Opened by Jennifer Hwa Dobbertin, a repeat James Beard Award semifinalist and chef/owner of Best Quality Daughter. Dobbertin was on the opening team of Hot Joy, which opened in 2013, and later opened Tenko Ramen in the Pearl. She plans to open a cocktail bar in the space of what was once Blue Box Bar, which closed over the summer of 2024.

Three El Paso restaurants have been named semifinalists in the James Beard Awards 2025 Restaurant and Chef Awards. The semifinalists were announced Jan. 22. Nominees will be announced on Wednesday, April 2, and winners will be announced at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony on Monday, June 16, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

A chef who trained in Napa Valley, New York and London, RJ Yoakum is nominated for a Best Emerging James Beard Aware, though he’s already an executive chef.

The James Beard Awards announced its 2025 semifinalists Wednesday morning, with the Seattle area getting 16 spots for candidates in the Oscars of the restaurant world.

Several Milwaukee chefs, restaurateurs and establishments are in the running for a prestigious James Beard Award this year. The 2025 Restaurant and Chef

The James Beard Foundation unveiled its full list of James Beard Awards semifinalists today, Jan. 22, with more than a dozen Los Angeles County chefs and restaurants receiving recognition.

Over 30 years ago, the James Beard Foundation was developed to celebrate America’s food culture and push for new standards. Any restaurant recognized is getting the level of recognition equivalent to an Oscar.

The semi-finalist list includes some famous names like Yia Vang, Diane Moua and Gavin Kaysen. Abraham Gessesse may not be a household name, but he is the chef owner of the St. Paul restaurant Hyacinth and he’s been nominated in the Best Chef Midwest category for the first time.