Today, the James Beard Foundation announced the five winners for its Classics Award, which a release explains is an award "given to restaurants that have timeless appeal and are beloved for quality food that reflects the character of their community." The restaurants must also be locally owned and in continuous operation for at least 10 years. The 2015 award winners are:
1. Archie's Waeside "a citadel of American beef cookery" owned by Robert Rand in Le Mars, Iowa.
2. Beaumont Inn in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, where owners and family members Dedman serve "Kentucky products with pride."
3. The Lopez Family's Guelaguetza in Los Angeles, Calif. which is described as "the center of Oaxacan life in Los Angeles and the setting for countless quinceañeras, weddings, and anniversaries."
4. Sally Bell's Kitchen in Richmond, Virgina where owners Martha Crowe Jones and Scott Jones serve food that "tastes like someone's grandmother made [it]" and has always served as a "beacon of female entrepreneurship."
5. Sevilla Restaurant in New York City where owners Jose Lloves and Bienvenido Alvarez have been keeping Spanish cuisine alive since 1941.
Susan Ungaro, president of the James Beard Foundation, said in a release: "In an ever-changing culinary landscape, our Foundation is proud to honor those whose restaurants have stood the test of time. Our honorees, hailing from different cities around the country, have the unique ability to bring neighborhoods together as they celebrate the authentic and unique flavors of America's food scene."
This year's honorees will be celebrated at the 25th anniversary James Beard Foundation Awards taking place on Monday, May 4, 2015, at Lyric Opera of Chicago.
See the full release, below: