South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota Chefs Nominated for 2024 James Beard Award
It isn't just awards season in the entertainment world.
A day after the 2024 Academy Awards nominees were announced (including one for a Minnesota native), the semifinalists for the top honors in the food industry have been revealed.
The 2024 James Beard Foundation awards recognize those chefs and establishments that create 'exceptional food, food media content, and better food systems while demonstrating a commitment to racial and gender equity, community, sustainability, and a culture where all can thrive'.
Several local chefs/bakers and restaurants/bars are on the elite list in 2024.
Among the semifinalists in the category Best Chef: Midwest (Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin) is Sanaa Abourezk from Sanaa’s Gourmet Mediterranean in Sioux Falls. She is a semifinalist for the second straight year.
The 19 other nominees in the category include four chefs from Iowa and Minnesota restaurants:
- Ann Ahmed, Khâluna, Minneapolis
- Chris Hoffmann, Clyde’s Fine Diner, Des Moines
- Christina Nguyen, Hai Hai, Minneapolis
- Karyn Tomlinson, Myriel, St. Paul
Four other local chefs/establishments are semifinalists in national categories:
- Outstanding Chef: Daniel del Prado, Porzana, Minneapolis
- Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker: Marc Heu, Marc Heu Pâtisserie Paris, St. Paul
- Best New Restaurant: Oro by Nixta, Minneapolis
- Outstanding Bar: Meteor, Minneapolis
The 2024 finalists will be announced April 3 and the winners will be crowned at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony, June 10 at the Lyric Opera of
Chicago.
The James Beard Awards were established in 1990 to 'recognize exceptional talent and achievement in the culinary arts, hospitality, media, and broader food system.'
The awards are named after the late American chef, cookbook author, teacher, and television personality James Beard, who passed away in 1985 at the age of 81.
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