The finalists for the 2016 James Beard Awards were announced today, and Indianapolis is not represented among the nominees.
All nominees for Best Chef in the Great Lakes region, which includes Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and Michigan, are from Chicago restaurants.
Indianapolis semifinalists this year included Greg Hardesty of Recess, Jonathan Brooks of Milktooth and Abbi Merriss of Bluebeard in the Best Chef Great Lakes category; Alan Sternberg of Cerulean in the Rising Star Chef of the Year category; and Martha Hoover in the Outstanding Restaurateur category.
The complete list of final nominees can be found here.