Courtesy of Penelope Wong
Audio By Carbonatix
“Holy shit. Holy shit, I beat Johnny Curiel!”
Those were the first words out of chef Penelope Wong’s mouth after taking the stage to accept her award for Best Chef: Mountain at this year’s James Beard Awards ceremony, held June 15 at Chicago’s Lyric Opera.
The raw reaction, uttered after she walked through the audience with visible emotion, drew both laughter and applause from the crowd: all fellow chefs and restaurant professionals from across the country there to celebrate the industry’s biggest night and highest honors.
This was Wong’s third time reaching the finalist stage for the award, and her first win. It was also the first time an Asian woman representing the state has won. While Colorado has been well represented in the Best Chef: Mountain category before, this year was particularly exciting because this state had two chefs up for the prize.
Wong was competing against Johnny Curiel in his role as chef of his flagship restaurant Alma Fonda Fina, which has already won a Michelin star. The Curiel empire today includes Mezcaleria Alma (also a Michelin star winner), Cozobi Fonda Fina, Alteño and Mar Bella Wine Bar, as well as the tasting-menu concept Milpero, which is almost certainly destined for at least one (if not two) stars as well.
With momentum like that, Wong’s reaction is easy to understand. She started Yuan Wonton as a food truck before moving it into its brick-and-mortar Park Hill location in September 2023, earning a spot on our list of People to Watch in 2023. Wong and her team have gained a loyal following for their innovative takes on dumplings and other Asian comfort food, blending traditional techniques with modern flavor profiles that reflect her life as a first-generation Asian American.
Most recently, Wong was selected to create a custom menu for the United Airlines chef-driven meal program developed between the airline and the Netflix series “Chef’s Table.”
The James Beard awards are dubbed the Oscars of the food world. And like the Oscars, the ceremony has no shortage of speeches from both winners and presenters giving vocal and forceful support for people working at all levels of the hospitality business. Wong’s speech was no exception.
“It’s a funny thing when you think about the difference between a goal and a dream,” she said at the ceremony. “The goal was to create this passion project that is Yuan Wonton to create a space where we’re cooking to remember, to immortalize, the flavors that come from childhood that made us who we are to create a space in which we’re here to cook to share these beautiful moments in our lives and to do what we do to share meals with strangers, building relationships and strengthening community at its core.
“This is the fundamental, basic principle of humanity,” she continued. “And now, more than ever, humanity must be cherished. To be honest, this was never the dream. But to be up here, to be given this platform to be recognized for wanting to achieve some rather simple goals in the grand scheme of things amongst all of the incredible talent in this room, chefs and humans that I have looked up to. This is most definitely a dream come true.”
When the 2026 James Beard Award semifinalists were announced in January, it looked like this could be a big year for Colorado. The list boasted the highest number of Colorado nominees ever, at 17 across 11 categories.
While that got whittled down to five for the finalists, Colorado still had a significant showing. Along with Wong and Curiel for Best Chef: Mountain, Ryan Fletter of Barolo Grill was nominated for Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service, Yacht Club’s McLain Hedges and Mary Allison Wright for Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service, and Josh Niernberg of Bin 707 Foodbar in Grand Junction for Outstanding Chef.
The state has shown well in the regional Best Chef category over the years. In 2020, the James Beard Awards categories moved Colorado from the Southwest region to the new Mountain region along with Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming.
Other Colorado chefs who have taken home the regional Best Chef award include
- 2024 Matt Vawter, Rootstalk: Best Chef Mountain
- 2022 Caroline Glover, Annette: Best Chef Mountain
- 2018 Alex Seidel, Mercantile: Best Chef Southwest
- 2013 Jennifer Jasinski, Rioja: Best Chef Southwest
- 2008 Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson, Frasca: Best Chef Southwest
Over the last few years, Colorado has gained additional momentum, with Frasca Food and Wine winning the national prize of Outstanding Restaurant last year (a followup to the restaurant’s 2019 win for Outstanding Service), and Kelly and Erika Whitaker of Id Est Hospitality taking home the equally prestigious Outstanding Restaurateur in 2024.
“Thank you to my incredible team for so passionately wanting to pursue these goals with me, and for just working their asses off simply, literally every single minute of every single day,” said Wong at the 2026 awards. “And to my parents and grandparents for giving me the most delicious childhood that anyone could ever ask for. I cook for you, I cook to remember you, and I cook to remember all of those precious memories with you. And thank you to the foundation for continuing to uplift the diversity that is now our American food culture. Thank you to all of our incredible guests who carve out time to share a meal with us and who understand the importance of supporting independent restaurants. We need you now more than ever.”
