As Moody on the Market first reported last week, James Galbraith, chef and owner of PostBoy in New Buffalo, has been named a 2026 James Beard Award semifinalist in the Best Chef: Great Lakes category, one of the highest honors in the culinary industry.
Following the initial announcement, Moody on the Market spoke with Galbraith about the recognition, the restaurant, and his thoughts on what sets PostBoy apart, earning recognition in a field that’s as competitive as it is delectable.
The James Beard Award
As for being named a semifinalist for the James Beard Award in the Best Chef category, Galbraith describes it as a distinction that’s both surprising and deeply meaningful after more than two decades working in professional kitchens.
“It’s something that every chef aspires to be nominated for,” Galbraith said. “It feels pretty surreal. I’ve been in a kitchen for over 20 years, so it’s something I’ve looked up to for quite a while.”
The James Beard Awards are widely regarded as among the most prestigious accolades in American food and hospitality, often compared to the Oscars of the culinary world.
Galbraith said he was initially unsure how his name landed on the semifinalist list. PostBoy’s public relations team had submitted the restaurant for consideration as Best New Restaurant, but when semifinalists were announced, Galbraith was named individually as a Best Chef candidate.
“That part is still kind of a mystery,” he said. “But it’s a cool mystery.”
The Ethos of PostBoy
Since opening in New Buffalo, PostBoy has developed a reputation for blending global flavors with Midwest comfort food in a way Galbraith describes as approachable rather than intimidating. He said the restaurant’s philosophy centers on reimagining familiar dishes through international influences, while keeping them accessible to a wide range of diners.
“How can we take Midwest food and throw it into a different country and put a spin on it?” Galbraith said, pointing to early menu items that reworked classic flavors into unexpected formats.
“We had this gnocchi dish, which was super good. But it was gnocchi — it’s a potato pasta. And there was a cheddar Mornay (sauce) and there was a citrus cream on the bottom with bacon and chives. So it had everything that a loaded baked potato would have. It was just kind of given in a different way,” said Galbraith.
“So if somebody came in and looked at the menu and was a little bit intimidated or confused, the service staff could say, ‘You’re a meat and potatoes person? This gnocchi is essentially a loaded baked potato just served on a different platform.’ So that’s pretty much the ethos of PostBoy. It’s just like, how do we spin Midwest food into a global way.”
Serving from Scratch
PostBoy operates in a highly seasonal market, where New Buffalo’s year-round population of roughly 1,700 swells to tens of thousands during the summer. Galbraith said that reality shaped both the restaurant’s concept and menu design, balancing creativity with broad appeal.
On peak summer days, PostBoy serves as many as 1,400 guests. Galbraith said maintaining scratch cooking at that scale has been a priority for him and his team, many of whom come from Michelin-star and fine-dining backgrounds.
“We make our own pasta, our own sourdough, our own cheeses — basically everything from scratch,” he said. “It’s a fine balance, but it’s what keeps us engaged as cooks.”
Building a Southwest Michigan Food Scene
Beyond daily service, PostBoy also hosts “Abandon Ship” dinners every other month, inviting nationally recognized chefs from across the country to collaborate on prix fixe menus. Galbraith said the events help keep the staff creatively challenged while drawing culinary attention to Southwest Michigan.
Finalists for the 2026 James Beard Awards are expected to be announced in March, with winners named at an awards ceremony in June. Galbraith said regardless of the outcome, the restaurant plans to stay the course.
“The work we’ve done already got us this nomination,” he said. “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it. We’re just going to keep cooking.”
Galbraith emphasized that the recognition reflects the collective effort of PostBoy’s entire staff.
“This isn’t just about me,” he said. “It’s the hard work of everyone in the restaurant. They all deserve this recognition.”
He added that he hopes the nomination helps bring broader attention to New Buffalo and the region.
“It would be great to get Southwest Michigan on the map,” Galbraith said. “It’s kind of cool that they’re looking at small towns and showing that great restaurants don’t only exist in big cities.”
