The 2026 James Beard Award semifinalists were announced Wednesday morning, and Reyes Mezcaleria and Sparrow Wine Bar executive chef-partner Wendy Lopez has earned a nomination for Best Chef: South.
“Wow! Wow! This is crazy!,” said Lopez. “I’m shaking right now. My skin doesn’t feel like it’s on my body. I feel like I’m having an out-of-body experience!”
No other Orlando-area chefs, restaurants or restaurateurs were nominated, though Tony Elkhouri of Melbourne’s Cedar’s Cafe was nominated in the Best Chef: South category and Lakeland’s Born & Bread Bakehouse was nominated for Outstanding Bakery.
For Lopez, the nomination marks the culmination of nearly a quarter century of being in the kitchen.
“I started cooking when I was 14 years old with no goals other than to just learn,” the elated 37-year-old chef said. “I’m just so thankful to this industry for providing a home for me and to all the mentors who pushed me and taught me and gave me the opportunity.”
Lopez mentioned some of the important culinary figures in her life, notably Nora Galdiano, Russell Scott and Andreas Proisl. But she had particular praise for restaurateurs Jason and Sue Chin who operate both Reyes Mezcaleria and Sparrow Wine Bar under the Good Salt Restaurant Group banner.
“There are no words really to express my gratitude towards their endless trust and support. I just want to thank them for the opportunity to showcase my food and vision. These last five years have been about demonstrating what I’ve learned since the age of 14.”
For the Chins, who themselves were James Beard Award finalists last year for Outstanding Restaurateur, the news came as a welcome shock.
“As you can imagine, we are all freaking out for her!” adding that the path Lopez took to get to this moment really impressed them.
“We have had the pleasure of working with her for almost a decade now and the journey has been incredible through it all. It’s a given that you must know how to cook, but to be able to lead a team, take care of them, teach them, inspire them, to show them the heart it takes to be a chef, to rekindle the love for cooking in someone who may have lost it along the way, to be a counselor, a teacher and a mechanic, that’s what it takes and, without a doubt, Wendy is one of the greats,” says Jason.
So, what happens next?
Subcommittee members and judges of the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards voting body — comprised of food and beverage writers, critics, editors, book authors, media producers, food studies scholars and culinary instructors — will anonymously visit the nominated restaurants in their region and score each semifinalist on a number of criteria. The semifinalists with the highest average score will be announced as finalists on March 31.
Judges and subcommittee members will then 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 being announced as the winner.
More information on the voting process can be found at JamesBeard.org.
Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in Chicago on June 15.
