It’s been a big week for New Orleans at the James Beard Foundation. New Orleans East’s Dong Phuong Bakeshop will be given a “Classics” Award by the James Beard Foundation at a ceremony in May. The bakery, one of five nationwide businesses selected for the honor, is adored for its signature po-boy bread and King Cake.

According to the Foundation, “This honor is given to regional establishments, often family-owned, that are cherished for their quality food, local character, and lasting appeal.” Dong Phuong and its owner Linh Tran Garza are being recognized, in part, for helping to keep the city’s Vietnamese community connected through food, but also for contributing to the preservation of authentic New Orleans cuisine. Founded in 1982, the Foundation recognizes the bakery for its “thin, crackling-crust bread with a pillowy interior, ideal for building the city’s iconic po-boy sandwiches.”

Other James Beard Foundations Classics winners of 2018 are Boston’s Galleria Umberto; Chicago’s Sun Wah; Tempe, Ariz.’s El Guero Canelo and Union Gap, Wash.’s Los Hernandez. All five businesses and their owners will receive their honors at the James Beard Awards Gala at Lyric Opera of Chicago on Monday, May 7.

Dong Phuong Bakeshop
14207 Chef Menteur Highway, New Orleans