Nominations for the James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef awards were announced today. Although four Indiana chefs were on the long list of semifinalists – Greg Hardesty of Recess and Room Four; Micah Frank of Black Market; David Tallent of Restaurant Tallent in Bloomington; and Daniel Orr of FARMbloomington — none made the short list of five nominees for Best Chef Great Lakes Region, which includes Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio.
Chefs in the Great Lakes region that made the list are Curtis Duffy, of Grace in Chicago; Paul Virant, of Vie in Western Springs, Ill.; Erling Wu-Bower, of Nico Osteria in Chicago; Andrew Zimmerman, of Sepia in Chicago; and Jonathon Sawyer, of The Greenhouse Tavern in Cleveland.
Mike, Nick and Simon Floyd, owners of Three Floyds Brewing in Munster, were also semifinalists in the Outstanding Wine, Spirits or Beer Professional category. They did not make the list of finalists in that national category.
You can find the complete list of nominees here.
Judges will now vote for one person in each category. Winners will be announced May 4 at the awards gala in Chicago. — Jolene Ketzenberger
