Want to win a James Beard Award? Stop trying to be everything to everyone.

The James Beard Awards Open Call is accepting nominations through November 30. As part of Resy’s ongoing exploration of the Awards process, we spoke with 2026 Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic winner Jesse Ito about his journey, the lessons he’s learned, and what recognition means to him.

Jesse Ito did not expect to win a James Beard Award. After being named a semifinalist four years in a row, followed by four consecutive nominee recognitions, the Philadelphia chef finally took home Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic in 2026.

But ask him what it takes to build a successful restaurant, and his answer has surprisingly little to do with accolades.

For Ito, it’s about staying true to who you are, what you believe in, and delivering true value to guests.

“Being smart about how you cook and the ingredients you use—the service and the ambience and everything collectively together—creates that value. I think that is the most important part. Because at the end of the day, you can win awards, you can get write-ups, but if the seats aren’t full, that means people don’t find value in what you do.”

The 37-year-old chef and restaurateur came up in his parents’ small South Jersey BYO sushi bar, Fuji, where he started as a dishwasher, then went on to learn the foundational elements of Japanese cooking from his father, Masaharu, including prep, pastry, tempura, and fish butchery.

Ito studied business marketing at Rutgers while continuing to work at Fuji, then at the age of 27 took a leap of faith to open his own restaurant, Royal Sushi & Izakaya, bringing his parents with him. Today, he also operates dancerobot in Rittenhouse.

“If I could do it all over again, I would have not opened so young,” says Ito. “Where we were with my family’s business and everything, the opportunity that came along…I had to get my parents out of their restaurant and do this.”

After years of struggle, Ito set out to build a better life for himself and his family using what he’d learned over more than a decade.

In his acceptance speech at this year’s awards ceremony—which Ito says his mother has watched repeatedly on YouTube—he reflected on these early days.

“Restaurants are glamorous and it seems so great, but we went through so much hardship, and I’ll never forget the struggle.”

When Royal first opened its doors in 2016, it was bold and energetic. With a lively izakaya in the front and a hidden omakase experience in the back, Ito wanted to push the boundaries of what a Japanese restaurant could be. Philadelphia Magazine called it “one of the coolest new restaurants” in the city with “giant space robots, jars of sake, octopus balls and rock-and-roll, all behind an unmarked blue door on 2nd Street.”

A decade later, Royal retains that same energy and excitement. While the business has evolved and grown, Ito has stayed true to the original vision, maintaining the identity of what made it special in the first place.

Ito’s other piece of advice for running a successful restaurant business? Don’t try to appease everyone.

“It’s better to be everything to someone than something that appeals to everyone,” he says, referencing an adage he learned during his time at Rutgers.

“At the end of the day, you’re not going to change who you are to appease a segment of the market that doesn’t make sense for you.”

And the same sentiment applies to chasing awards or recognition.

“Stay genuine to your vision and your core tenants and values—I think that’s what eventually will get you the win. The awards don’t matter as much in the long run. I mean, they’re amazing, but I think that staying true to what you believe in and who you are is the most important part, and everything happens because of that.”