Chicago is well-represented at the 2019 James Beard Awards, known as the "Oscars of the food industry," with dozens of chefs and restaurants named as semifinalists across the various categories.
Sarah Grueneberg, who won Best Chef: Great Lakes in 2017, is nominated for Outstanding Chef for her work at Monteverde, while Alisha Elenz of MFK is a semifinalist for Rising Star Chef of the Year.
Chicago's North Pond is up for Outstanding Restaurant, and two Chicago spots are up for Best New Restaurant: Kyoten and Passerotto.
The Boka Restaurant Group, which includes Boka, Girl & the Goat and Momotaro, among others, is up for several awards, including Outstanding Restaurateur in Rob Katz and Kevin Boehm, as well as the nomination of Meg Galus in the Outstanding Pastry Chef category and Lee Wolen at Boka for Best Chef: Great Lakes.
All of the Chicago establishments named as semifinalists are listed below, and you can find the full list of semifinalists here.
The James Beard Awards ceremony is set to take place in Chicago on May 6.
Best New Restaurant
Local
Kyoten, Chicago
Passerotto, Chicago
Outstanding Baker
Stephanie Hart, Brown Sugar Bakery, Chicago
Greg Wade, Publican Quality Bread, Chicago
Outstanding Bar Program
Lost Lake, Chicago
Outstanding Chef (Presented by All-Clad Metalcrafters)
Sarah Grueneberg, Monteverde, Chicago
Outstanding Pastry Chef (Presented by Lavazza)
Meg Galus, Boka, Chicago
Outstanding Restaurant (Presented by S.Pellegrino® Sparkling Natural Mineral Water)
North Pond, Chicago
Outstanding Restaurateur (Presented by Magellan Corporation)
Rob Katz and Kevin Boehm, Boka Restaurant Group, Chicago (Boka, Girl & the Goat, Momotaro, and others)
Outstanding Service
Birrieria Zaragoza, Chicago
Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse, Chicago
Outstanding Wine Program (Presented by Robert Mondavi Winery)
Income Tax, Chicago
Spiaggia, Chicago
Rising Star Chef of the Year (Presented by S.Pellegrino® Sparkling Natural Mineral Water)
Alisha Elenz, MFK, Chicago
Best Chef: Great Lakes
Thai Dang and Danielle Dang, HaiSous Vietnamese Kitchen, Chicago
Diana Dávila, Mi Tocaya Antojería, Chicago
Paul Fehribach, Big Jones, Chicago
Jason Hammel, Lula Café, Chicago
Brian Jupiter, Frontier, Chicago
Beverly Kim and Johnny Clark, Parachute, Chicago
Ethan Pikas, Cellar Door Provisions, Chicago
David Posey and Anna Posey, Elske, Chicago
Iliana Regan, Kitsune, Chicago
Noah Sandoval, Oriole, Chicago
Lee Wolen, Boka, Chicago
