Nowadays in a press liberate, the James Beard Basis printed the semifinalist nominees for the 2022 James Beard Awards.
At a look, the record seems to be one of the vital numerous — throughout race, gender, geography, kinds of carrier, and kinds of delicacies — within the basis’s historical past. There are some new classes this 12 months, supposed to handle the findings of an in depth audit to handle the longstanding biases baked into the awards procedure. There may be now an rising chef award; in contrast to earlier years’ emerging superstar chef award, the nominees underneath weren’t subjected to an age bring to a halt. The regional absolute best chef classes have additionally been refigured, with California, New York, and Texas each and every getting their very own classes, in hopes of spotting a broader geographic vary of winners.
Balloting could also be other this 12 months: earlier JBFA winners (a gaggle that skews white, and male) are now not mechanically integrated within the balloting frame that determines who from the semifinalist lists strikes onto the finalist record, after which the winners record. The balloting frame has broadened to additionally come with meals professionals past conventional meals media and cooks, all with a purpose of getting 45 p.c of committee participants and judges be folks of colour this 12 months, and 50 p.c subsequent 12 months.
Finalists might be introduced on Wednesday, March 16, whilst winners might be feted at a gala in Chicago on Monday, June 13. Take a look at the overall semifinalist record underneath.
Exceptional Restaurateur
- Ashok Bajaj, Knightsbridge Eating place Workforce (Rasika, Bindaas, Annabelle, and others), Washington, D.C.
- Kim Bartmann, Bartmann Workforce, Minneapolis
- Chris Bianco, Tratto, Pane Bianco, and Pizzeria Bianco, Phoenix
- Jason and Sue Chin, Just right Salt Eating place Workforce, Orlando, FL
- Brandon Chrostowski, EDWINS Management and Eating place Institute, Cleveland
- Larry and Jessica Delgado, Delgado Collective, McAllen, TX
- Ravi DeRossi, Overthrow Hospitality, NYC
- Greg Dulan, Dulan’s Soul Meals Eating place, Los Angeles
- Kevin Gillespie, Pink Beard Eating places (Gunshow, Ole Dependable, and Revival), Atlanta
- Andrew Le, The Pig and the Girl and Piggy Smalls, Honolulu
- Marc Meyer, Vicki Freeman, and Chris Paraskevaides, Bowery Workforce (Shuka, Shukette, Vic’s, and others) NYC
- Joe Muench, Black Shoe Hospitality, Milwaukee
- Willy Ng, Koi Palace, Dragon Beaux, and Palette Tea Space, San Francisco
- Akkapong “Earl” Ninsom, Langbaan, Hat Yai, Eem, and others, Portland, OR
- Todd Richards and Joshua Lee, The Soulful Corporate (Lake & Oak), Atlanta
- J.D. Simpson and Roger Yopp, SavannahBlue, Detroit
- Deborah Snow and Barbara White, Blue Heron Eating place & Catering, Sunderland, MA
- Chris Williams, Lucille’s Hospitality Workforce, Houston
- Ellen Yin, Prime Boulevard Hospitality Workforce (Fork, a.kitchen + bar, Prime Boulevard Philly, and others), Philadelphia
- Edwin Zoe, Zoe Ma Ma and Chimera Ramen, Boulder and Denver, CO
Exceptional Chef
- Reem Assil, Reem’s, Oakland and San Francisco, CA
- Mashama Bailey, The Gray, Savannah, GA
- Andrew Black, Gray Sweater, Oklahoma Town
- Peter Chang, Peter Chang, VA and MD
- Austin Covert, Rosewild, Fargo, ND
- Christopher Gross, Christopher’s, Phoenix
- Stephen Jones, The Larder + The Delta, Phoenix
- Ji Hye Kim, Pass over Kim, Ann Arbor, MI
- Kyle Knall, Birch, Milwaukee
- Emiliano Marentes, ELEMI, El Paso, TX
- Niki Nakayama, n/naka, Los Angeles
- Keiji Nakazawa, Sushi Sho, Honolulu
- Josh Niernberg, Bin 707 Foodbar, Grand Junction, CO
- Alex Raij and Eder Montero, Los angeles Vara, NYC
- Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli, Don Angie, NYC
- Michael Schwartz, Michael’s Authentic Meals & Drink, Miami
- Douglass Williams, MIDA, Boston
- Cindy Wolf, Charleston, Baltimore
- Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi, Joule, Seattle
Exceptional Eating place
- Brennan’s, New Orleans
- Butcher & Bee, Charleston, SC
- Chai Pani, Asheville, NC
- Cora Cora, West Hartford, CT
- Di Fara Pizza, NYC
- El Burén de Lula, Loíza, PR
- Friday Saturday Sunday, Philadelphia
- Hell’s Spine Grill & Farm, Boulder, UT
- Los angeles Morada, NYC
- Dwelling Kitchen Farm & Dairy, Depew, OK
- Métier, Washington, D.C.
