Northern California’s hospitality industry swept the James Beard Foundation’s 2026 Restaurant and Chef Awards announcement of semifinalists on Wednesday, with a whopping 23 semifinalists in 13 categories in the Bay Area and one in Auburn. Last year, the Bay Area pulled in 22 nominations; in 2024, it pulled 17 nominations.
The James Beard Foundation’s annual list, widely considered the Oscars of food and the biggest bragging right for a restaurant or hospitality professional, covers everything from beverage service to the best pastry chefs and new restaurants.
The Outstanding Restaurateur category featured a Bay Area heavyweight couple in Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski, who own the Anchovy Bar, the Progress and State Bird Provisions, which are all in San Francisco. Others that made the list include Srijith Gopinathan and Ayesha Thapar of Ettan in Palo Alto, Copra in San Francisco and Eylan in Menlo Park. Monique and Paul Feybesse of Oakland’s Tarts de Feybesse got a nod for Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker…