Where Food Meets Fashion at The James Beard Awards 2026

On Monday night, hundreds of culinary professionals from across the country gathered at Lyric Opera of Chicago to celebrate this year’s nominees for the Restaurant and Chef Awards, and the looks didn’t disappoint. While most chefs took the red carpet as an opportunity to trade their whites for black tie, others dressed for the occasion, featuring everything from their parents’ vintage suits to a custom dress made of potato chip bags. Sustainability was the unsung hero this year, with some chefs reconstructing their outfits from extra denim they had lying around or borrowing gowns from their favorite brands.

And the star of the red carpet? The looks we obsessed over had elements of embellishment and flair, and accessories were front and center, from magnetic nail art to brooches resembling your favorite gallery wall. We also saw everything from vegetable charms to spaghetti box bags… Oh, and did we mention chip bags?

See below some of our favorite looks.

Tahiirah Habibi

The Hue Society, Founder

Laura Gardner

Local Style Chips, Founder

Vinnie Cimino

Nominee for Best Chef: Great Lakes

Ope Amosu

ChòpnBlọk, Owner

Jeff Chanchaleune

Nominee for Best Chef: Southwest

Amanda Shulman

Nominee for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic

Serigne Mbaye (left) and Afua “Effie” Richardson

Mbaye, Winner of Best Chef: South, and Richardson, co-owner of Dakar Nola

Nancy Silverton

Winner of Lifetime Achievement Award

Jason Paul (left) and Danielle Marie Ribaudo

Nominee for Best Chef: South

June Rodil

Nominee for Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service

E.J. Lagasse

Nominee for Emerging Chef presented by S.Pellegrino® Sparkling Natural Mineral Water

Bailey Sullivan

Nominee for Emerging Chef presented by S.Pellegrino® Sparkling Natural Mineral Water

Gregory Gourdet

Kann, Owner