The James Beard Awards, often called the Oscars of the food world, announced its winners on Monday. The award for Best New Restaurant went to Lei, a winebar in New York’s Chinatown. Michael Tusk of Quince in San Francisco was named Outstanding Chef at the award ceremony, which took place at the historic Lyric Opera in Chicago before an audience of about 2,000 chefs, restaurant owners, and culinary figures.

Emerging Chef Award

Adrian Torres of Maximo in West University Place, Texas, won the Emerging Chef award. Torres, whose parents immigrated from Mexico, took the opportunity to highlight his immigrant roots, saying that for so long fear was our story. He expressed pride in being the son of illegal immigrants and a DACA recipient.

The James Beard Foundation, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary, puts a premium on discovery and American cuisine. The awards are considered both recognition and prediction of future success, with past winners citing a Beard bump following the announcements.

Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.