Chef Paul Kahan will receive the 2027 Culinary Excellence Award, and Manny’s Cafeteria & Delicatessen will receive the 2027 Iconic Restaurant Award at the 25th Banchet Awards, the city’s top food honors, in January.
The awards are named in honor of Jean Banchet, the legendary chef who ran Wheeling’s Le Francais restaurant in the 1970s and ’80s, helping to raise Chicago’s culinary profile.
Kahan, partner and executive chef of One Off Hospitality Group, which includes Avec, The Publican, Big Star and Dove’s Luncheonette, said in a statement he’s “grateful to have played a small part in what makes this industry so special.”
“But this recognition really isn’t about me. So many talented people have been part of this journey, from my partners and the people who have worked alongside us over the years to the family farmers and producers we’re so tremendously proud to work with.”
Manny’s Cafeteria & Delicatessen will receive the Iconic Restaurant Award. For more than 80 years, the Near West Side restaurant has been a longtime favorite among its devoted regulars, out-of-towners, politicians and power brokers.
“Manny’s has always been a place where everyone feels welcome and generations of families gather,” said Dan Raskin, fourth-generation owner-operator. “This honor belongs to the generations of our family who came before us, our incredible employees, and the loyal customers who have made Manny’s what it is today. We are deeply honored to have our history recognized by the Banchet Foundation.”
Nominees for categories like Restaurant of the Year and Chef of the Year, which went to Indienne and El Che and Brasero’s John Manion, respectively, earlier this year, will be announced in the fall.
The 25th Banchet Awards will be held Jan. 31 at Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph St. in the Loop. The ceremony will be streamed live on NBC 5. Tickets for the award ceremony will go on sale in early fall, according to the Banchet Foundation, the newly created nonprofit that hosts the awards.
“The Banchets has always been about restaurants supporting restaurants,” said Michael Muser, executive director of the Banchet Foundation. “Becoming a nonprofit allows us to build on that mission and do more for the community we celebrate. Moving to the Harris Theater gives us a larger, iconic stage worthy of Chicago’s extraordinary culinary talent and allows even more people to be part of this special night.”