Two Twin Cities chefs nominated for James Beard Awards

It's that time again - when the James Beard Foundation announces the nominees for its annual awards. And funny how the same names seem to be cropping up again...

For instance, two of the three Twin Cities restaurants that made the finalists list for the Best Chef in the Midwest region last year are back again this year: Isaac Becker of 112 Eatery, and Lenny Russo of Heartland. The third Twin Cities restaurant - Restaurant Alma - took home the award.

Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl is once again nominated for her restaurant reviews for Minnesota Monthly, and Andrew Zimmern is also on the nominees list this year, this time for his multimedia feature "Appetite for Life" which appeared on msn.com.

In addition, the Star Tribune's Amy Thielen was nominated in the journalism category of "Cooking, Recipes, or Instruction" for her articles "A Good Catch," "Low-Tech Wonder," and "From the Bean Patch: Plenty."

Winners of the 2011 James Beard Foundation Journalism Awards will be announced on May 6, 2011. Winners of the Restaurant and Chef Awards will be awarded on May 9. See the full list of award nominees here.

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