The prestigious James Beard Foundation Awards were handed out Monday night in Chicago, Illinois, and a D.C. chef took home a top honor.
In the category of best chef in the mid-Atlantic, the winner proved to be Carlos Delgado, of Northwest D.C.’s Causa and Amazonia.
“I just want to thank my whole team, everybody that believes in us, that believed in us since day one,” Delgado told the crowd gathered at the Lyric Opera House.
Delgado was born and raised in Lima, Peru, under the watchful eye of his grandmother.
“This whole thing is an immigrant dream, immigrant story. I’m an immigrant myself,” he said, crediting his grandmother for his success. “This is a dream of mine since I was a little kid. My grandmother taught me how to cook — that’s all I know.”
Delgado previously won a James Beard Award for best new restaurant two years ago.
Another regional winner for the outstanding wine and other beverages program went to Charleston, an eatery based in Baltimore, Maryland.
The awards were streamed on Eater.com.
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