Two Auburn chefs represent the capital region as James Beard Award semifinalists
After a dry year in 2025 — where no Sacramento-area restaurants or chefs were in line for the highest food award in the nation — the prestigious culinary foundation has nominated two chefs out of Auburn for an award.
Eric Alexander and Courtney McDonald are the only semifinalists representing the Sacramento area at the 2026 James Beard Awards.
The husband-and-wife team lead Restaurant Josephine, a French and Eastern European eatery at 1226 Lincoln Way in Auburn. The restaurant focuses on seasonal fare, featuring a variety of locally-sourced ingredients in its ever-changing menu.
According to Restaurant Josephine’s website, Alexander’s great-grandmother — an immigrant from Lithuania — is at the restaurant’s core. Its logo features her signature and its paper-cut chicken mascot honors the Eastern European craft tradition, while flavors from the region slip into most of the French bistro-inspired menu offerings.
McDonald is native to Auburn, growing up on a small farm in the region, while Alexander was raised in upstate New York. The pair met in culinary school in New York, and found their way back to the Northern California foothills after working in fine dining kitchens across the country.
According to the restaurant’s website, McDonald and Alexander now live on a 5-acre farm near Auburn, raising lambs, growing native crops and parenting their daughter, Josie. Prior to running Restaurant Josephine, the duo worked in various roles at the since-closed Carpe Vino in Auburn for more than a decade.
Restaurant and chef finalists will be announced on March 31 and award winners will be presented on June 15 at a ceremony in Chicago, according to the James Beard Foundation.
2026 James Beard Award semifinalists in California
Though Sacramento was not present in any of the national categories, Californian chefs, restaurants and beverage directors across the Golden State are in the running for a 2026 James Beard Award.
Here are all the semifinalists from California:
Outstanding Restaurateur
- Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski, Atomic Workshop (The Anchovy Bar, The Progress and State Bird Provisions), San Francisco
- Holly Fox and Adam Weisblatt, Last Word Hospitality (Found Oyster, Rasarumah and The Copper Room), Los Angeles
- Srijith Gopinathan and Ayesha Thapar (Ettan, Copra and Eylan) Palo Alto, San Francisco, Los Altos and Menlo Park
Outstanding Chef
- Gilberto Cetina, Holbox, Los Angeles
- Niki Nakayama, n/naka, Los Angeles
- Michael Tusk, Quince, San Francisco
Outstanding Restaurant
- Antico Nuovo, Los Angeles
- Foreign Cinema, San Francisco
Emerging Chef
- Steve Joo, Joodooboo, Oakland
- Fátima Juárez, Komal, Los Angeles
- José Olmedo Carles Rojas, Si! Mon, Venice
Best New Restaurant
- The Happy Crane, San Francisco
- Ki, Los Angeles
- RVR, Venice
Outstanding Bakery
- Gusto Bread, Long Beach
Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker
- Monique Feybesse and Paul Feybesse, Tarts de Feybesse, Oakland
- Hannah Ziskin, Quarter Sheets, Los Angeles
Outstanding Hospitality
- Ammatoli, Long Beach
- House of Prime Rib, San Francisco
- Providence, Los Angeles
Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
- Caruso’s, Montecito
- Kato, Los Angeles
- The Progress, San Francisco
Outstanding Bar
- Realm of the 52 Remedies, San Diego
- Smuggler’s Cove, San Francisco
Best New Bar
- Daisy, Los Angeles
- The Valley Club, San Francisco
Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service
- Jack Benchakul, Endorffeine, Los Angeles
- Paul Einbund, The Morris, San Francisco
- Derek Stevenson, Auro, Calistoga
Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service
- Kevin Diedrich, Pacific Cocktail Haven, San Francisco
- Jason Lee, Darling, Los Angeles
Best Chef: California
- Eric Alexander and Courtney McDonald, Restaurant Josephine, Auburn
- Kim Alter, Nightbird, San Francisco
- Dave Beran, Seline, Santa Monica
- Eric Bost, Lilo, Carlsbad
- Harrison Cheney, Sons & Daughters, San Francisco
- Sarah Cooper and Alan Hsu, Sun Moon Studio, Oakland
- Geoff Davis, Burdell, Oakland
- Brian Dunsmoor, Dunsmoor, Los Angeles
- Sarah Hymanson and Sara Kramer, Kismet, Los Angeles
- Zareen Khan, Zareen’s, Palo Alto
- Emma Lipp and Stephanie Reagor, Valley Bar & Bottle, Sonoma
- Tara Monsod, Animae, San Diego
- Andrew Muñoz and Michelle Muñoz, Moo’s Craft Barbecue, Los Angeles
- Charles Namba, Camélia, Los Angeles
- Viet Nguyen, Nep Cafe, Fountain Valley
- Brandon Rice, Ernest, San Francisco
- Daisy Ryan, Bell’s, Los Alamos
- Fik Saleh and Rachel Saleh, Fikscue Craft BBQ, Alameda
- Kosuke Tada, Mijoté, San Francisco
- Kwang Uh, Baroo, Los Angeles
This story was originally published January 21, 2026 at 10:36 AM.
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