Jason and Sue Chin's Good Salt Restaurant Group, and Ômo by Jônt, named 2025 James Beard Award Finalists

Exciting news for Orlando's dining scene as for the first time, Orlando will send two finalists to the awards ceremony in Chicago

The James Beard Foundations has announced the 2025 Restaurant and Chef Award nominees for this year's James Beard Awards, and it's very good news for Orlando!

Celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, the James Beard Awards is the nation's foremost culinary honor, with Orlando producing two finalists in this year's awards nominees.

First up is Jason and Sue Chin of Good Salt Restaurant Group (Seito Sushi, Reyes Mezcaleria, The Osprey, and others), who have been named a James Beard Award finalists in the Outstanding Restaurateur category, the first time that any Orlando restauranteur has been nominated in this category.

Next up is Chef Ryan Ratino's Ômo by Jônt which has been named a finalist in the Best New Restaurant category.

This latest honor for Orlando's dining scene follows the 2024 awards, when Kaya was named a finalist in the Best New Restaurant category, which was the first time ever that any Orlando restaurant or restaurateur had been named in a national category.

Discover the latest food and drink news from throughout Central Florida here.

Winners will be revealed at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony on Monday, June 16 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

In the run-up to the award ceremony, the judges and subcommittee members dine at the restaurants of the finalists, participate in committee-led discussions regarding their dining experiences, then vote, with the top-scoring nominee per category announced as the winner at the ceremony in Chicago.

Established in 1990 with the first awards given in 1991, the James Beard Awards are among the nation’s most prestigious honors. All James Beard Award winners receive a certificate and a medallion engraved with the James Beard Awards insignia.

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