Where Food Meets Fashion at The James Beard Awards 2026

On Monday night, hundreds of culinary professionals from across the country gathered at Lyric Opera of Chicago to celebrate this year’s nominees for the Restaurant and Chef Awards, and the looks didn’t disappoint. While most chefs took the red carpet as an opportunity to trade their whites for black tie, others dressed for the occasion, featuring everything from their parents’ vintage suits to a custom dress made of potato chip bags. Sustainability was the unsung hero this year, with some chefs reconstructing their outfits from extra denim they had lying around or borrowing gowns from their favorite brands.

And the star of the red carpet? The looks we obsessed over had elements of embellishment and flair, and accessories were front and center, from magnetic nail art to brooches resembling your favorite gallery wall. We also saw everything from vegetable charms to spaghetti box bags… Oh, and did we mention chip bags?

See below some of our favorite looks.