There have been many James Beard Foundation Award winners over the years, across a wide range of categories that recognize excellence in the culinary arts. These categories include:
- Best Chef
- Outstanding Chef
- Rising Star Chef
- Outstanding Restaurant
- Outstanding Bar Program
- Outstanding Baker
- Outstanding Pastry Chef
- Outstanding Service
- Outstanding Wine Program
- Outstanding Wine, Beer, or Spirits Professional
- Outstanding Restaurant Design
- Outstanding Restaurant Graphics
In addition to these categories, the James Beard Foundation also gives awards for journalism, broadcasting, and food-related books.
Some notable James Beard Foundation Award winners over the years include:
- Julia Child (Outstanding Chef, 1995)
- Alice Waters (Outstanding Chef, 1998)
- Thomas Keller (Outstanding Chef, 2003)
- Daniel Boulud (Outstanding Chef, 2006)
- Grant Achatz (Best Chef, Midwest, 2007)
- David Chang (Rising Star Chef, 2006; Best Chef, New York City, 2009)
- Christina Tosi (Outstanding Pastry Chef, 2015)
- Nancy Silverton (Outstanding Chef, 2014; Outstanding Baker, 2018)
- Dominique Crenn (Best Chef, West, 2016; Outstanding Chef, 2019)
- Aska (Best New Restaurant, 2015)
- Saison (Outstanding Restaurant, 2018)
- Eleven Madison Park (Outstanding Restaurant, 2017; Outstanding Service, 2018)
- Zingerman's (Outstanding Service, 2017)
This list is just a small sampling of the many talented chefs and restaurants that have been recognized by the James Beard Foundation over the years.