Knives Are Made for New York's Best Restaurants; How a Ceramics Master Makes Plates for Michelin-Starred Restaurants, Eater Outstanding Personality: Roy Choi, Broken Bread with Roy Choi, KCET Television Program, in Studio or Fixed Location: Pati's Mexican Table – Tijuana: Stories from the Border, WETA Television Program, on Location: Las Crónicas del Taco (Taco Chronicles) – Canasta, Netflix Visual and Technical Excellence: Chef's Table, Netflix, Adam Bricker, Chloe Weaver, and Will Basanta Visual Reporting (on TV or Online): Rotten – The Avocado War, Netflix, Christine Haughney, Erin Cauchi, and Gretchen Goetz
Journalism Awards
The 2020 James Beard Foundation Journalism Awards were as follows: