James Beard Foundation announces 2016 awards finalists

Outstanding restaurateur nominees include (clockwise from top left): Cindy Pawlcyn, Michael Mina, Stephen Starr and Ken Friedman. Not pictured: Kevin Boehm and Rob Katz.

The James Beard Foundation announced the final nominees for its annual collection of coveted awards Tuesday. While more than half the nominated chefs and restaurants were also among 2015’s finalists, several newcomers also made the list.

In the Rising Star category, those newcomers included Angela Dimayuga of Mission Chinese Food, NYC; Grae Nonas of Olamaie in Austin; Matt Rudofker of Momofuku Ssäm Bar, NYC; Daniela Soto-Innes of Cosme, NYC; and Jenner Tomaska of Next, Chicago. The only returning nominee is Alex Bois of High Street on Market, Philadelphia.

The major restaurant cities of New York, San Francisco and Chicago were well represented among the nominees, with Chicago, notably, holding all of the Best Restaurant nominations for the Great Lakes region (which includes Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio). They include Alinea, also nominated in this year’s Best Restaurant category and past recipient of Outstanding Service honors. (Alinea chef/owner Grant Achatz holds two Beard awards himself: Rising Star Chef and Best Chef in the United States.) Chicago is also home to all five professionals in the Best Chef category, Great Lakes region.

A few restaurants and chefs in smaller markets were represented in the nominations as well, including: Highlands Bar and Grill, Birmingham, AL, and Frasca Food & Wine, Boulder, CO, each in the Outstanding Restaurant category; Death & Taxes, Raleigh, NC (Best New Restaurant category); and Sean Brock, Husk, Nashville (Outstanding Chef category).

The 2016 restaurants, chefs and operators that made the final cut include:

Outstanding Restaurant

Alinea, Chicago

Frasca Food & Wine, Boulder, CO

Highlands Bar and Grill, Birmingham, AL

Momofuku Noodle Bar, NYC

The Spotted Pig, NYC

Best New Restaurant

Death & Taxes, Raleigh, NC

Launderette, Austin

Liholiho Yacht Club, San Francisco

Shaya, New Orleans

Staplehouse, Atlanta

Wildair, NYC

Outstanding Restaurateur

Kevin Boehm and Rob Katz, Boka Restaurant Group, Chicago (Boka, Girl & the Goat, Momotaro, Swift & Sons and others)

Ken Friedman, NYC (The Spotted Pig, The Breslin, Tosca Café)

Michael Mina, Mina Restaurants, San Francisco (Michael Mina, Bourbon Steak, RN74, and others)

Cindy Pawlcyn, Napa, CA (Mustards Grill, Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen, Cindy's Waterfront at the Monterey Bay Aquarium)

Stephen Starr, Starr Restaurants, Philadelphia (Serpico, The Dandelion, Talula's Garden, and others)

Rising Star Chef of the Year

Alex Bois, High Street on Market, Philadelphia

Angela Dimayuga, Mission Chinese Food, NYC

Grae Nonas, Olamaie, Austin

Matt Rudofker, Momofuku Ssäm Bar, NYC

Daniela Soto-Innes, Cosme, NYC

Jenner Tomaska, Next, Chicago

Outstanding Chef

Sean Brock, Husk, Nashville

Suzanne Goin, Lucques, Los Angeles

Donald Link, Herbsaint, New Orleans

Michael Solomonov, Zahav, Philadelphia

Michael Tusk, Quince, San Francisco

Outstanding Pastry Chef

Meg Galus, Boka, Chicago

Maura Kilpatrick, Oleana, Cambridge, MA

Dolester Miles, Highlands Bar & Grill, Birmingham, AL

Dahlia Narvaez, Osteria Mozza, Los Angeles

Ghaya Oliveira, Daniel, NYC

Jennifer Yee, Lafayette, NYC

Outstanding Baker

Joanne Chang, Flour Bakery Café, Boston

Mark Furstenberg, Bread Furst, Washington, D.C.

Zachary Golper, Bien Cuit, Brooklyn, NY

Belinda Leong and Michel Suas, B. Patisserie, San Francisco

William Werner, Craftsman and Wolves, San Francisco

Outstanding Service

Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Pocantico Hills, NY

Eleven Madison Park, NYC

North Pond, Chicago

Quince, San Francisco

Topolobampo, Chicago

Outstanding Bar Program

Arnaud’s French 75 Bar, New Orleans

Bar Agricole, San Francisco

Clyde Common, Portland, OR

Cure, New Orleans

Maison Premiere, Brooklyn, NY

Outstanding Wine Program

Bern’s Steakhouse, Tampa, FL

Canlis, Seattle

Commander’s Palace, New Orleans

FIG, Charleston, SC

Sepia, Chicago

Outstanding Wine, Beer, or Spirits Professional

Sam Calagione, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, DE

Ron Cooper, Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal, Ranchos de Taos, NM

Miljenko Grgich, Grgich Hills Estate, Rutherford, CA

Rob Tod, Allagash Brewing Company, Portland, ME

Harlen Wheatley Buffalo Trace Distillery, Frankfort, KY

Best Chefs (Regional)

Best Chef: Great Lakes

Abraham Conlon, Fat Rice, Chicago

Curtis Duffy, Grace, Chicago

Lee Wolen, Boka, Chicago

Erling Wu-Bower, Nico Osteria, Chicago

Andrew Zimmerman, Sepia, Chicago

Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic

Peter Chang, Peter Chang, Arlington, VA

Eli Kulp, Fork, Philadelphia

Rich Landau, Vedge, Philadelphia

Aaron Silverman, Rose’s Luxury, Washington, D.C.

Greg Vernick, Vernick Food & Drink, Philadelphia

Cindy Wolf, Charleston, Baltimore

Best Chef: Midwest

Paul Berglund, The Bachelor Farmer, Minneapolis

Justin Carlisle, Ardent, Milwaukee

Kevin Nashan, Sidney Street Café, St. Louis

Lenny Russo, Heartland Restaurant & Farm Direct Market, St. Paul, MN

Kevin Willmann, Farmhaus, St. Louis

Best Chef: New York City

Marco Canora, Hearth

Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi, Carbone

Anita Lo, Annisa

Jonathan Waxman, Barbuto

Jody Williams, Buvette

Best Chef: Northeast

Karen Akunowicz, Myers Chang, Boston

Brian Hill, Francine, Camden, ME

Zak Pelaccio, Fish & Game, Hudson, NY

Susan Regis, Shepard, Cambridge, MA

Mike Wiley and Andrew Taylor Eventide Oyster Co., Portland, ME

Best Chef: Northwest

Greg Denton and Gabrielle Quiñónez Denton, Ox, Portland, OR

Mike Easton, Il Corvo Pasta, Seattle

Renee Erickson, The Whale Wins, Seattle

Justin Woodward, Castagna, Portland, OR

Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi, Joule, Seattle

Best Chef: South

Vishwesh Bhatt, Snackbar, Oxford, MS

Justin Devillier, La Petite Grocery, New Orleans

Jose Enrique, Jose Enrique, San Juan, PR

Slade Rushing, Brennan’s, New Orleans

Isaac Toups, Toups’ Meatery, New Orleans

Best Chef: Southeast

Kevin Gillespie, Gunshow, Atlanta

Edward Lee, 610 Magnolia, Louisville, KY

Steven Satterfield, Miller Union, Atlanta

Andrew Ticer and Michael Hudman, Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen, Memphis

Tandy Wilson, City House, Nashville

Best Chef: Southwest

Bryce Gilmore, Barley Swine, Austin

Steve McHugh, Cured, San Antonio

Hugo Ortega, Caracol, Houston

Alex Seidel, Fruition, Denver

Justin Yu, Oxheart, Houston

Best Chef: West

Matthew Accarrino, SPQR, San Francisco

Michael Cimarusti, Providence, Los Angeles

Dominique Crenn, Atelier Crenn, San Francisco

Jeremy Fox, Rustic Canyon, Santa Monica, CA

Corey Lee, Benu, San Francisco

Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo, Animal, Los Angeles

See the full list of nominees in all 60 Foundation categories here. 

Winners will be announced at the James Beard Foundation’s May 2 Awards and Gala in Chicago.