Kate Loftesness

a chef stands in a small open kitchen a chef stands in a small open kitchen
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James Beard Award-winner Gabriel Rucker in the tiny open kitchen at Le Pigeon.

James Beard Award-Winning Chefs

Portland's most decorated chefs cook up a lot of attention and some seriously awesome eats.

4 min read

Kate Loftesness

The James Beard Awards, named for the eccentric, Portland-born chef who revolutionized the American dining scene in the 20th century, are the nation’s highest annual* culinary honor. With such a talked-about and delicious food scene, it’s no surprise that Portland chefs have racked up a few James Beard Awards over the years.

Recent James Beard Winners in Portland

Here are some of the most notable chefs recently bestowed with the honor:

Joshua McFadden

Book: Vegetable-Focused Cooking – 2018

After earning a Best Chef: Northwest nomination in 2017, the Ava Gene’s chef picked up a 2018 prize for his cookbook, Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables, which features 225 recipes that promise to “coax the best from vegetables at each stage of their lives.”

In a brightly lit kitchen, a man wearing , blue gloves, an apron and a baseball cap mixes ingredients inside a metallic bowl.
Chef Joshua McFadden (Ava Gene’s) prepares a meal at the Feast Portland festival in 2018.
Credit: David Alvarado

Know Before You Go

Ava Gene’s is temporarily closed for renovations, along with Cicoria, their next-door pizzeria. Check in with their Instagram before making plans.

Greg Denton and Gabrielle Quiñónez Denton

Best Chef: Northwest – 2017

The married chef-owners at OX Restaurant took home the top regional honors in 2017 after earning nominations the previous three years. Sample their wood-fired, Argentinian-inspired cooking at OX.

Two people stand in front of an interior brick wall smiling.
Gabrielle Quiñónez Denton and Greg Denton inside their restaurant, OX.

Naomi Pomeroy

Best Chef: Northwest – 2014

Legendary chef and local celebrity Naomi Pomery won Best Chef: Northwest in 2014 after being nominated in 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013. Beast, the restaurant that brought her so much acclaim, has closed. Still, you can enjoy cocktails and Burmese-inspired fare at her other Beard Award-nominated (in 2020 for Outstanding Bar Program) establishment, Expatriate.

A chef greets another chef at the counter of her restaurant, Güero.
Chef Megan Sanchez (left) greets chef Naomi Pomeroy (right) at Sanchez’s restaurant, Güero, in Southeast Portland.
Credit: Bon Appétit

Gabriel Rucker

Best Chef: Northwest – 2013

The Best Chef: Northwest winner in 2013 gained recognition for his unique and adventurous take on French cuisine at the eastside’s Le Pigeon. Additionally, Rucker won Rising Star Chef of the Year in 2011 after being nominated four times. You can find some of his James Beard Award-worthy food recipes in his 2013 cookbook, Le Pigeon: Cooking at the Dirty Bird.

If you can’t find a seat at Le Pigeon, you might want to try your luck at Canard, his casual wine bar serving a more playful menu.

A man is sitting in a stylish restaurant booth, holding an espresso and smiling.
James Beard Award-winning chef Gabriel Rucker in 2018, sitting in Canard, his café by day and wine bar by night, located next door to his acclaimed restaurant Le Pigeon.
Credit: Stuart Mullenberg

Ken Forkish

Baking & Dessert Cookbook – 2013

Rounding out Portland’s most-recognized chefs is pastry virtuoso Ken Forkish, who was an Outstanding Pastry Chef nominee in 2011 and 2013, and won in 2013 for his cookbook Flour, Water, Salt, Yeast. Get your fill of his baked goods at Ken’s Artisan Bakery and Ken’s Artisan Pizza.

Greg Higgins

Best Chef: Northwest – 2002

This pioneer of whole-hog cooking and farm-to-table dining in Portland was one of the first Portland chefs to garner national attention when he won the Beard Award in 2002. Enjoy his still-stellar cuisine at the eponymous Higgins Restaurant downtown.

*Out of respect for the struggling food service industry during the pandemic, the awards halted in 2020 (no winners announced) and 2021 (no nominees announced).

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Notable James Beard Award Nominees in Portland

Here are some more of Portland’s Beard Award-nominated chefs and where to eat their food:

Thomas Pisha-Duffly

Best Chef Northwest nominee (finalist) – 2022
Best New Restaurant nominee (finalist) – 2020

Akkapong “Earl” Ninsom

Outstanding Restaurateur nominee (finalist) – 2022
Best New Restaurant nominee (finalist) – 2020

Carlo Lamagna

Best Chef Northwest nominee (finalist) – 2022

Vince Nguyen

Best Chef Northwest nominee (finalist) – 2022

Thuy Pham

Emerging Chef nominee (semifinalist) – 2022

Lauro Romero, Olivia Bartruff and Roberto Torres

Best New Restaurant nominee (semifinalist) – 2022

Katy Millard

Outstanding Hospitality nominee (semifinalist) – 2022
Best Chef: Northwest nominee (finalist) – 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
Best New Restaurant nominee (semifinalist) – 2016

Peter Cho

Best Chef Northwest nominee (finalist) – 2020
Best Chef Northwest nominee (finalist) – 2019
Best New Restaurant nominee (semifinalist) – 2017

Justin Woodward

Best Chef: Northwest nominee (finalist) – 2017, 2018, 2019

Bonnie Morales

Best Chef: Northwest nominee (finalist)– 2018

Gregory Gourdet

Best Chef: Northwest nominee (finalist) – 2018

Narumol (Nong) Poonsukwattana

Best Chef: Northwest nominee – 2018

Sarah Minnick

Best Chef: Northwest (semifinalist) – 2018

Ha (Christina) Luu

Best Chef: Northwest nominee (semifinalist) – 2017, 2018

Kristen D. Murray

Outstanding Pastry Chef nominee – 2017, 2018

Cathy Whims

Best Chef: Northwest nominee (finalist) – 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

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