PHOENIX — Each year, the James Beard Foundation announces its winners in a variety of culinary categories, and a Phoenix restaurant brought home a major honor this year.
“Considered to be one of the nation’s most prestigious honors, the James Beard Awards® recognize exceptional talent in the culinary and food media industries, as well as a demonstrated commitment to equity, community, sustainability, and a culture where all can thrive. This year marks 35 years of the Awards, with the ceremonies commemorating the transformative role the Awards have played in recognizing culinary excellence and shaping the evolution of American food culture,” read the news release sent by the foundation to ABC15.
Downtown Phoenix’s restaurant, Lom Wong, was chosen as the winner of the 2025 James Beard Award for Best Chef — Southwest.
"Lom Wong is a family restaurant. We’re grateful to be recognized for doing something that comes from our hearts," said Alex Martin, co-owner of Lom Wong, in an email sent to ABC15 regarding their win.
The Southwest categories represent our region, which includes Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, and Oklahoma.
Before winning, the Valley restaurant expressed its gratitude for the prestigious nomination on social media with the following statement:
We are incredibly honored to be considered as a James Beard Finalist.
Lom Wong is a family restaurant that believes in community over self. There is more to food than what is put on the plate in front of you. This is reflected in how we run our kitchen and front of house as well as how we choose to honor and showcase our collective family across Thailand. We would not have the concept we have without Yotaka’s mother and family, Alex’s Thai grandma Won Pen, or the Moklen in Baan Taptawan. All of them have generously shared their expertise and passion with us for decades.
Running a restaurant is not as romantic as some think. Anybody who has done it knows that it’s not a reflection of one person. You can put a name on it, but Lom Wong will always be about the collective “we”. We operate at the level we do because of our team. They help us achieve our vision every day.
We also wouldn’t be where we’re at without the city of Phoenix. We started this as a popup in our living room and were welcomed with open arms by some of our favorite people in the food industry. We would not be here without people like Donny and the rest of the folks at Valentine, or LT and the Chilte team telling us that we were doing something special from the get go.
We’re grateful to be recognized and excited to see what happens with all of this - That being said, we feel as if we already won based on what is truly important to us.
Now we go eat dim sum.
IF YOU GO
- Address: 218 E Portland St in Phoenix
- Restaurant's hours of operation:
- Closed Monday and Tuesday
- Wednesday and Thursday: 5 p.m. – 10 p.m.
- Friday and Saturday: 5 p.m. – 11 p.m.
- Sunday: 5 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
This marks the second consecutive year a Phoenician has won the "Best Chef: Southwest" award, with chef Rene Andrade of Bacanora securing the title last year.
