On Tuesday, the James Beard Foundation released its list of finalists for the 2026 James Beard Awards. Two restaurants in the Asheville area — and the only ones in North Carolina — made the cut: Chai Pani Restaurant Group for Outstanding Restaurateur, and Taylor Montgomery of Montgomery Sky Farm for Best Chef: Southeast.
Chai Pani, and its owner/chef Meherwan Irani, have been nominated for various James Beard awards more than five times. In 2022, it earned the award for Outstanding Restaurant. The Outstanding Restaurateur award honors a team with at least seven years of industry experience, who demonstrates a commitment to creativity, integrity and community.
Irani, in partnership with his wife Molly Irani, opened the first Chai Pani location at a small space off downtown Asheville’s Wall Street in 2009. Since those early days, the business has grown into a significant operation, helping popularize Indian street food dishes, such as chaat, vada pav and uttapam, throughout the American South.
In 2024, Chai Pani moved from its original location on Wall Street to a 10,000-square foot building on the South Slope. Even after tripling its size, people still routinely wait up to an hour for a table. The Iranis have also opened two additional, fast-casual eateries under the name Botiwalla in Asheville, as well as a Chai Pani location in DC and Atlanta.
Best Chef nominee Taylor Montgomery, on the other hand, is a total newcomer to the James Beard Awards. Formerly the head chef of Urban Wren in Greenville, SC, Montgomery now runs a unique business model at his 50-acre farm with rolling fields of produce in Leicester. The farm is also is home to rescue pigs, capybara and Scottish Highland cattle.
While Montgomery Sky Farm doesn’t run a routine dinner service, it does offer bi-monthly ticketed group dinners and private dining experiences. Meals are typically served as a seasonal five-course tasting menu, featuring dishes directly sourced and inspired by the bounty of the farm.
Chef Matt Dawes of Asheville’s Bull and Beggar received a semi-finalist nomination for Best Chef: Southeast, but did not make it any further.
Other past James Beard winners and nominees include:
- Cúrate Bar de Tapas, 2022 Winner: Outstanding Hospitality.
- Ashleigh Shanti/Good Hot Fish, 2025 Winner: Media Award for her cookbook "Our South: Black Food Through My Lens.”
- Neng Jr.'s/Silver Iocavazzi, 2023 Finalist, 2025 Finalist: Best Chef: Southeast.
- The Market Place, 2024 Semifinalist: Outstanding Restaurant.
- Plant/Jason Sellers, 2024 Semifinalist: Best Chef: Southeast.
- OWL Bakery/Susannah Gebhart, 2022 Semifinalist: Outstanding Baker.
- Benne on Eagle/Cleophus Hethington, 2022 Semifinalist: Emerging Chef.
The James Beard Foundation will announce winners in mid-June. See the full list of nominees.
