Twin Cities restaurants and chefs that made the Beard Award semifinals
The James Beard Foundation on Wednesday dished out the list of semifinalists for the 2014 Restaurant and Chef Awards and they include 11 Minnesota restaurants and chefs.
The foundation received close to 40,000 nomination submissions, open to anyone, for the restaurant and chef awards, according to its website . Then critics, writers and editors chose the semifinalists.
Here are the Minnesota semifinalists for the 2014 James Beard Awards:
Outstanding Bar Program
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Marvel Bar, Minneapolis
Outstanding Chef
Isaac Becker, 112 Eatery, Minneapolis
Outstanding Pastry Chef
Steve Horton, Rustica Bakery, Minneapolis
Outstanding Service
Restaurant Alma, Minneapolis
Outstanding Wine, Spirits, or Beer Professional
Eric Seed, Haus Alpenz, Edina
Best Chef: Midwest
Paul Berglund, The Bachelor Farmer, Minneapolis
Steven Brown, Tilia, Minneapolis
Doug Flicker, Piccolo, Minneapolis
Michelle Gayer, Salty Tart, Minneapolis
Jamie Malone, Sea Change, Minneapolis
Lenny Russo, Heartland Restaurant & Farm Direct Market, St. Paul
And nominated for Best Chef, just across the border, were Ryan Nitschke and Nick Weinhandl, HoDo Restaurant at the Hotel Donaldson, Fargo, ND.
Foundation representatives will announce final nominations in March. The 2014 James Beard Awards will be held in May in New York City.
“After the semifinalist announcement, this list will move on to a voting body of former Beard Award winners; Restaurant and Chef Award Committee members; and other regional panelists. After these judges cast their votes, the five semifinalists with the highest number of votes in each category become the nominees.”