Industry leaders from across the country attended the highly anticipated James Beard Awards ceremony and gala, whose theme this year was “Rise,” celebrating the collective spirit of the culinary community and the power of food. In keeping with the theme, the nearly 30 gala reception chefs consisted mostly of former James Beard Foundation Chefs Boot Camp for Policy and Change participants. Their thoughtful dishes fed the nearly 2,000 attendees at this year’s Awards gala. For more information, please visit jamesbeard.org.

Chicago magazine was a proud media sponsor of the 2018 James Beard Awards.