Foodflash: 9 Hawai‘i Chefs and Eateries Are in the Running for 2026 James Beard Awards
Longtime restaurateur Peter Merriman leads the pack—and 6 of the 9 are first-time semifinalists.
Nine Hawai‘i chefs and restaurants are among just over 500 nationwide who are in the running for the 2026 James Beard Awards. Those named as semifinalists in a press release this morning by the New York-based James Beard Foundation include four nominated for national awards and five for Best Chef: Northwest & Pacific. In contrast with previous years, six of the nine are first-time semifinalists for the leading culinary awards in the U.S.
Hawai‘i’s 2026 semifinalists for national-level awards, all first-timers, are:
Outstanding Restaurateur: Peter Merriman—Merriman’s, Monkeypod Kitchen, Moku Kitchen and others, multiple islands
Emerging Chef: Bao Tran—Giovedì, Chinatown
Outstanding Bakery: The Local General Store, Kaimukī
SEE ALSO: The Local General Store Brings Meats and Sweets Under One Roof
Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker: Neale Asato, Asato Family Shop and Asatos Waikīkī, Downtown and Waikīkī
SEE ALSO: Asatos Waikīkī Debuts a Whimsical Three-Course Dessert Omakase Starting Today
In addition, five chefs on O‘ahu and Maui are semifinalists for Best Chef: Northwest & Pacific, a region that includes Alaska, Oregon, Washington and Hawai‘i:
- Michele Di Bari—Sale Pepe, Lahaina, Maui
- Ed Kenney—Mud Hen Water, Kaimukī
- Andrew Le—The Pig & the Lady, Kaimukī
- Sheldon Simeon—Tiffany’s Restaurant and Bar, Wailuku, Maui
- Yuya Yamanaka, Paris Hawai‘i, Kaka‘ako
Di Bari, chef and co-owner of a popular Italian restaurant that was destroyed in the Maui wildfires and rebuilt in a different location; and Yamanaka, chef of an haute cuisine prix-fixe eatery at Salt at Our Kaka‘ako, are first-time semifinalists. Kenney and Le have received multiple nods, and Simeon—perhaps Hawai‘i’s most recognized celebrity chef as a two-time fan favorite on Bravo TV’s Top Chef—made it to the finals in 2022.
Hawai‘i’s history of James Beard Awards dates back to 1993, when Roy Yamaguchi won the state’s first JBA recognition. He was followed by Alan Wong in 1996 and George Mavrothalassitis of Chef Mavro in 2003. Helena’s Hawaiian Food won an America’s Classics nod from the foundation in 2000. When Hawai‘i was grouped in the same geographic category as California, there was a long dry spell. Then the groupings were realigned and in fairly quick succession, Robynne Maii of Chinatown’s Fête won for Best Chef: Northwest & Pacific in 2022, followed the next year by Manago Hotel’s America’s Classics prize and Hawai‘i’s first national James Beard Award: Bar Leather Apron’s win for Outstanding Bar.
SEE ALSO: Foodflash: Fête’s Robynne Maii Wins Hawai‘i’s First James Beard Award in 19 Years
Those who move on to the next step of the selection process will be announced on March 31. From there, the James Beard Foundation will announce the 2026 winners at a restaurant and chef awards ceremony in Chicago on June 15.
Mari Taketa is editor of Frolic Hawai‘i and dining editor of HONOLULU Magazine.
