
The James Beard Awards gala returned to Chicago on Monday night, with plenty of black-tie glitz and glamour after a pandemic-forced two-year hiatus and time spent by the James Beard Foundation re-examining the issues of diversity and inclusion among the awards process.
Considered to be the Oscars of the culinary industry, the coveted awards each year honor the nation’s best chefs, restaurants, restaurateurs, mixologists, bakers, cookbook authors, food writers and more.