Seattle's James Beard drought continues

Seattle's James Beard drought continues

Seattle has been snubbed in the James Beard Awards — again.

Why it matters: The awards are considered the food industry's highest honor — the Oscars of the culinary world.

  • The last time a Seattle chef or restaurant won was in 2020.

    • Catch up quick: Two Seattle chefs — Johnny Courtney of Atoma and Aaron Tekulve of Surrell — were nominated for Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific.

  • The regional award, which covers Hawaii, Alaska, Oregon and Washington, ended up going to Ryan Roadhouse of Portland's Nodoguro.
  • The winners were announced Monday night.

    • Context: Atoma, which opened in Wallingford in 2023, is known for creative dishes like its rosettes (a fried cookie filled with creamy cheese and onion jam) and playful takes on baked Alaska (a classic dessert).

  • Surrell, a restaurant in Madison Park, serves up multicourse tasting menus focused on Northwest ingredients.

    • More than a dozen other semifinalists from Seattle and Washington state also got knocked out of the competition earlier this year.

    What's next: There's always 2027.