After facing questions about its new processes, the James Beard Foundation held its annual gala in Chicago on Monday.

The James Beard Awards revealed its 2023 winners, including groundbreaking firsts for the annual ceremony, often called the Oscars of the food world.

The San Francisco Bay Area had three finalists in the running for the country’s top culinary awards but came up empty when the James Beard Foundation medallions were bestowed on chefs, restaurateurs and others Monday evening in Chicago.

Big names in the culinary world took to the red carpet on Monday, and Chicago is well-represented in the finalists for the James Beards Awards. Virtue's Damarr Brown has won "Emerging Chef of the Year.

The results from the 2023 James Beard Foundation Awards honoring restaurants and chefs in the U.S. An Asheville restaurant was among the finalists.

The 2023 James Beard Awards are being presented tonight at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. But given all that has transpired over the past few weeks, it is easy to understand why many of us here in Alabama who follow such things may have lost interest in this year’s restaurant and chef awards.