Chef at Los Angeles Michelin-starred named California’s best at ‘Oscars of food’

Chef Jon Yao of Los Angeles’s Michelin-starred tasting menu restaurant Kato took the title of best in California at this year’s James Beard Awards, also known as “the Oscars of food.” 

The award marks Yao’s first James Beard award and the only award Los Angeles brought home this year.

Kato, now located in the Arts District, first opened in 2016 in West LA. The menu, a constantly evolving 12-course tasting menu, is inspired by Yao’s Taiwanese roots and upbringing in the San Gabriel Valley.

Even before the latest recognition from the James Beard Foundation, food critics were enthralled by the restaurant. Kato has topped the L.A. Times 101 Best Restaurants List for the past two years and earned a Michelin star in 2022.

Los Angeles Times restaurant critic Bill Addison and food columnist Jenn Harris noted that “there is arguably no more ambitious chef in the city than Yao” in the latest 101 Best Restaurants List.

During his acceptance speech at the James Beard Awards, Yao thanked past and present members of the Kato team and paid tribute to Los Angeles and its immigrant community.

Aside from Yao and Kato, Gusto Bread, an artisanal bakery in Long Beach, and Tobin Shea, the bar director at Redbird Los Angeles, were also nominated for awards this year.

The James Beard Awards are among the most prestigious awards in the food and hospitality industry.