Last night in Chicago, the award for Best Chef Southwest went to Aaron Franklin from Franklin Barbecue in Austin, Texas.
The Binkley’s chef was one of six finalists for the honor. He was the only Arizonan to make the finals in any category this year.
Earlier: Kevin Binkley makes James Beard finals for the 4th year in a row
Arizona has had nine chefs win Best Chef Southwest at the culinary world’s equivalent of the Academy Awards, but none since Nobuo Fukuda in 2007.
The Southwest Region consists of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah.
See the full list of 2015 winners here.
