JWU Alumni Nominated for 2020 Beard Foundation Awards

The James Beard Foundation Awards are the culinary world’s Oscars and Emmys, all rolled into one. Their expansive 2020 list of semifinalists has just been released, and JWU alumni are represented in the majority of the categories.

David Kinch '81, '14 Hon. of Manresa, Manresa Bread and the soon-to-open Mentone gets a nod for Outstanding Chef, while a quintet of young alums are honored as Rising Star Chefs.

In the Northeast, James Mark '08 of Big King and Cassie Piuma '02 are joined by Derek Wagner of '99, '19 Hon., whose restaurant Nicks on Broadway just celebrated its 18th anniversary.

Timon Balloo '00 is back on the list after a lengthy absence, this time for his new restaurant, Balloo, which serves as a tribute to his Chinese, Indian and Trinidadian roots.

The final Restaurant and Chef Award nominees, as well as the nominations for Media and Restaurant Design Awards, will be announced on Wednesday, March 25. (The nominees will also be announced via Twitter.)

The 2019 Awards Gala will be held at Chicago’s Lyric Opera on Monday, May 4.

3/30 Update: As of Monday, March 16, the nominee announcement has been postponed. When new dates are selected for all events, they will be announced formally via the James Beard Foundation website and social media. The annual James Beard Awards have been postponed to summer 2020.

5/5 Update: The Beard Foundation formally announced their list of finalists, as well as cookbook, media and restaurant design awards, on 5/4.

Best New Restaurant
Fox & the Knife, Boston (Molly Dwyer '10, chef de cuisine and Angela Peterson '16, pastry chef)
Kāwi, NYC (Isabella Fitzgerald '08, beverage manager)
Lazy Betty, Atlanta (Lindsey Davis '11, pastry chef)

Outstanding Chef
David Kinch ’81, ’14 Hon., Manresa, Los Gatos, CA FINALIST

Outstanding Bar Program
The Baldwin Bar, Woburn, MA (Ran Duan '09, owner)

Outstanding Pastry Chef
Lincoln Carson '90, Bon Temps, Los Angeles
Claudia Martinez '15, Tiny Lou's, Atlanta

Outstanding Restaurant
BOKA, Chicago (Brianna Meyers, '13 chef de cuisine)
FIG, Charleston (Adam Nemirow '00 MBA, owner-manager) FINALIST
Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink, Miami (Dillion Wolff '16, chef de cuisine)
Quince, San Francisco (Neil Stetz '08, chef de cuisine) FINALIST

Rising Star Chef of the Year
Mariana Gonzalez-Trasvina '13, Bar ’Cino, Newport, RI
Matthew Kammerer '11, Harbor House Inn, Elk, CA
Jeanine Lamadieu '16, Yūgen, Chicago
Austin Nickel '11, Spuntino, Denver

Best Chef: Great Lakes
Brian Jupiter '03, Frontier, Chicago
Kenny Scott '07, Larder Delicatessen & Bakery, Cleveland
Karen Urie Shields '00, Smyth, Chicago FINALIST

Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic
Matthew Kern '99, Heirloom, Lewes, DE

Best Chef: Mountain
Luis Young '11, Penrose Room, Colorado Springs, CO

Best Chef: Northeast
James Mark '08, Big King, Providence
Cassie Piuma '02, Sarma, Somerville, MA FINALIST
Derek Wagner '99, '19 Hon., Nicks on Broadway, Providence

Best Chef: South
Lindsay Autry '04, The Regional Kitchen & Public House, West Palm Beach, FL
Timon Balloo '00, Balloo Restaurant, Miami
Kristen Essig '98, Coquette, New Orleans

Best Chef: Southeast
Kevin Johnson '96, The Grocery, Charleston, SC
Joe Kindred '02, Davidson, NC
Andy Ticer '04 and Michael Hudman '04, Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen, Memphis, TN FINALIST

2020 James Beard Foundation Book Awards
Sean Brock '00, '14 Hon., “South: Essential Recipes and New Explorations” (Artisan)

Lifetime Achievement Award
Jessica B. Harris '15 Hon.