Sky Haneul Kim, chef at Gift Horse in Providence, R.I., was named Best Chef: Northeast at the 2025 James Beard Foundation Awards, held Monday night in a star-studded ceremony at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Often dubbed the “Oscars of the food world,” the James Beard Awards honor the best chefs, restaurants, and culinary innovators across the U.S. Kim’s win places her among the elite in the industry and marks a major moment for Rhode Island’s dining scene.
Gift Horse, a raw bar with South Korean influences, has quickly become one of Providence’s most talked-about destinations. Kim beat out a competitive field that included Avery Buck of May Day (VT), Brian Lewis of The Cottage (CT), Erin Miller of Urban Hearth (MA), and fellow Rhode Islander Derek Wagner of Nicks on Broadway.
This win makes Kim just the third chef from Rhode Island to take home a James Beard title and the second in the past three years—an impressive feat for the Ocean State.
Other Rhode Islanders were also in the spotlight. Nikhil Naiker of NIMKI in Providence was a finalist for Emerging Chef, though the award went to Phila Lorn of Mawn in Philadelphia. Oberlin, also based in Providence, was in the running for Outstanding Restaurant, a category ultimately won by Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder, Colo.
Held in front of more than 1,500 guests, the 35th annual awards ceremony celebrated culinary excellence nationwide and underscored the growing influence of Rhode Island chefs on the national stage.
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