Christina Nguyen wins Best Midwest Chef at James Beard Awards

• She beat out four others, including Ann Ahmed of Khâluna and Gai Noi.

What she's saying: "When we started our restaurants, the most a Southeast Asian restaurant could ever hope for was best cheap eats," Nguyen said in her awards speech. "I feel like we've come a long way. This is an honor."

Context: Nguyen, who is self-taught, started her restaurant career in 2011 when she and her husband Birk Grudem opened the Hola Arepa food truck.

• The two opened the brick-and-mortar location in 2014 and added Southeast Asian restaurant Hai Hai to their portfolio in 2018.

Zoom out: Elsewhere at the awards, upscale Northeast Minneapolis Mexican restaurant Oro by Nixta lost out on the Best New Restaurant award to Dakar NOLA of New Orleans.

This is a developing story. Check back for more updates.