A Colorado consolation prize at the Beards

After Boulder darling Frasca Food and Wine won the James Beard Awards' top honors last year, the city had no restaurants in contention at last night's ceremony in Chicago.

Yes, but: Denver's Penelope Wong gave Colorado a reason to celebrate, winning Best Chef: Mountain.

Why it's worth the 30ish-minute drive: Wong's journey from street-food sensation to award-winning restaurateur culminated Monday with a James Beard Award for Best Chef: Mountain.

State of play: Wong, who opened Yuan Wonton's North Park Hill restaurant in 2023, ended her acceptance speech Monday by thanking women in the industry.

• "It's always been a priority of mine ... to help uplift other women, because I know that they're not always seen in the kitchen," Wong told us.