If you're like us, you have a running list of restaurants and bars to check out in Chicago—a culinary bucket list of sorts. That list is about to get longer, as the James Beard Foundation announced its 2019 semifinalists this morning, including 25 familiar names from Chicago. The annual awards ceremony, which is hosted at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, will take over the city on May 6; tune in then to find out which chefs, bartenders and restauranteurs will take home honors.
Two Chicago newcomers, Kyoten and Passerotto, are recognized in the Best New Restaurant category, which includes a whopping 30 spots from across the country. Sarah Grueneberg of Monteverde is the only local name to make the short list of Outstanding Chefs this year. Lost Lake looks to continue its award-winning streak with a nod in the Outstanding Bar Program category. Plus, a laundry list of the best culinary masterminds in Chicago unsurprisingly dominates the Best Chef, Great Lakes category. Take a look as all of the Chicago semifinalists below:
Best New Restaurant
Kyoten
Passerotto
Outstanding Baker
Stephanie Hart, Brown Sugar Bakery
Greg Wade, Publican Quality Bread
Outstanding Bar Program
Lost Lake
Outstanding Chef
Sarah Grueneberg, Monteverde
Outstanding Pastry Chef
Meg Galus, Boka
Outstanding Restaurant
North Pond
Outstanding Restaurateur
Rob Katz and Kevin Boehm, Boka Restaurant Group
Outstanding Service
Birrieria Zaragoza
Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse
Outstanding Wine Program
Income Tax
Spiaggia
Rising Star Chef of the Year
Alisha Elenz, mfk.
Best Chef, Great Lakes
Thai Dang and Danielle Dang, HaiSous Vietnamese Kitchen
Diana Dávila, Mi Tocaya Antojería
Paul Fehribach, Big Jones
Jason Hammel, Lula Café
Brian Jupiter, Frontier
Beverly Kim and Johnny Clark, Parachute
Ethan Pikas, Cellar Door Provisions
David Posey and Anna Posey, Elske
Iliana Regan, Kitsune
Noah Sandoval, Oriole
Lee Wolen, Boka