11 Wisconsin chefs, 1 restaurant among semifinalists for 2024 James Beard Awards
Chefs, restaurants and restaurateurs from Milwaukee, Madison and Bay City are semifinalists for the prestigious James Beard Awards in five categories.
The James Beard Foundation, which oversees the awards, announced the long list Wednesday morning. The list will be narrowed down in the coming weeks, with the final nominees made public in April.
Here are Wisconsin's contenders for the 2024 awards:
Gregory León, Amilinda, national semifinalist for outstanding chef
With his first nomination in a national category, chef Gregory León of Amilinda of Amilinda in downtown Milwaukee (315 E. Wisconsin Ave.) has made the long list for outstanding chef in the U.S. León was nominated in 2022 and 2023 in the category of Best Chef Midwest. The award recognizes “a chef who sets high culinary standards and has served as a positive example for other food professionals while contributing positively to their broader community.”
Bryce Stevenson, national semifinalist for emerging chef
The national award for emerging chef, for someone "who displays exceptional talent, character and leadership ability, and who is likely to make a significant impact in years to come, while contributing positively to their broader community," includes Bryce Stevenson, who opened his indigenous restaurant, Miijim, in La Pointe on Madeline Island in May 2023.
Syovata Edari, national semifinalist for outstanding pastry chef or baker
Syovata Edari of CocoVaa Chocolatier in Madison is a contender for the national category of outstanding pastry chef or baker.
Pasture and Plenty, national semifinalist for outstanding hospitality
Pasture and Plenty, a Madison farm-to-table cafe and grocer, is a semifinalist for outstanding hospitality, a national award.
Ross Bacchuber, Sam Ek, Dan Jacobs, Dan Van Rite, Kyle Knall, Sean Pharr, Lisa Carlson and Carrie Summer, semifinalists for best chef in the Midwest
Wisconsin's semifinalists for best chef in the Midwest include Milwaukee chefs Ross Bacchuber and Sam Ek of Odd Duck in Walker’s Point (939 S. Second St.), Dan Jacobs and Dan Van Rite of EsterEv in Milwaukee's Third Ward (360 E. Erie St.) and Kyle Knall of Birch on the Lower East Side (459 E. Pleasant St.). Madison chef Sean Pharr of Mint Mark and Bay City chefs Lisa Carlson and Carrie Summer of Chef Shack Bay City along the Mississippi River in Pierce County are also semifinalists in the Best Chef Midwest category.
The semifinalists for the Midwest category represent Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
Finalists will be announced April 3, and awards will be presented to the winners at a gala ceremony on June 10 in Chicago.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 11 Wisconsin chefs, 1 restaurant are 2024 James Beard Award semifinalists
