James Beard chef nominees are out. See who in South MS made the list
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- James Beard Foundation announced 2026 Best Chef: South nominees; two from Mississippi.
- Austin Sumrall of White Pillars earned a third Best Chef: South nomination.
- Sumrall and Siren Social Club gained Michelin Guide and national recognition in 2025.
Nominees for the James Beard Foundation awards for the best restaurants and chefs in the country are out, and one chef in South Mississippi made the list.
Austin Sumrall, owner/chef at White Pillars in Biloxi was nominated for Best Chef South, which includes Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana and Puerto Rico.
The only other nominee from Mississippi is Hunter Evans at Elvie’s in Jackson, who is nominated in the same category.
The 2026 James Beard Awards Ceremonies will be handed out June 13-15 in Chicago.
In 2025, Tresse Sumrall and Austin Sumrall were nominees for best chefs in the South and Vestige in Ocean Springs was nominated for Outstanding Hospitality. Vestige was a finalist for best restaurant in the nation in 2024.
Sumrall posted on Facebook Wednesday that a year ago he was standing in a rare snowstorm in Biloxi when he found out he’s been nominated for the second time as Best Chef: South.
“It’s crazy to think this is how 2025 started,” he said. “Onward and upward for 2026.”
This third nomination caps off a year when he and his wife, Tresse Sumrall, made it into the inaugural Michelin Guide American South. Both of the Sumrall’s restaurants, White Pillars in Biloxi and Siren Social Club in Gulfport, are on the recommended list, along with Vestige in Ocean Springs.
Siren Social Club also was named to Southern Living’s top 20 best restaurants in the South this year, and in December Siren Social Club was only of only 33 places on the list of Esquire’s top new restaurants in the country for 2025.
