Niman Ranch Celebrates the 2020 James Beard Award Semi-Finalists

The James Beard Foundation recently announced the semifinalists for their prestigious culinary awards. Named after James Beard, the “pioneer foodie” who put American cuisine on the map, the annual awards recognize leading culinary professionals in the U.S. including chefs, restaurateurs and food and beverage directors. These semifinalists represent the best of the best in the current culinary sector and we are delighted that many of the finalists serve Niman Ranch at their restaurants or are longtime friends and partners of the brand.

We are proud partners of the James Beard Foundation’s Impact Programming, supporting their mission to build a more sustainable food system through education, advocacy and thought leadership. Through the mantra good food for good^TM the organization is committed to giving chefs and their colleagues a voice and the tools they need to make the world more sustainable, equitable and delicious for everyone. 

We want to extend a special congratulation to the following 2020 James Beard Semifinalists who are also friends of Niman Ranch and our network of 750 independent, sustainable farmers and ranchers.

Best New Restaurant:

• Fox & the Knife, Boston
• Kāwi, NYC

Outstanding Pastry Chef 

• Lincoln Carson, Bon Temps, Los Angeles
• Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink, Miami
• Neptune Oyster, Boston

Outstanding Wine Program

• FnB, Scottsdale, AZ

Rising Star Chef of the Year

• Shota Nakajima, Adana, Seattle

Best Chef: California

• Brandon Jew, Mister Jiu’s, San Francisco
• Karen Taylor Waikiki, El Molino Central, Boyes Hot Springs, CA

Best Chef: Mountain (CO, ID, MT, UT, WY)

• Carrie Baird, Bar Dough, Denver
• Moudi Sbeity and Derek Kitchen, Laziz Kitchen, Salt Lake City
• Kelly Whitaker, The Wolf’s Tailor, Denver

Best Chef: New York State

• Emma Bengtsson, Aquavit, NYC
• Sean Gray, Momofuku Ko, NYC
• Daniela Soto-Innes, ATLA, NYC
• Alex Stupak, Empellón, NYC

Best Chef: Northwest & Pacific (AK, HI, OR, WA)

• Mutsuko Soma, Kamonegi, Seattle
• Aaron Verzosa, Archipelago, Seattle
• Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi, Joule, Seattle

Best Chef: South (AL, AR, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, FL, LA, MS)

• Niven Patel, Ghee, Miami

Best Chef: Southwest (AZ, NM, NV, OK)

• Stephen Jones, The Larder + The Delta, Phoenix
• Bernie Kantak, Citizen Public House, Scottsdale, AZ
• Jeff Smedstad, Elote Cafe, Sedona, AZ

Best Chef: Texas

• Molly McCook, Ellerbe Fine Foods, Fort Worth, TX
• Iliana de la Vega, El Naranjo, Austin