There are several locals on the list of the coveted James Beard Award semifinalists for 2026 that was announced on Jan. 21.

Chai Pani Restaurant Group’s Meherwan Irani and Molly Irani, who oversee Chai Pani and Botiwalla, were named semifinalists in Outstanding Restaurateur.

In the Best Chef: Southeast category, two WNC chefs made the list. This group of semifinalists are from Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia.

Matt Dawes, of The Bull and Beggar in Asheville, and Taylor Montgomery, of Montgomery Sky Farm in Leicester, were named to this prestigious group.

The James Beard Awards® presented by Capital One represent the pinnacle of culinary recognition in the US. Since their inception in 1990, the Restaurant and Chef Awards have made icons out of the nation's top restaurant and bar professionals. Today, these semifinalists join a constellation of James Beard Award–recognized leaders who collectively embody the breadth of American culinary excellence.

Restaurant and Chef nominees will be announced on Tuesday, March 31, and winners will be celebrated at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards Ceremony on Monday, June 15, 2026 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

To view the complete list of semifinalists, check it out: https://www.jamesbeard.org/stories/james-beard-award-semifinalists-2026

Source: JamesBeard.org