- Mixtli, San Antonio, TX
- Parachute, Chicago
- Paragary’s, Sacramento, CA
- Publish & Beam, Los Angeles
- Peculiar Duck, Milwaukee
- Oriole, Chicago
- ShinBay, Scottsdale, AZ
- Sushi Izakaya Gaku, Honolulu
- The Walrus and the Chippie, Seattle
Rising Chef
- Manuel “Manny” Barella, Bellota, Denver
- Angel Barreto, Anju, Washington, D.C.
- Kristi Brown, Communion, Seattle
- Rochelle Daniel, Atria, Flagstaff, AZ
- Calvin Eng, Bonnie’s, NYC
- Casey Felton, Bahn Oui, Los Angeles
- Shenarri Freeman, Cadence, NYC
- Ben Grupe, Tempus, St. Louis
- Donald Hawk, Valentine, Phoenix
- Cleophus Hethington, Benne on Eagle, Asheville, NC
- Brian Hirata, Na‘’au, Hilo, HI
- Serigne Mbaye, Dakar Nola, New Orleans
- Thuy Pham, Mama Đút, Portland, OR
- Mia Orino and Carlo Gan, Kamayan ATL, Atlanta
- Edgar Rico, Nixta Taqueria, Austin
- Amanda Shulman, Her Position Supper Membership, Philadelphia
- Amanda Turner, Olamaie, Austin
- Chris Viaud, Greenleaf, Milford, NH
- Crystal Wahpepah, Wahpepah’s Kitchen, Oakland, CA
- David Yoshimura, Nisei, San Francisco
Easiest New Eating place
- ABACÁ, San Francisco
- Indignant Egret Dinette, Los Angeles
- Bacanora, Phoenix
- BARDA, Detroit
- Café Mamajuana, Burlington, VT
- Casian Seafood, Lafayette, CO
- Dhamaka, NYC
- Fritai, New Orleans
- Gage & Tollner, NYC
- Horn BBQ, Oakland, CA
- Kasama, Chicago
- Kimika, NYC
- Laser Wolf, Philadelphia
- Leeward, Portland, ME
- Lengua Madre, New Orleans
- MACHETE, Greensboro, NC
- Matia Kitchen & Bar, Orcas Island, WA
- The Marble Desk, Billings, MT
- Nani’s Piri Piri Rooster, Asheville, NC
- NiHao, Baltimore
- Owamni, Minneapolis
- Oyster Oyster, Washington, D.C.
- Pier 6 Seafood & Oyster Space, San Leon, TX
- República, Portland, OR
- Roots Southern Desk, Farmers Department, TX
- Sooper Secret Izakaya, Honolulu
- Union Hmong Kitchen, Minneapolis
- Ursula, NYC
- Zacatlán Eating place, Santa Fe
- Zitz Sum, Coral Gables, FL
Exceptional Pastry Chef
- Antonio Bachour, Bachour, Coral Gables and Doral, FL
- Nicolas Blouin, Vacation spot Kohler, Kohler, WI
- Warda Bouguettaya, Warda Pâtisserie, Detroit
- Mark Chacón, Chacónne Patisserie, Phoenix
- Angela Cicala, Cicala on the Divine Lorraine, Philadelphia
- Kate Fisher Hamm, Leeward, Portland, ME
- Michelle Karr-Ueoka, MW Eating place, Honolulu
- Margarita Manzke, République, Los Angeles
- Claudia Martinez, Miller Union, Atlanta
- Elise Mensing, Brasserie by way of Area of interest, St. Louis
- Camari Mick, The Musket Room, NYC
- Ruben Ortega, Xochi, Houston
- Shannah Primiano, Porto, Chicago
- Rabii Saber, 4 Seasons, Orlando, FL
- Caroline Schiff, Gage & Tollner, NYC
- Anne Specker, Kinship, Washington, D.C.
