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.

The Outstanding Restaurateur award was won by Dana Street, who owns Fore Street, Scales and other restaurants in Portland, Maine. The southern Thai eatery Kalaya, in Philadelphia, was named the Outstanding Restaurant. Adrian Torres of Maximo in West University Place, Texas, won the Emerging Chef award.

Immigrant Roots Honored

Torres, whose parents immigrated from Mexico, took the opportunity to highlight his immigrant roots, saying that for so long fear was their story. He expressed pride in being the son of illegal immigrants and a DACA recipient.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, a speaker at the event, pointed to the many illegal immigrants who work in the restaurant industry, and said they and others have been under siege by the President of the United States.

The James Beard Foundation, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary, puts a premium on discovery and on 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: KRDO (Colorado Springs metro) — read the source article.