Colorado restaurateurs Kelly and Erika Whitaker and chef Matt Vawter were honored Monday night in Chicago at the annual James Beard Awards.

The James Beard Awards have been called the hospitality industry’s version of the Academy Awards.

The Whitakers, who founded Id Est Hospitality Group, were named this year’s James Beard Award winners for Outstanding Restaurateur. Their Boulder-based restaurant group includes The Wolf’s Tailor and BRUTØ, which recently were awarded with Michelin stars, Basta and four others.

The award honors “a restaurateur who uses their establishment(s) as a vehicle for building community, demonstrates creativity in entrepreneurship and integrity in restaurant operations, and is making efforts to create a sustainable work culture, while contributing positively to their broader community.”

The Whitakers were selected the winners out of a group of five finalists.

“We don’t particularly chase these awards, but we definitely chase the platform this brings,” Kelly Whitaker said in his acceptance speech. “And for that, we know that this is a responsibility. I have more sense of fight now more than ever.”

Vawter, of the restaurant Rootstalk in Breckenridge, was named the James Beard Award winner for Best Chef in the Mountain region, which includes Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah and Wyoming.

The Summit County native was previously the executive chef of Merchantile Dining & Provision in Denver, but opened Rootstalk in 2020 to serve “elevated everyday dining” in Breckenridge.

“I started cooking when I was 14 years old to help my parents pay rent,” Vawter said in his acceptance speech, “And I never looked back.”