James Beard-Recognized Chefs in Palm Beach County: Where to Dine

James Beard recognition has touched several corners of Palm Beach County dining. Some chefs were named for the very restaurants where they still cook; others now lead a different local kitchen. From Palm Beach and West Palm Beach to Lake Worth Beach and Palm Beach Gardens, their work spans French-inspired dining, Ethiopian cooking, barbecue, Indian flavors and contemporary American menus. The distinctions belong to the people named by the James Beard Foundation, and they span multiple award years.

On Palm Beach island, Café Boulud Palm Beach is part of chef and restaurateur Daniel Boulud's restaurant portfolio. At The Brazilian Court, the dining room brings his French-inspired approach to the island. Boulud won the Foundation's Outstanding Chef award in 1994 and Outstanding Restaurateur award in 2006. Those awards recognize Boulud's work, not Café Boulud Palm Beach as an individual restaurant.

Nearby, Buccan has a more direct local connection to its chef's recognition. Clay Conley, a founding partner of the Palm Beach restaurant, has been a Best Chef: South semifinalist seven times, most recently in 2024. Buccan was the restaurant named in those official records. Its contemporary American menu is built around shareable small plates with influences from several culinary traditions. Conley's other local concepts are part of his wider work, but Buccan remains the clearest place to anchor this James Beard story.

In West Palm Beach, Tropical Smokehouse brings a different set of flavors to the conversation. Chef and pitmaster Rick Mace was named a 2023 Best Chef: South semifinalist at the West Palm Beach restaurant. His Florida-influenced barbecue has since expanded to a Delray Beach location, but the Foundation's listing named the original West Palm Beach smokehouse. This is the location tied directly to that recognition.

The same 2023 list included Lojo Washington at Queen of Sheeba. Her West Palm Beach restaurant serves Ethiopian cooking built around carefully prepared spices. Washington's Best Chef: South semifinalist recognition was tied directly to Queen of Sheeba. The restaurant is currently closed for the summer; as of publication, its website has not announced a reopening date. Readers should check its current status before planning a visit.

Farther south in Lake Worth Beach, Oceano is still led by Jeremy and Cindy Bearman. The two chefs were named together as 2023 Best Chef: South semifinalists when Oceano was in Lantana. The restaurant later moved to Lucerne Avenue in Lake Worth Beach, where its seasonal contemporary American cooking continues under their direction. The address has changed, but diners are visiting the same restaurant and the same chef team connected to the Foundation's recognition.

Palm Beach Gardens offers two different looks at Pushkar Marathe's cooking. The Foundation named him a 2023 Best Chef: South semifinalist at Stage Kitchen & Bar, where his small plates bring Indian flavors into conversation with other culinary traditions. He also co-founded Ela Curry & Cocktails, which turns its attention more closely to regional Indian cooking. Stage was the restaurant in Marathe's James Beard listing; Ela is another current place to experience his work.

At PGA National Resort, two more chefs with earlier James Beard recognition lead distinct restaurants. Lindsay Autry was a Best Chef: South semifinalist in 2018, 2019 and 2020 while at The Regional in West Palm Beach. She now leads Honeybelle, a seasonal American restaurant with the feel of a South Florida beach café. Jeremy Ford was a 2022 Best Chef: South semifinalist while at Stubborn Seed in Miami Beach. He is now identified by the resort as executive chef of The Butcher's Club, its Palm Beach Gardens steakhouse. Honeybelle and The Butcher's Club are current connections to those chefs; their James Beard semifinalist listings named the earlier restaurants.

Across the county, the range is tangible: small plates on Palm Beach island, Florida-influenced barbecue in West Palm Beach, a seasonal kitchen in Lake Worth Beach and different approaches to Indian cooking in Palm Beach Gardens. The chefs' paths have changed over the years, but each restaurant gives diners a particular place to encounter their work today.