- Krystle Swenson, The Social Haus, Greenough, MT
- Sofia Tejeda, Mixtli, San Antonio, TX
- Jen Yee, Hopkins and Corporate, Atlanta
Exceptional Baker
- David Cáceres, Los angeles Panadería, San Antonio, TX
- Maya-Camille Broussard, Justice of the Pies, Chicago
- Atsuko Fujimoto, Norimoto Bakery, Portland, ME
- Susannah Gebhart, Previous Global Levain (OWL) Bakery, Asheville, NC
- Marissa and Mark Gencarelli, Yoli Tortilleria, Kansas Town, MO
- Joseph, Archalous, and Caroline Geragosian, Previous Sasoon Bakery, Pasadena, CA
- Don Guerra, Barrio Bread, Tucson, AZ
- Aaron Corridor, The Native Crumb, Mount Vernon, IA
- Mike Hirao, Nisshodo Sweet Retailer, Honolulu
- Clement Hsu, Katherine Campecino-Wong, and James Wong, Breadbelly, San Francisco
- Nobutoshi “Nobu” Mizushima and Yuko Kawashiwo, Ihatov Bread and Espresso, Albuquerque, NM
- Evette Rahman, Sister Honey’s, Orlando, FL
- Rhonda Saltzman and Mercedes Brooks, 2d Daughter Baking Co., Philadelphia
- Caroline Schweitzer and Lauren Heemstra, Wild Crumb, Bozeman, MT
- Khatera Shams, Sunshine Spice Bakery & Cafe, Boise, ID
- Zak Stern, Zak the Baker, Miami
- Elaine Townsend, Café Mochiko, Cincinnati, OH
- Maricsa Trejo, Los angeles Casita Bakeshop, Richardson, TX
- Louis Volle, Lodi, NYC
- Pamela Vuong, The Flour Field, Seattle
Exceptional Hospitality
- BaoBao Dumpling Space, Portland, ME
- Bar del Corso, Seattle
- Binkley’s, Phoenix
- Coquine, Portland, OR
- Cúrate, Asheville, NC
- Space of Top Rib, San Francisco
- Hugo’s, Houston
- Johnny’s Eating place, Homewood, AL
- José, Dallas
- Lil’ Deb’s Oasis, Hudson, NY
- Mudgie’s Deli and Wine Store, Detroit
- Phoenicia, Birmingham, MI
- The Preacher’s Son, Bentonville, AR
- Sanford, Milwaukee
- Spuntino, Denver
- Steve and Cookie’s, Margate, NJ
- Sylvia’s Eating place, NYC
- Ticonderoga Membership, Atlanta
- Tutka Bay Hotel, Homer, AK
- Valter’s Osteria, Salt Lake Town
Exceptional Wine Program
- a.kitchen + bar, Philadelphia
- The 4 Horsemen, NYC
- Frenchette, NYC
- Golden Age Wine, Mountain Brook, AL
- Prime Boulevard Wine Co., San Antonio, TX
- Hiyu Wine Farm, Hood River, OR
- Kai, Phoenix
- L’Etoile, Madison, WI
- The Little Nell, Aspen, CO
- Fortunate Palace, Bossier Town, LA
- Lyla Lila, Atlanta
- Madam, Birmingham, MI
- Maydan, Washington, D.C.
- Polo Grill, Tulsa, OK
- The Punchdown, Oakland, CA
- Rainbow Ranch Hotel, Gallatin Gateway, MT
- Riot Riot, Somerville, MA
- Sachet, Dallas
- Tomo, Seattle
- Vicia, St. Louis
Exceptional Bar Program
- Alley Twenty Six, Durham, NC
- Attaboy, Nashville
- Road Pub, New Orleans
- Bar Leather-based Apron, Honolulu
- barmini by way of José Andrés, Washington, D.C.
