In a second round of cuts, the James Beard Foundation announced the 2016 nominees this morning, and there was a significant lack of LA representation. In the semifinalist round, 20 LA restaurants and chefs were listed; now, there is a mere five still nominated in the main categories, down from seven last year. We're bummed to see that Baroo didn't make the final list for Best New Restaurant, and that Roy Choi wasn't named an Outstanding Restaurateur nominee. Here are the chefs and restaurants that did make the cut:
Outstanding Chef: Suzanne Goin (Lucques)
Outstanding Pastry Chef: Dahlia Narvaez (Osteria Mozza)
Best Chef (West): Michael Cimarusti (Providence), Jeremy Fox (Rustic Canyon), Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo (Animal)
It's important to note that LA also received the 2016 James Beard Foundation Humanitarian of the Year award, which went to Father Greg Boyle at Homeboy Industries. Jon & Vinny's was also nominated for a design award, and Travis Lett was nominated for his cookbook, Gjelina.
The winners will be announced on May 2. A full list of nominees can be found here.
