How sweet it is!

Dolester Miles, whose desserts have delighted guests at Birmingham's Highlands Bar and Grill for more than 35 years, Monday night received the James Beard Foundation Award as the most outstanding pastry chef in America.

Miles, who started working at Highlands when chef Frank Stitt opened the restaurant in 1982, received her James Beard medal at the 2018 awards show at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Later Monday night, Highlands Bar and Grill also won the James Beard Award for the most outstanding restaurant in America. Highlands had been nominated for the top restaurant award nine years in a row but had not previously won.

Miles, who was also a finalist for the pastry chef award in 2016 and 2017, said afterward that she was caught off guard when she was announced as this year's winner.

"I'm just sitting back here all laid-back, and then I'm like, 'Oh, my God, did I hear that right?'" she said. "Frank (Stitt) was like, 'Get up, Dol, get up.'

"I couldn't move for a minute there," she added. "I was just in such a shock because I was not expecting for them to call my name."

The other finalists for the pastry chef award were Kelly Fields of Willa Jean in New Orleans, Meg Galus of Boka in Chicago, Margarita Manzke of Republique in Los Angeles, and Diane Yang of Spoon and Stable in Minneapolis.

Miles brought her daughter. LaToya Phillips of Calera, along with her Monday night.

"I'm so proud of her," her daughter said. "I just think, as a child, looking up to your mom, and she does this great accomplishment -- she's been doing it all these years.

"And then she finally gets recognized for it. It just makes me really proud. I'm just telling her now, 'You need to own it. You are no longer the nominee. You have won it.'"

UPDATED at 8:55 CDT on Tuesday, May 8, 2018, to add comments from Dolester Miles and LaToya Phillips.