- Cafe Los angeles Trova, Miami
- Chapel Tavern, Reno, NV
- Buddies and Circle of relatives, Oakland, CA
- Genever, Los Angeles
- Goodkind, Milwaukee
- The Jewel Field, Portland, ME
- Julep, Houston
- Los angeles Factoría, San Juan, PR
- Las Almas Rotas, Dallas
- Llama San, NYC
- No one’s Darling, Chicago
- Shelby, Detroit
- Valkyrie, Tulsa, OK
- Vicia, St. Louis
- Water Witch, Salt Lake Town
Easiest Chef: California
- Chris Barnum-Dann, Localis, Sacramento, CA
- Sylvan Mishima Brackett, Rintaro, San Francisco
- Val M. Cantu, Californios, San Francisco
- Keith Corbin, Alta Adams, Los Angeles
- Srijith Gopinathan, Ettan, Palo Alto, CA
- Tony Ho, Sea Harbour Seafood Eating place, Rosemead, CA
- Judept Irra, Tamales Elena y Antojitos, Bell Gardens, CA
- Brandon Jew, Mister Jiu’s, San Francisco
- Matthew Kammerer, The Harbor Space Inn, Elk, CA
- Bryant Ng, Cassia, Santa Monica, CA
- Heena Patel, Besharam, San Francisco
- Natalia Pereira, Woodspoon, Los Angeles
- Melissa Perello, Octavia, San Francisco
- Minh Phan, Phenakite, Los Angeles
- Justin Pichetrungsi, Anajak Thai, Los Angeles
- Carlos Salgado, Taco María, Costa Mesa, CA
- Sarintip “Jazz” Singsanong, Jitlada, Los Angeles
- James Syhabout, Commis, Oakland, CA
- Pim Techamuanvivit, Nari, San Francisco
- Anthony Wells, Juniper and Ivy, San Diego
Easiest Chef: Nice Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH)
- Omar Anani, Saffron De Twah, Detroit
- Rodolfo Cuadros, Amaru and Bloom Plant Based totally Kitchen, Chicago
- Diana Dávila Boldin, Mi Tocaya Antojería, Chicago
- Paul Fehribach, Giant Jones, Chicago
- Jason Hammel, Lula Cafe, Chicago
- Anthony Lombardo, SheWolf, Detroit
- Hamissi Mamba and Nadia Nijimbere, Baobab Fare, Detroit
- Thomas Melvin, Vida, Indianapolis
- Dave Park, Jeong, Chicago
- Michael Ransom, ima, Detroit
- Darnell Reed, Luella’s Southern Kitchen, Chicago
- James Rigato, Mabel Grey, Hazel Park, MI
- Jose Salazar, Salazar, Cincinnati, OH
- Noah Sandoval, Oriole, Chicago
- Ahmad Sanji, AlTayeb, Dearborn, MI
- John Shields and Karen Urie Shields, Smyth, Chicago
- Jill Vedaa, Salt+, Lakewood, OH
- Sarah Welch, Marrow, Detroit
- Erick Williams, Distinctive feature Eating place & Bar, Chicago
- Kate Williams, Karl’s, Detroit
Easiest Chef: Mid-Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)
- Anthony Andiario, Andiario, West Chester, PA
- Joey Baldino, Zeppoli, Collingswood, NJ
- Angel Barreto, Anju, Washington, D.C.
- Amy Brandwein, Centrolina, Washington, D.C.
- Adam Diltz, Elwood, Philadelphia
- Antimo DiMeo, Bardea Meals & Drink, Wilmington, DE
- Melissa Hamilton and Christopher Hirsheimer, Canal Space Station, Milford, NJ
- Matt Hill, Ruthie’s All-Day, Arlington, VA
- Invoice Hoffman, The Space of William & Merry, Hockessin, DE
- Jesse Ito, Royal Izakaya, Philadelphia
- Kate Lasky and Tomasz Skowronski, Apteka, Pittsburgh
- Wei Lu, China Chalet, Florham Park, NJ
- Cristina Martinez, South Philly Barbacoa, Philadelphia
- Peter Top, Cane, Washington, D.C.
- Carlos Raba, Clavel Mezcaleria, Baltimore
- Michael Rafidi, Albi, Washington, D.C.
- Chutatip “Nok” Suntaranon, Kalaya Thai Kitchen, Philadelphia
- Yuan Tang, Hen & Owl, Washington, D.C.
