Western NC chef wins Best Chef: Southeast James Beard Award

Taylor Montgomery, co-founder and executive chef of Montgomery Sky Farm in Leicester, North Carolina, won the 2026 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southeast. The award was announced at the James Beard Foundation’s annual ceremony held June 15 at Chicago’s Lyric Opera, recognizing Montgomery’s contributions to the culinary arts and sustainability. Montgomery Sky Farm, located about 20 minutes northwest of Asheville, operates as a regenerative farm with a dining program centered on seasonal harvests and heirloom ingredients. The farm also hosts weekend produce markets and supports Final Run Rescue, a nonprofit animal rescue. Montgomery, who left traditional restaurants two years ago, expressed gratitude for the recognition of their small-town farming operation. This marks the fourth James Beard Award for Western North Carolina. In 2022, Chai Pani won Outstanding Restaurant, and Cúrate earned Outstanding Hospitality. Ashleigh Shanti, chef and owner of Good Hot Fish, won a James Beard Media Award in 2025 for her cookbook *Our South: Black Food Through My Lens*. Montgomery Sky Farm was also a finalist for a James Beard Media Award for *The Soil Remembers*, a documentary about the farm’s family history and outreach efforts. The film, directed by Rioin Oshiro, was nominated in the Documentary Visual Media category but did not win. The James Beard Awards, often called the ‘Oscars of the food world,’ have recognized culinary excellence since 1991, emphasizing equity, community, and sustainability. This year, two other Western North Carolina nominees—Meherwan and Molly Irani of the Chai Pani Restaurant Group—were in the running for Outstanding Restaurateur but did not win.