James Beard Foundation’s Taste America Brings Some of L.A.’s Best Chefs Together for Culinary Celebration | Just Jared

The James Beard Foundation brought some of Los Angeles’ most exciting culinary talent together for its latest Taste America celebration!

The annual culinary series made its Los Angeles stop at The LINE LA on Tuesday night (October 6), bringing together chefs, special guests and food lovers for a walk-around tasting celebrating the city’s independent restaurant community.

The evening was hosted by Anna Sonenshein and Niki Vahle of Little Fish Melrose Hill, who are members of the James Beard Foundation’s 2026-2027 TasteTwenty class, which recognizes chefs from 20 markets around the country who are helping shape the future of American dining.

Guests made their way through more than 10 food and beverage stations featuring signature dishes from some of L.A.’s standout independent restaurants.

The chef lineup included Jonathan Harris of Linden, Vaibhav Sawant of Fitoor, Rashida Holmes of Bridgetown Roti, Fátima Juárez of Komal, Ki Kim of Ki, Johnny Lee of RasaRumah, Charles Namba of Camélia, Rose Previte of Maydan LA, Misha Sesar and Cody Ma of Azizam, and Tyler Wells and Paul Downer of Betsy, alongside hosts Anna and Niki. The host committee was co-chaired by Caryl Chinn and Dawn McCoy and also included
Eileen Foliente of Mahjong Megachurch and Ye-Hui Goldenson of YYLPR.

The stand-out dishes of the night included Ki’s smoked lobster bibimbap, Linden’s duck fat fries and Fitoor’s Kashmiri Morel stuffed with Saffron-Quattro Formaggi Mousse and Poached Spiced Lotus Root.

Taste America travels to cities across the country throughout the year, bringing together local chefs and diners while supporting the James Beard Foundation’s work championing independent restaurants and the people behind them.

Next up, Taste America heads to Portland, Oregon, with the culinary series taking over Coopers Hall on Thursday, October 22. Tickets are available at JamesBeard.org!

Scroll through the gallery for photos from the James Beard Foundation’s Taste America Los Angeles event…

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Posted To:Food Ki Kim Los Angeles Mahjong