- Wei Zhu, Chengdu Gourmand, Pittsburgh
- Bethany Zozula, 40 North at Alphabet Town, Pittsburgh
Easiest Chef: Midwest (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI)
- Dane 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, The Diplomat, Milwaukee
- Karen Bell, Bavette Los angeles Boucherie, Milwaukee
- Daniel Bonanno, A Pig in a Fur Coat, Madison, WI
- Rob Connoley, Bulrush, St. Louis
- Jorge Guzmán, Petite León, Minneapolis
- Michael Haskett, M.B. Haskett Delicatessen, Sioux Falls, SD
- Dan Jacobs and Dan Van Ceremony, EsterEv, Milwaukee
- Mary Kastman, Driftless Cafe, Viroqua, WI
- Anthony Kueper, Dolce, Omaha, NE
- Gregory León, Amilinda, Milwaukee
- Rachel McGill, DISH Eating place, Lincoln, NE
- Ryan Nitschke, Luna Fargo, Fargo, ND
- Craig Rivard, Little Fox, St. Louis
- Kevin Scharpf, Brazen Open Kitchen | Bar, Dubuque, IA
- Sean Sherman, Owamni, Minneapolis
- Erik Skaar, Vann, Spring Park, MN
- Evy Swoboda, Brasserie by way of Area of interest, St. Louis
- Carl Thorne-Thomsen, Tale., Prairie Village, KS
- Yia Vang, Union Hmong Kitchen, Minneapolis
- Ben Welch, Botanica, Wildwood, MO
Easiest Chef: Mountain (CO, ID, MT, UT, WY)
- Saibeen Acord, Saibeen’s Kitchen, Nice Falls, MT
- Salvador Alamilla, Amano, Caldwell, ID
- Dan Ansotegui, Ansots, Boise, ID
- Jose Avila, El Borrego Negro, Denver
- Mike Blocher, Nick Fahs, and David Barboza, Desk X, Salt Lake Town
- Cody Cheetham, Tavernetta, Denver
- Logen Workforce and Paul Chamberlain, SLC Eatery, Salt Lake Town
- Caroline Glover, Annette, Aurora, CO
- Briar Handly, Deal with, Park Town, UT
- Suchada Johnson, Teton Thai, Teton Village, WY
- Kris Komori, KIN, Boise, ID
- Chris Lockhart, PREROGATIvE Kitchen, Pink Hotel, MT
- Chris McDonald, Cowfish, Lander, WY
- Mawa McQueen, Mawa’s Kitchen, Aspen, CO
- Brian Menges, The 2d Boulevard Bistro, Livingston, MT
- Paul Naugle, Izakaya 3 Fish, Bozeman, MT
- Dana Rodriguez, Paintings & Elegance, Denver
- Eric Skokan, Black Cat Farm Desk Bistro, Boulder, CO
- Luis Younger, Penrose Room, Colorado Springs, CO
- Dave Wells, The Tasting Room at Chico Scorching Springs Lodge & Day Spa, Pray, MT
Easiest Chef: New York State
- Einat Admony, Balaboosta, NYC
- Mary Attea, The Musket Room, NYC
- Albert and Malenda Bartley, Most sensible Style, Kingston, NY
- Amanda Cohen, Filth Sweet, NYC
- Nick Curtola, The 4 Horsemen, NYC
- Eric Gao, O Mandarin, Hartsdale and Hicksville, NY
- JJ Johnson, FIELDTRIP, NYC
- Gabe McMackin, Troutbeck, Amenia, NY
- Helen Nguyen, Saigon Social, NYC
- Ayesha Nurdjaja, Shuka, NYC
- Chintan Pandya, Dhamaka, NYC
- Kyo Pang, Kopitiam, NYC
- Junghyun Park, Atomix, NYC
- Carla Perez-Gallardo and Hannah Black, Lil’ Deb’s Oasis, Hudson, NY
- Erik Ramirez, Llama Inn, NYC
- Romeo Regalli, Ras Plant Based totally, NYC
- Irwin Sánchez, Underneath the Volcano, NYC
- Bryce Shuman, Sweetbriar, NYC
- Hillary Sterling, Ci Siamo, NYC
- Dale Talde, Goosefeather, Tarrytown, NY
