Three James Beard finalists are from Dallas

• Almost half of Dallas-Fort Worth's semifinalists made it to the next round.

The big picture: The foundation is increasingly recognizing Texas cuisine in the national restaurant categories, and the awards created a regional category in 2019 just for the state.

• This year, Dallas has two finalists in national categories: Lucia chef David Uygur for outstanding chef and Gemma for outstanding hospitality.
• Lucia was a finalist last year in the national outstanding restaurant category but didn't win.

Zoom in: Chef Misti Norris of Petra and the Beast in Dallas was named a finalist in Texas' Best Chef category. The other nominees in the Texas category are:

• Emmanuel Chavez, Tatemó in Houston
• Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel, Birdie's in Austin
• Ana Liz Pulido, Ana Liz Taqueria in Mission
• Christopher Cullum, Cullum's Attaboy in San Antonio

What's next: The winners will be named at a June 10 gala in Chicago.