Five Twin Cities chefs named semifinalists for James Beard Awards

Five Twin Cities chefs are on the shortlist for the prestigious James Beard Awards.

Yes, but: Despite Owamni's Best New Restaurant win last year, not a single Minnesota restaurant was named a semifinalist.

• Last year's semifinalist list included five Minnesota chefs, two restaurants and a restaurateur spread across three awards. This year, we only received nods in the chef categories.

Why it matters: Our continued recognition by the culinary awards reminds the nation that the Twin Cities has some serious restaurant game.

Details: Yia Vang (Union Hmong Kitchen), Christina Nguyen (Hai Hai), Karyn Tomlinson (Myriel) and Ann Ahmed (Khâluna) are semifinalists for Best Chef: Midwest, while Shawn McKenzie (Café Cerés) made the list for Outstanding Pastry Chef.

• This is Vang's third time on the semifinalist list in two years. He and his restaurant Union Hmong Kitchen received nods for Best Chef: Midwest and Best New Restaurant in 2022.

What's next: Winners will be celebrated in June, per a release.