Easiest Chef: Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT)
- Bowman Brown, Elda, Biddeford, ME
- Vien Doubi, CÔNG TỬ BỘT, Portland, ME
- Patricia Estorino, Gustazo Cuban Kitchen & Bar, Waltham and Cambridge, MA
- Tiffani Faison, Orfano, Boston
- Jeff Fournier, Thompson Space Eatery, Jackson, NH
- Daniel Gursha, Ledger, Salem, MA
- Tico Huynh, Yvonne’s, Cambridge, MA
- Ben Jackson, Magnus on Water, Biddeford, ME
- Jeremy Kean and Philip Kruta, Brassica Kitchen + Cafe, Boston
- Christian Kruse, Black Flannel Brewing Corporate, Essex Junction, VT
- Brian Lewis, The Cottage, Westport, CT
- Courtney Loreg, Woodford Meals and Beverage, Portland, ME
- Hector Ludena, Cora Cora, West Hartford, CT
- Nisachon Morgan, Saap, Randolph, VT
- Cassie Piuma, Sarma, Somerville, MA
- William Rietzel, COAST, Watch Hill, RI
- Damian Sansonetti, Chaval, Portland, ME
- John DaSilva, Chickadee, Boston
- David Schrier, Jessica Pollard and David Clegg, Day by day Operation, Easthampton, MA
- David Vargas, Vida Cantina, Portsmouth, NH
Easiest Chef: Northwest and Pacific (AK, HI, OR, WA)
- Nathan Bentley, Altura Bistro, Anchorage, AK
- Nick Coffey, Ursa Minor, Lopez Island, WA
- Erasto Jackson, Lil Pink’s Takeout and Catering, Seattle
- Jonathan Jones, Epilogue Kitchen & Cocktails, Salem, OR
- Liz Kenyon, Rupee Bar, Seattle
- Carlo Lamagna, Magna Kusina, Portland, OR
- Robynne Maii, Fête, Honolulu
- Melissa Miranda, Musang, Seattle
- David Nichols, 8 Row, Seattle
- Vince Nguyen, Berlu, Portland, OR
- Brandon Pettit, Delancey, Seattle
- Thomas Pisha-Duffly, Oma’s Hideaway, Portland, OR
- Mark Pomaski, Moon & Turtle, Hilo, HI
- Beau Schooler, In Bocca Al Lupo, Juneau, AK
- Sheldon Simeon, Tin Roof, Kahului, HI
- Mutsuko Soma, Kamonegi, Seattle
- Mark and Minaka Urquidi, Ethel’s Grill, Honolulu
- Jojo Vasquez, Fond, Lahaina, HI
- Aaron Verzosa, Archipelago, Seattle
- Chad White, Zona Blanca, Spokane, WA
Easiest Chef: Southeast (GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV)
- Katie Button, Cúrate, Asheville, NC
- Greg Collier, Leah & Louise, Charlotte, NC
- Mike Costello and Amy Dawson, Misplaced Creek Farm, Misplaced Creek, WV
- Oscar Diaz, The Cortez, Raleigh, NC
- Sunny Gerhart, St. Roch Advantageous Oysters + Bar, Raleigh, NC
- Jake Howell, Peninsula, Nashville
- Philip Krajeck, Rolf and Daughters, Nashville
- Cheetie Kumar, Garland, Raleigh, NC
- Anthony Lamas, Seviche, Louisville, KY
- Jason Liang, Brush Sushi Izakaya, Decatur, GA
- Ouita Michel, Holly Hill Inn, Halfway, Lexington, and Versailles, KY
- Ricky Moore, SALTBOX Seafood Joint, Durham, NC
- Orlando Pagán, Wild Commonplace, Charleston, SC
- Craig Richards, Lyla Lila, Atlanta
- Alison Settle, Barn8, Goshen, KY
- Peyton Smith, Venture Pizza Napoletana, Winston-Salem, NC
- Stephanie Tyson, Candy Potatoes, Winston-Salem, NC
- Aaron Vandemark, Panciuto, Hillsborough, NC
- Joey Ward, Southern Belle and Georgia Boy, Atlanta
- Mailea Weger, Lou, Nashville
