Two Philadelphia restaurants won James Beard Awards Monday night at the annual ceremony in Chicago.
Jesse Ito at Royal Sushi & Izakaya wins James Beard Award
Jesse Ito, the chef and owner of Royal Sushi & Izakaya in Philadelphia, won the Best Chef Award for the Mid-Atlantic region (Washington, D.C., Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia).
Ito beat out several other finalists to win the award, including Amanda Shulman at Her Place Supper Club and Omar Tate and Cybille St. Aude-Tate at Honeysuckle in Philadelphia.
“This is for the city of Philly — one of the best food cities in the country,” Ito said in his acceptance speech. “So honored to be a part of the community and to bring this home.”
Ito said his journey to becoming a James Beard Award-winning chef started at his parents’ restaurant in South Jersey 23 years ago…