The James Beard American Classics Awards were announced Feb. 28 in anticipation of the Restaurant and Chef Awards given out June 10, 2024 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
According to the James Beard Foundation, the 2024 America’s Classics Award presented by HEINZ is “given to locally owned restaurants that serve quality food, have timeless appeal and reflect the character of their communities.” More than 100 restaurants across the country have received the award since the category was introduced in 1998.
“On behalf of the James Beard Foundation, I extend heartfelt congratulations to this year’s America’s Classics winners—national treasures of timeless appeal that reflect the richness and diversity of our country’s food culture,” said Clare Reichenbach, CEO of the James Beard Foundation. “As cornerstones of our communities, we are honored to recognize your long dedication and contribution to our industry. Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition.”
The 2024 James Beard Foundation America’s Classics Award presented by HEINZ winners are:
America’s Classics: California
Mandalay
San Francisco, CA
Current Owner: Kevin Chen
America’s Classics: Mid-Atlantic
Vietnam Restaurant
Philadelphia, PA
Current Owner: Benny Lai
America’s Classics: New York State
Sylvia’s Restaurant
New York, NY
Current Owners: The Woods Family
America’s Classics: Southeast
Wade’s Restaurant
Spartanburg, SC
Current Owners: Hamp Lindsey, Wade Lindsey III, and Anna Lindsey Liles
America’s Classics: Southwest
Peppermill Restaurant and Fireside Lounge
Las Vegas, NV
Current Owners: Nat Carasali and Bill Paganetti (†)
The winners also include Pheasant Restaurant and Lounge for America’s Classics: Midwest. I’m using the following Foundation note as an example of how the American Classics Winners are described.
Pheasant Restaurant and Lounge
Brookings, SD
Current Owner: Georgiana Olson and Michael Johnson
A colorful eight-foot bird sculpture welcomes diners to the Pheasant Restaurant and Lounge, the oldest full-service restaurant in Brookings, South Dakota. Family-run for three generations, the Pheasant was born in 1949 as a gas station café. Current chef and manager Michael Johnson’s grandparents, Georgiana and Ronald Olson, purchased the Pheasant in 1966 and ran it concurrently with a pizzeria in Madison, South Dakota, before moving to Brookings, a college town north of Sioux Falls in eastern South Dakota. The menu is full of iconic mid-century dishes of the upper Midwest, like hot roast beef on homemade white bread with mashed potatoes and gravy; Nordic waffles (vafler) made with cardamom and folded around smoked salmon or gjetost; classics, like chef salad, spätzle, and liver and onions; and riffs on comfort food like duck wings,
Other award announcements are coming in April and June.
Achievement Awards Honorees (Lifetime Achievement, Humanitarian of the Year, and Leadership Awards) announced live at Waldorf Astoria Washington DC, April 30, 2024. The 2024 Awards ceremonies will be held in the host city of Chicago on the following dates: Saturday, June 8, 2024: Media Awards at Columbia College Chicago Student Center; Sunday, June 9, 2024: Leadership Awards at The Dalcy; Monday, June 10, 2024: Restaurant and Chef Awards at The Lyric Opera.
