James Beard Awards Will Be Held In Chicago Next Year

It had been rumored for a while that the James Beard awards, which had previously always been held at Lincoln Center in New York, will be transferring to Chicago. The James Beard Foundation officially announced this morning that Chicago will be the 2015 new host of the prestigious James Beard awards, or the Oscars of the food world.

Next year's James Beard awards will be held on May 4th 2015 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and it will be the first time the awards have taken place outside New York, widely regarded as the culinary capital of America.

James Beard President Susan Ungaro made the announcement in collaboration with Mayor Rahm Emanuel, city of Chicago, Don Welsh, President and CEO of Choose Chicago, and Sam Toia, President and CEO of the Illinois Restaurant Association.

Joanna Fantozzi is an Associate Editor with The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @JoannaFantozzi