Easiest Chef: South (AL, AR, FL, LA, MS, PR)
- Blake Aguillard and Trey Smith, Saint-Germain, New Orleans
- Michael Beltran, Ariete, Coconut Grove, FL
- Valerie, Nando, and Fernando Chang, Itamae, Miami
- Clay Conley, Buccan, Palm Seashore, FL
- Adam Evans, Automated Seafood and Oysters, Birmingham, AL
- Jeremy Ford, Cussed Seed, Miami
- Hao Gong, LUVI Eating place, New Orleans
- Francis Guzmán, Vianda, San Juan, PR
- Timothy Hontzas, Johnny’s Eating place, Homewood, AL
- Melissa M. Martin, Mosquito Supper Membership, New Orleans
- Matthew McClure, The Hive, Bentonville, AR
- Abel Mendoza, Estela, Rincón, PR
- Henry Moso, Kabooki Sushi, Orlando, FL
- Michael Nelson, GW Fins, New Orleans
- Niven Patel, Ghee Indian Kitchen, Kendall, FL
- Alex Perry, Vestige, Ocean Springs, MS
- Michael Pirolo, Macchialina, Miami
- Allison Richard, Prime Hat Cafe, New Orleans
- Rafael Rios, Yeyo’s, Bentonville, AR
- Isaac Toups, Toups’ Meatery, New Orleans
Easiest Chef: Southwest (AZ, NM, NV, OK)
- Matthew Amberg, Oren, Tulsa, OK
- Wanda J. Armstrong, Evelyn’s, Tulsa, OK
- Indri Bahar, Rendang & Co. Indonesian Bistro, Tulsa, OK
- Troy Cannan, LuLou’s Eating place, Reno, NV
- Kwok Chen, Kwok’s Bistro, Reno, NV
- Andrew Donovan, Basque, Tulsa, OK
- Lori Hashimoto, Hana Eastern Eatery, Phoenix
- Zach Hutton, Scratch Kitchen & Cocktails, Oklahoma Town, OK
- Gina Marinelli, Los angeles Strega and Harlo, Las Vegas
- John Martinez, Tito & Pep, Tucson, AZ
- Maria Mazon, BOCA Tacos y Tequila, Tuscon, AZ
- Ahmed Obo, Jambo Cafe, Santa Fe
- Fernando Olea, Sazón, Santa Fe
- Martín Rios, Eating place Martín, Santa Fe
- Salazar Brothers, Los angeles Guelaguetza, Albuquerque, NM
- Giovanni Scorzo, Andreoli Italian Grocer, Scottsdale, AZ
- Eben Shillingford, Sisserou’s, Tulsa, OK
- Jamie Tran, The Black Sheep, Las Vegas
- Hongrui Xin, Giant Dan Shanxi Style, Las Vegas
- Marie Yniguez, Bocadillos, Albuquerque, NM
Easiest Chef: Texas
- Alex Au-Yeung, Phat Eatery, Katy, TX
- Damien Brockway, Far-off Family members, Austin
- Aaron Budorn, Bludorn, Houston
- Sylvia Casares, Sylvia’s Enchilada Kitchen, Houston
- Tiffany Derry, Roots Southern Desk, Farmers Department, TX
- Christine Ha and Tony J. Nguyen, Xin Chào, Houston
- Quy Hoang, Blood Bros. BBQ, Bellaire, TX
- Kaiser Lashkari, Himalaya Eating place, Houston
- Matt McCallister, Homewood, Dallas
- Steven McHugh, Cured, San Antonio, TX
- Misti Norris, Petra & the Beast, Dallas
- Anastacia Quiñones-Pittman, José, Dallas
- Esaul Ramos Jr., 2M Smokehouse, San Antonio, TX
- Felipe Riccio, MARCH, Houston
- Regino Rojas, Revolver Taco Front room, Dallas
- John Russ, Clementine, San Antonio, TX
- Ernest Servantes and David Kirkland, Burnt Bean Co., Seguin, TX
- Iliana de l. a. Vega, El Naranjo, Austin
- Finn Walter, The Nicolett, Lubbock, TX
- Koji Yoshida, EBESU Robata & Sushi, Plano, TX
Disclosure: Some Vox Media group of workers participants are a part of the balloting frame for the James Beard Basis Awards.
