Twin Cities chefs, restaurants named semi-finalists for James Beard Awards

• Daniel del Prado (outstanding chef), Oro by Nixta (best new restaurant), Marc Heu (outstanding pastry chef or baker) and Meteor (outstanding bar) made this round for the national culinary awards.

Zoom in: Female chefs had a good showing in the regional categories.

• Khâluna's Ann Ahmed, Hai Hai's Christina Nguyen and Myriel's Karyn Tomlinson all made the cut for best chef in the Midwest.

Of note: Lisa Carlson and Carrie Summer of Chef Shack, based across the river from Red Wing in Bay City, Wisconsin, also made the regional list.

What we're watching: Finalists will be announced April 3 and winners on June 10 in Chicago.

• Last year, four of five Twin Cities nominees were dropped in the finalist round.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to show James Beard semifinalists were announced Wednesday, not Tuesday.