The James Beard Awards announced their semifinalists earlier this week, including three honorees from Virginia. The Awards will be held on Monday, June 15 in Chicago.
Congratulations to the restaurants and chefs from Virginia who are represented among the 2026 James Beard Award semifinalists! Field and Main (Marshall, VA) was recognized in the "Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program" category, while Leah Branch (The Roosevelt, Richmond) and Tarik Sengul (Smyrna, Charlottesville) represented the Commonwealth in the "Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic" category.
The James Beard Foundation’s regional Best Chef Awards honor chefs in thirteen regions around the country, including the Mid-Atlantic, where Virginia is joined by Washington, D.C., Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.
From the list of semifinalists, five nominees will be announced on April 1, and winners will be announced June 15 at the 2026 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards in Chicago. As one of the culinary industry's most celebrated events, this annual ceremony honors the exceptional talent, innovation and dedication of chefs and restaurateurs from across the country.
Meet the semifinalists from Virginia below!
Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
Field & Main - Marshall, VA
Field & Main, located about an hour's drive west of Alexandria, in an area known for its local wineries, farm-to-table dining, historic buildings and hiking. Opened by Neal and Star Wavra in September of 2016, the farm-to-table dining connects guests with local farmers in the region. The cuisine is hearth-inspired, using local ingredients, with dishes cooked over a wood-burning hearth, and the restaurant is described as cozy, historic, romantic and family-friendly.
The eatery is known for its wine-pairing meals. In fact for a wine dinner last year, they hosted Winemaker of the Year Louisa Rose, who traveling in from the Barossa Valley in Australia, to showcase her celebrated wines specializing in Riesling and Shiraz.
Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)
Leah Branch, The Roosevelt - Richmond, VA
Chef Leah Branch is the talented executive chef at The Roosevelt in RIchmond, VA. A Chesterfield native, Leah has spent more than twenty years in the food industry and is a graduate of Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte. Her career has spanned roles as a baker, line cook, sous chef, and executive chef, with her cooking featured in Garden & Gun, Eater, and the Cooking Channel’s Sugar Showdown.
Leah is no stranger to accolades. Leah has been named one of Richmond Dining All-Stars in both 2022 and 2023 and was recognized as one of Richmond’s Top 40 Under 40 in 2023, and was also named a finalist for "Chef of the Year" at VRLTA's 2025 Ordinary Awards.
Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)
Tarik Sengul, Smyrna - Charlottesville, VA
Less than four years after arriving in Charlottesville to open Smyrna with his friend Orhum Dikmen, Sengul has earned recognition from the nation’s most prestigious culinary awards in his first year of eligibility.
At Smyrna, Sengul applies French classical training and Aegean flavors to Virginia ingredients to create a style of cuisine all his own. His excellence was immediately apparent to those in the know upon opening in 2022, as it became an instant chef favorite. Some foresaw Sengul’s success even earlier, like Christophe Bellanca, with whom Sengul worked at NYC’s L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon. An award-winning chef himself, Bellanca calls Sengul one of the best he has ever worked with, and “easily” worthy of a James Beard award. “No question,” Bellanca said.